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MTG’s Avatar crossover set will not get a wider release in the coming days, however following prerelease weekends this past weekend, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in price.

Throughout the spoiler season, Badgermole Cub attracted widespread focus. A 2/2 requiring one green and one colorless mana, it features level 1 earthbending (perhaps the best of the four bending abilities in the set). The major perk in its design lies in an additional effect: If a creature is tapped to produce mana, you gain one extra green mana.

When first listed, Badgermole Cub was available below $30. After the pre-release weekend, however, the market price jumped above $45 including listings priced at sixty dollars. What explains Vivi prices for this little creature? Mainly due to the rapid resource generation it enables.

Upon entering the board, Badgermole Cub turns a land so it becomes a creature that has earthbending. And with that second ability, as long as it stays in play, every earthbent land produces twice the mana — in addition to mana-producing creatures you have that produce resources.

The obvious go-to for synergy includes Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 which can be tapped for a green resource. But there are plenty of alternative mana dorks in the game. Druid of the Cowl is a more expensive alternative a 1/3 creature at a two-mana value as an alternative.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, you may quickly play an enormous high-cost creature into play early in the game. The situation escalates exponentially by maintaining dominance after that.

If you dip into an additional hue using this method, options such as versatile mana producers work perfectly that can make any mana color. Another card, a useful enchantment creature lets you play another terrain each turn plus transforms all of your lands into every basic land type. You can also consider something like a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment provides every card you own the power to tap and generate any color mana — which covers any creature you have on the board.

This card may be OP when it comes to accelerating your resources, yet what’s the endgame finisher for a deck like this? A common and powerful choice has been Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness match your land count, and it changes your non-token creatures into Forests in addition to their other types. Essentially, every single creature in play is able to generate two green mana if used for mana.

Another creature is a costly, large threat which gains from a high land count (like Ashaya, P/T are equal to how many lands you have).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her passive ability makes all Forests produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, so those lands generate three green mana.) Her main ability acts as a form of land animation, placing counters to a noncreature land, handy though it doesn't stack with earthbend. Her ultimate, on the other hand, renders each land you control unbreakable enabling you to draw out every Forest left from your library. Once you trigger the ultimate, it almost certainly you win.

Badgermole Cub is nearly mandatory for any kind of green Avatar deck focusing on the earthbend mechanic. If you dip into red and green, consider Bumi. It possesses earthbend 4, plus if damage is dealt to an opponent, all land creatures are ready again and may attack once more. Although this card has become a fan favorite Commander, this small creature is set to be among the top, possibly the desired card in the Avatar set.