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Magic: The Gathering’s collaboration with Avatar will not become widely available in the coming days, however following pre-releases over the last few days, an affordable green creature has already exploded in price.

Throughout the spoiler season, Badgermole Cub attracted a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness that costs G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub includes Earthbending 1 (perhaps the best within the elemental mechanics available). The major perk here lies in an additional effect: If a creature is tapped to produce mana, it provides bonus green mana.

When first listed, the card was available below $30. Post-prerelease, however, its value has shot up to nearly $50 with at least one listed for sale at $60.00. The reason for premium pricing on this adorable card? Mostly because of the explosive mana ramping it provides.

As it hits the battlefield, this creature converts a terrain card to a creature land that has earthbending. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it stays in play, every earthbent land yields two mana instead of one — in addition to any creatures in your control which tap for mana.

The obvious go-to for synergy is Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that produces one green mana. However there are plenty of alternative mana dorks out there. This particular druid is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 for two mana as an alternative.

By playing lands, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, it's simple to summon a massive and very expensive threat into play within a few turns. And things just keep spiraling rapidly if you keep the pressure on from there.

By incorporating an additional hue in this strategy, cards like these mana-fixing creatures work perfectly which produce any mana color. Another card, a useful enchantment creature enables playing one extra land every round as well as makes every land you control providing all land types. You can also consider something like a card called A Realm Reborn, costing six mana gives every card you own the ability to be tapped for any color mana — even any creature in play.

Badgermole Cub may be OP when it comes to accelerating your resources, but what’s the endgame finisher in such a strategy? One obvious and popular answer already is this legendary creature. Its stats are set by your land count, plus it turns your non-token creatures into Forests as well as their original types. Essentially, every single creature you control may tap for two G when tapped.

This additional option is a costly, large threat which gains from a high land count (like Ashaya, its stats are based on the number of lands you control).

This Planeswalker works perfectly in this deck. One of her abilities makes Forest lands tap for one more G. (With a Badgermole Cub, this results in each one produce triple green.) Her plus ability functions like an early earthbend, placing counters on a land, handy though it doesn't stack with earthbending. The minus ability, though, renders all of your lands immune to destruction and lets you put onto the battlefield every Forest left in the deck. If you can actually activate that ability, it almost certainly the game ends.

This card is a must-have for any kind of green Avatar deck that use earthbend. By including Gruul colors, there’s this legendary card. This card features earthbend 4, plus if it hits a player to a player, land creatures are ready again and can attack again. Although this card has emerged as a fan favorite Commander, the cub is definitely going to remain among the top, possibly the desired card from this expansion.