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Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set will not become widely available until later this week, yet after pre-releases this past weekend, one cheap green card saw a sharp rise in market worth.

Even during previews, this small creature garnered widespread focus. This two-power, two-toughness that costs G and 1 mana, it features the Earthbend 1 ability (possibly the strongest of the elemental mechanics available). The real boon with this card is an additional effect: Each time mana is generated by tapping a creature, it provides bonus green mana.

At its cheapest, Badgermole Cub sold for $26.98. Post-prerelease, though, the market price jumped above $45 and one seller offering for sale at $60.00. Why are we seeing Vivi prices on this adorable card? Mostly because of the explosive mana ramping it enables.

Upon entering the board, Badgermole Cub converts a terrain card to a creature land granting it earthbend. And with that second ability, if it remains on the board, those lands produces twice the mana — along with mana-producing creatures in your control that generate mana.

The obvious go-to for synergy would be this one-mana elf, a low-cost creature that taps to generate a green resource. Yet there are plenty of alternative mana dorks out there. This particular druid is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value in comparison.

Deploying terrain, dorks that generate resources, alongside this card, you may quickly play a very big and very expensive threat on the battlefield early in the game. And things just keep spiraling rapidly with continued aggression after that.

When adding a secondary color using this method, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly that can make all five colors. And something like a useful enchantment creature enables playing one extra land each turn as well as transforms your entire land base providing all land types. Another possibility is for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment provides all of your permanents the ability to produce one mana of any color — including each creature you have on the board.

This card may be OP in terms of ramping up your mana generation, yet what’s the endgame finisher in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice is Ashaya. Its stats match the number of lands you control, and it makes your non-token creatures Forests in addition to their other types. This means, all your creatures you control is able to tap for two G when tapped.

Harmonious Grovestrider is another expensive, beefy creature which gains from lots of lands (similar to Ashaya, its power and toughness match how many lands you have).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a staple. One of her abilities causes every Forest generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, that means those lands yield three G.) Her plus ability acts as a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters to a noncreature land, handy but it isn't redundant with earthbending. The minus ability, on the other hand, grants your entire land base indestructible and lets you search for every Forest left in your deck. Once you trigger this power, this typically means game over.

This card is nearly mandatory for any kind of green-based Avatar strategies focusing on the earthbend mechanic. By including Gruul colors, you can use this legendary card. This card features earthbend 4, plus if damage is dealt to an opponent, all land creatures untap and can attack again. While that version has become a beloved leader, the cute little Badgermole Cub is set to be one of, if not the most sought-after card from this expansion.