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Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set will not get a wider release in the coming days, yet due to pre-releases recently, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in price.

Throughout the spoiler season, Badgermole Cub drew widespread focus. A creature with stats 2/2 that costs G and 1 mana, the card features the Earthbend 1 ability (perhaps the strongest of the elemental mechanics available). The major perk here lies in its second ability: Each time a creature is tapped to produce mana, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, the card was available for $26.98. Following the early events, though, the market price has shot up to nearly $50 and one seller offering priced at sixty dollars. What explains premium pricing for this cute lil guy? Mainly due to the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

Upon entering the board, this creature converts one land so it becomes a creature that has earthbending. And with that second ability, while it remains on the board, each affected land yields two mana instead of one — in addition to mana-producing creatures you have which tap for mana.

The obvious go-to for synergy is Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that produces one green mana. But there are plenty of creatures that make mana out there. Another option is a higher-cost choice a 1/3 creature for two mana as an alternative.

Deploying terrain, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, you can easily get a massive and very expensive monster on the board by round three or four. The situation escalates exponentially by maintaining dominance from there.

When adding another color in this strategy, examples including these mana-fixing creatures are excellent picks which produce all five colors. Another card, this powerful dryad lets you play another terrain per turn as well as makes your entire land base into every basic land type. It's also worth trying for example a card called A Realm Reborn, which for six mana grants all of your permanents the capacity to tap and generate any color mana — including any creature you have on the board.

Badgermole Cub could be too strong regarding accelerating your resources, but what’s the endgame finisher in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice already is this legendary creature. Its power and toughness match how many lands you have, and it changes your non-token creatures Forests along with their other types. This means, each creature you control can tap for two G if used for mana.

Harmonious Grovestrider is a costly, large threat which gains from lots of lands (similar to Ashaya, its power and toughness match the number of lands you control).

Nissa is an excellent fit in this deck. Her static effect makes Forest lands produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means all earthbend forests yield three G.) Her main ability functions like an early earthbend, adding counters on terrain, handy but does not overlap with the cub's ability. The minus ability, however, grants each land you control unbreakable and allows you to draw out all the remaining forests in your deck. Once you trigger that ability, it’s pretty much game over.

Badgermole Cub is pretty much essential for any kind of decks using green and Avatar focusing on the earthbend mechanic. By including Gruul colors, you can use Bumi. This card features earthbend 4, plus if he deals combat damage to a player, land creatures become untapped and may attack once more. Although this card has become a fan favorite Commander, the cub is set to be one of, if not the most sought-after card from this expansion.