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MTG’s collaboration with Avatar isn't set to hit the general market until later this week, but after prerelease weekends this past weekend, an affordable green creature has already exploded in market worth.

Throughout the spoiler season, this small creature drew a lot of attention. A creature with stats 2/2 priced at one green and one colorless mana, the card includes level 1 earthbending (arguably the strongest of the four bending abilities in the set). Its key advantage with this card is another power: If mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

When first listed, the card was available at around $27. Following the early events, though, the market price has shot up to nearly $50 with at least one listed priced at sixty dollars. What explains such high costs for this cute lil guy? Primarily because of the explosive mana ramping it enables.

Upon entering the battlefield, Badgermole Cub turns a terrain card so it becomes a creature granting it earthbend. And with that second ability, as long as it stays in play, every earthbent land produces twice the mana — in addition to other creatures you have which tap for mana.

The obvious go-to for maximum effect includes Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that produces G mana. Yet numerous other mana generation creatures in the game. Another option is a higher-cost choice a 1/3 creature costing two mana as an alternative.

Deploying terrain, dorks that generate resources, alongside this card, it's simple to summon an enormous high-cost monster on the battlefield within a few turns. Momentum builds out of control with continued aggression after that.

When adding a secondary color using this method, examples including these mana-fixing creatures are all great options that can make any mana color. And something like a useful enchantment creature lets you play another terrain per turn plus transforms every land you control into every basic land type. It's also worth trying for example a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment gives each permanent you control the ability to be tapped for one mana of any color — which covers each creature you have on the board.

Badgermole Cub might seem overpowered in terms of ramping up your mana generation, yet how do you win with this archetype? A common and powerful choice is Ashaya. Power and toughness are both equal to the number of lands you control, plus it turns your non-token creatures into Forests as well as their original types. This means, every single creature on your board is able to produce double green when tapped.

Another creature is another expensive, beefy creature which gains from a high land count (like Ashaya, its stats match how many lands you have).

Nissa is an excellent fit as a staple. Her passive ability causes every Forest generate an additional green mana. (If you have the cub, this results in each one produce triple green.) One loyalty ability acts as a proto-earthbend, placing counters to a noncreature land, handy though it doesn't stack with earthbend. The minus ability, however, makes your entire land base unbreakable and allows you to draw out your remaining Forests from your library. Should you manage to use this power, this typically means the game ends.

The cub is nearly mandatory for any kind of green-based Avatar strategies built around Earthbending. If you dip into Gruul colors, you can use this legendary card. This card features earthbend 4, plus if he deals combat damage in combat, land creatures untap for another attack. Although this card has emerged as a fan favorite Commander, the cub will surely stay among the top, possibly the sought-after card from this expansion.