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MTG’s special Avatar expansion won’t become widely available before the end of the week, yet after prerelease weekends over the last few days, a low-cost green spell saw a sharp rise in value.

Even during previews, the earthbending cub garnered a lot of attention. A creature with stats 2/2 that costs G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub features Earthbending 1 (perhaps the strongest among the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The real boon in its design comes from its second ability: Each time you tap a creature for mana, add an additional green mana.

Initially, Badgermole Cub was available for $26.98. Post-prerelease, yet, the going rate has shot up to $49.66 with at least one listed as high as $60. Why are we seeing such high costs for this little creature? Mostly due to the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

Upon entering play, this creature converts a terrain card to a creature land granting it earthbend. Combined with its other power, if it is not removed, each affected land yields two mana instead of one — in addition to other creatures on your side which tap for mana.

A clear choice to combine with would be the classic Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 that produces one green mana. But many other mana generation creatures out there. Another option is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 at a two-mana value instead.

Using land cards, creatures that tap for mana, plus the cub, you may quickly play an enormous pricey creature into play early in the game. The situation escalates out of control with continued aggression after that.

By incorporating an additional hue with this approach, options such as these mana-fixing creatures are all great options that can make all five colors. Additionally, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove lets you play another terrain per turn AND turns every land you control providing all land types. It's also worth trying such as this six-mana enchantment, at a six-mana investment provides all of your permanents the power to be tapped for a mana of any type — even any creature in play.

The cub could be too strong when it comes to ramping up your mana generation, but how do you win with this archetype? A common and powerful choice is Ashaya. Its stats match how many lands you have, and it makes each creature you own to be Forests along with their original types. In other words, every single creature you control can tap for two G if used for mana.

Another creature is another expensive, beefy creature that thrives with a high land count (similar to Ashaya, P/T are equal to how many lands you have).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World fits really well as a go-to Planeswalker. Her passive ability allows every Forest generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, so all earthbend forests produce triple green.) Her main ability is essentially a form of land animation, adding counters on a land, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with the cub's ability. Her ultimate, though, makes your entire land base immune to destruction enabling you to put onto the battlefield your remaining Forests in the deck. Once you trigger the ultimate, this typically means game over.

The cub is nearly mandatory for any kind of green Avatar deck that use the earthbend mechanic. When branching into Gruul colors, you can use Bumi Unleashed. This card features earthbend 4, and when damage is dealt to a player, each animated land become untapped for another attack. While that version has become a beloved leader, the cub is set to be among the top, possibly the desired card from this expansion.