One of Avatar's cutest MTG cards proves to be a nasty little contender.

Magic: The Gathering’s collaboration with Avatar isn't set to hit the general market in the coming days, but after prerelease weekends over the last few days, one cheap green card saw a sharp rise in price.

Even during previews, this small creature drew a lot of attention. A 2/2 that costs a single green and one generic mana, the card includes Earthbending 1 (perhaps the best within the elemental mechanics available). The real boon with this card lies in its second ability: Whenever you tap a creature for mana, add an additional green mana.

Initially, the card sold below $30. Following the early events, yet, the going rate has shot up to $49.66 including listings for sale at $60.00. Why are we seeing premium pricing for this little creature? Mainly due to the incredible mana acceleration it provides.

When it arrives the battlefield, the cub turns one land into a creature that has earthbending. Combined with its other power, while it is not removed, those lands generates double mana — in addition to any creatures you have which tap for mana.

A clear choice for maximum effect includes Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 that taps to generate a green resource. However many alternative mana dorks in the game. Another option costs a bit more a 1/3 creature at a two-mana value instead.

By playing lands, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, it's simple to summon an enormous pricey creature on the battlefield early in the game. And things just keep spiraling rapidly with continued aggression from there.

If you dip into a secondary color in this strategy, options such as Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks which produce any color of mana. Additionally, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing one extra land per turn AND transforms your entire land base into every basic land type. It's also worth trying such as the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment provides each permanent you control the power to tap and generate one mana of any color — even all creatures you have on the board.

This card might seem overpowered in terms of ramping up your mana generation, however how do you win with this archetype? An often-seen solution has been Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its stats match your land count, and it changes your non-token creatures into Forests as well as other subtypes. In other words, each creature in play may tap for two G by tapping.

Harmonious Grovestrider is another expensive, beefy creature that thrives with lots of lands (like Ashaya, P/T match how many lands you have).

Nissa fits really well in this deck. Her static effect allows Forest lands generate an additional green mana. (If you have the cub, that means those lands yield three G.) Her main ability functions like a form of land animation, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, which is great though it doesn't stack with earthbend. The minus ability, on the other hand, makes your entire land base immune to destruction and lets you put onto the battlefield all the remaining forests in the deck. If you can actually activate the ultimate, this typically means the game ends.

Badgermole Cub is nearly mandatory in any decks using green and Avatar built around the earthbend mechanic. By including red-green, you can use Bumi. He has earthbend 4, and when he deals combat damage to a player, all land creatures are ready again and can attack again. Although this card is a beloved leader, the cute little Badgermole Cub is definitely going to remain one of the most, maybe the sought-after card from this expansion.

Judy Sanders
Judy Sanders

Lena is a tech journalist with over a decade of experience, specializing in consumer electronics and emerging technologies.