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MTG’s Avatar crossover set will not get a wider release until later this week, but following early access events recently, an affordable green creature has already exploded in price.

Even during previews, the earthbending cub drew a lot of attention. A creature with stats 2/2 requiring G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub features Earthbending 1 (arguably the most effective among the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The major perk here is an additional effect: Whenever you tap a creature for mana, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, this card was available for $26.98. Following the early events, yet, its value has shot up above $45 including listings priced at sixty dollars. What explains such high costs for this little creature? Primarily due to the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

Upon entering play, this creature turns a land so it becomes a creature granting it earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it stays in play, those lands produces twice the mana — in addition to mana-producing creatures in your control that generate mana.

A clear choice for synergy is the classic Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature which can be tapped for G mana. But there are plenty of alternative mana dorks out there. Another option is a more expensive alternative a 1/3 creature for two mana as an alternative.

Deploying terrain, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, you can easily get an enormous and very expensive creature into play within a few turns. And things just keep spiraling exponentially if you keep the pressure on from there.

When adding a secondary color with this approach, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks that can make any color of mana. And something like Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing an additional land per turn plus turns every land you control so they count as all basics. Another possibility is such as this six-mana enchantment, at a six-mana investment grants all of your permanents the capacity to tap and generate one mana of any color — which covers all creatures under your control.

Badgermole Cub could be too strong regarding ramping up your mana generation, but what’s the endgame finisher in such a strategy? An often-seen solution already is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its stats match the number of lands you control, and it changes all of your nontoken creatures to be Forests as well as their other types. Essentially, all your creatures in play may tap for two G when tapped.

Harmonious Grovestrider is another expensive, beefy creature that thrives with many terrain cards (like Ashaya, its stats match how many lands you have).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World works perfectly in this deck. One of her abilities makes Forest lands generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, so those lands produce triple green.) One loyalty ability is essentially a form of land animation, adding counters on terrain, which is great but it isn't redundant with earthbend. Her -8 ability, though, makes your entire land base immune to destruction and lets you put onto the battlefield your remaining Forests in the deck. Should you manage to use that ability, it almost certainly the game ends.

This card is pretty much essential in any decks using green and Avatar built around earthbend. When branching into red-green, consider this legendary card. It possesses level 4 earthbending, plus if damage is dealt to an opponent, all land creatures untap and may attack once more. Although this card has become a fan favorite Commander, this small creature is set to be one of the most, maybe the sought-after card in the collaboration.