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Magic: The Gathering’s collaboration with Avatar isn't set to become widely available in the coming days, yet due to early access events over the last few days, an affordable green creature saw a sharp rise in price.

Throughout the spoiler season, Badgermole Cub garnered a lot of attention. A creature with stats 2/2 requiring one green and one colorless mana, it features the Earthbend 1 ability (perhaps the best of the elemental mechanics available). The major perk with this card is an additional effect: If a creature is tapped to produce mana, it provides bonus green mana.

At its cheapest, Badgermole Cub could be purchased below $30. Following the early events, however, the going rate jumped above $45 with at least one listed priced at sixty dollars. Why are we seeing such high costs for this cute lil guy? Primarily because of the rapid resource generation it can produce.

As it hits play, the cub transforms one land into a creature that has earthbending. And with that second ability, if it is not removed, each affected land yields two mana instead of one — in addition to other creatures in your control which tap for mana.

An ideal partner to combine with is Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that produces G mana. But there are plenty of alternative mana dorks available. Another option is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 for two mana instead.

By playing lands, mana-producing creatures, and Badgermole Cub, you can easily get an enormous pricey threat on the board within a few turns. Momentum builds exponentially if you keep the pressure on from that point.

If you dip into an additional hue using this method, cards like these mana-fixing creatures work perfectly that can make all five colors. Another card, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove allows you to put an additional land every round plus makes every land you control providing all land types. Another possibility is for example this six-mana enchantment, costing six mana gives all of your permanents the power to produce a mana of any type — even each creature in play.

The cub may be OP when it comes to boosting mana production, however what closes out the game with this archetype? An often-seen solution is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness are set by how many lands you have, and it makes all of your nontoken creatures into Forests in addition to their original types. Essentially, every single creature in play may generate two green mana by tapping.

Another creature is a costly, large threat that benefits from lots of lands (similar to Ashaya, its stats are based on your land total).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect causes every Forest produce extra green. (Combined with earthbend, this results in those lands yield three G.) Her plus ability is essentially a proto-earthbend, adding counters on a land, which is great but does not overlap with the cub's ability. Her -8 ability, though, makes each land you control immune to destruction and lets you put onto the battlefield all the remaining forests in the deck. If you can actually activate that ability, it’s pretty much the game ends.

This card is a must-have in any green-based Avatar strategies focusing on Earthbending. If you dip into red and green, you can use Bumi Unleashed. It possesses level 4 earthbending, and when he deals combat damage to an opponent, land creatures are ready again and may attack once more. Although this card is a fan favorite Commander, the cute little Badgermole Cub will surely stay one of the most, maybe the sought-after card in the collaboration.