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MTG’s collaboration with Avatar isn't set to become widely available before the end of the week, yet due to prerelease weekends recently, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in price.

From the initial reveals, Badgermole Cub drew significant interest. A creature with stats 2/2 requiring a single green and one generic mana, Badgermole Cub includes Earthbending 1 (possibly the most effective among the elemental mechanics available). The major perk in its design is another power: Whenever mana is generated by tapping a creature, it provides bonus green mana.

At its cheapest, the card could be purchased below $30. Post-prerelease, however, its value escalated above $45 with at least one listed priced at sixty dollars. What explains premium pricing for this little creature? Mostly thanks to the explosive mana ramping it provides.

Upon entering the board, the cub converts one land to a creature land that has earthbending. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it remains on the board, those lands produces twice the mana — along with mana-producing creatures on your side which tap for mana.

The obvious go-to for synergy would be this one-mana elf, an inexpensive 1/1 that taps to generate G mana. But numerous alternative mana dorks in the game. Druid of the Cowl is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 for two mana in comparison.

Deploying terrain, creatures that tap for mana, and Badgermole Cub, you can easily get an enormous pricey monster on the battlefield early in the game. The situation escalates out of control by maintaining dominance from there.

By incorporating an additional hue with this approach, examples including versatile mana producers are all great options that generate any mana color. Additionally, a useful enchantment creature allows you to put one extra land every round plus turns every land you control providing all land types. It's also worth trying such as this six-mana enchantment, costing six mana grants each permanent you control the ability to be tapped for any color mana — including any creature you have on the board.

This card might seem overpowered when it comes to ramping up your mana generation, but what’s the endgame finisher in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice has been this legendary creature. Its power and toughness match how many lands you have, plus it turns your non-token creatures into Forests in addition to other subtypes. This means, every single creature on your board may produce double green by tapping.

Another creature provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from many terrain cards (similar to Ashaya, P/T match the number of lands you control).

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, that means those lands generate three green mana.) Her plus ability acts as a form of land animation, placing counters on a land, which is great but it isn't redundant with earthbend. Her -8 ability, however, makes each land you control unbreakable enabling you to search for your remaining Forests in the deck. Should you manage to use that ability, this typically means the game ends.

The cub is pretty much essential in any green Avatar deck focusing on the earthbend mechanic. By including red and green, you can use Bumi Unleashed. It possesses earthbend 4, and when it hits a player in combat, land creatures become untapped and may attack once more. Although this card is a beloved leader, the cute little Badgermole Cub is set to be among the top, possibly the desired card in the Avatar set.