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MTG’s collaboration with Avatar won’t get a wider release in the coming days, yet following prerelease weekends this past weekend, an affordable green creature has already exploded in price.

Even during previews, the earthbending cub garnered significant interest. A creature with stats 2/2 priced at G and 1 mana, the card has Earthbending 1 (possibly the best within the four bending abilities in the set). The real boon with this card comes from another power: Each time mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, the card sold below $30. After the pre-release weekend, yet, the going rate has shot up above $45 with at least one listed for sale at $60.00. The reason for such high costs on this adorable card? Mainly thanks to the incredible mana acceleration it can produce.

When it arrives the board, this creature converts a terrain card into a creature that has earthbending. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, if it remains on the board, each affected land yields two mana instead of one — in addition to any creatures you have that produce resources.

A clear choice for maximum effect would be the classic Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that taps to generate a green resource. But there are plenty of alternative mana dorks available. Another option is a more expensive alternative a 1/3 creature for two mana in comparison.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, alongside this card, it's simple to summon an enormous and very expensive creature into play early in the game. Momentum builds out of control by maintaining dominance from that point.

When adding a secondary color using this method, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly that can make any color of mana. Another card, this powerful dryad lets you play an additional land every round as well as makes your entire land base providing all land types. You can also consider such as this six-mana enchantment, costing six mana provides each permanent you control the ability to tap and generate one mana of any color — including any creature you have on the board.

The cub may be OP regarding boosting mana production, yet what closes out the game with this archetype? One obvious and popular answer already is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its power and toughness match how many lands you have, and it changes all of your nontoken creatures Forests as well as their other types. This means, all your creatures on your board may generate two green mana if used for mana.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from many terrain cards (similar to Ashaya, its power and toughness match your land total).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a staple. One of her abilities causes Forest lands tap for one more G. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means those lands generate three green mana.) Her main ability is essentially an early earthbend, adding counters to a noncreature land, which is great but does not overlap with earthbending. Her -8 ability, though, makes all of your lands unbreakable enabling you to draw out your remaining Forests in the deck. Once you trigger the ultimate, it almost certainly you win.

Badgermole Cub is nearly mandatory for all green-based Avatar strategies focusing on the earthbend mechanic. If you dip into Gruul colors, there’s this legendary card. This card features earthbend 4, and if he deals combat damage to a player, land creatures become untapped and may attack once more. While that version has emerged as a popular Commander choice, the cub is set to be among the top, possibly the popular pick in the collaboration.