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the popular card game’s special Avatar expansion won’t get a wider release in the coming days, but following pre-releases over the last few days, one cheap green card saw a sharp rise in price.

From the initial reveals, this small creature drew significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness that costs G and 1 mana, it features the Earthbend 1 ability (possibly the strongest of the four bending abilities in the set). The real boon with this card lies in its second ability: Whenever mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

Initially, Badgermole Cub could be purchased for $26.98. Post-prerelease, though, the going rate has shot up to nearly $50 including listings for sale at $60.00. Why are we seeing Vivi prices for this little creature? Mostly because of the explosive mana ramping it enables.

When it arrives play, Badgermole Cub converts one land into a creature that has earthbending. Combined with its other power, as long as it remains on the board, those lands produces twice the mana — in addition to any creatures in your control which tap for mana.

A clear choice for maximum effect includes the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that taps to generate one green mana. However there are plenty of creatures that make mana in the game. Another option costs a bit more with stats 1/3 costing two mana as an alternative.

By playing lands, creatures that tap for mana, plus the cub, you may quickly play a very big pricey threat into play by round three or four. Momentum builds exponentially with continued aggression from that point.

When adding an additional hue with this approach, cards like Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly that can make any color of mana. Another card, this powerful dryad enables playing one extra land per turn plus turns 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 grants each permanent you control the power to produce a mana of any type — including each creature in play.

This card might seem overpowered in terms of ramping up your mana generation, but how do you win with this archetype? An often-seen solution is Ashaya. Its stats are set by your land count, and it makes each creature you own to be Forests along with other subtypes. In other words, all your creatures in play is able to tap for two G by tapping.

Harmonious Grovestrider is another expensive, beefy creature which gains from many terrain cards (similar to Ashaya, its stats are equal to your land total).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a staple. Her passive ability causes Forest lands generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, that means all earthbend forests yield three G.) Her plus ability is essentially a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on terrain, a useful effect though it doesn't stack with earthbending. Her -8 ability, though, renders your entire land base unbreakable and allows you to search for all the remaining forests from your library. If you can actually activate that ability, this typically means the game ends.

The cub is nearly mandatory for any kind of green-based Avatar strategies focusing on the earthbend mechanic. When branching into Gruul colors, consider Bumi Unleashed. It possesses earthbend 4, plus if damage is dealt to a player, each animated land become untapped for another attack. While that version has emerged as a beloved leader, the cub is definitely going to remain one of the most, maybe the desired card in the collaboration.