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the popular card game’s Avatar crossover set won’t become widely available until later this week, but following early access events this past weekend, one cheap green card saw a sharp rise in market worth.

Even during previews, this small creature attracted widespread focus. A 2/2 that costs G and 1 mana, the card features the Earthbend 1 ability (possibly the strongest within the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The real boon in its design comes from another power: Each time mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

When first listed, Badgermole Cub could be purchased at around $27. After the pre-release weekend, however, the market price jumped to nearly $50 with at least one listed priced at sixty dollars. Why are we seeing Vivi prices for this little creature? Mostly because of the incredible mana acceleration it can produce.

When it arrives play, Badgermole Cub converts a terrain card into a creature with earthbend. And with that second ability, if it stays in play, those lands yields two mana instead of one — in addition to other creatures you have that generate mana.

The obvious go-to for synergy includes the classic Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 which can be tapped for G mana. However there are plenty of other mana generation creatures in the game. This particular druid is a more expensive alternative a 1/3 creature for two mana as an alternative.

By playing lands, mana-producing creatures, and Badgermole Cub, you may quickly play a very big and very expensive monster into play within a few turns. The situation escalates rapidly by maintaining dominance from that point.

If you dip into another color with this approach, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks that generate all five colors. And something like Dryad of the Ilysian Grove allows you to put an additional land every round AND turns every land you control providing all land types. It's also worth trying for example a card called A Realm Reborn, costing six mana gives all of your permanents the power to tap and generate any color mana — which covers each creature you have on the board.

This card might seem overpowered regarding ramping up your mana generation, yet how do you win for a deck like this? An often-seen solution has been this legendary creature. Its stats are both equal to how many lands you have, plus it turns your non-token creatures Forests in addition to other subtypes. In other words, every single creature on your board is able to produce double green if used for mana.

Harmonious Grovestrider is a costly, large threat which gains from a high land count (like Ashaya, its power and toughness are equal to how many lands you have).

This Planeswalker is an excellent fit in this deck. One of her abilities allows Forest lands produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means those lands produce triple green.) Her main ability is essentially an early earthbend, placing counters to a noncreature land, handy but it isn't redundant with earthbending. The minus ability, though, grants all of your lands immune to destruction and allows you to draw out all the remaining forests from your library. If you can actually activate the ultimate, this typically means game over.

Badgermole Cub is nearly mandatory in any green-based Avatar strategies that use earthbend. By including Gruul colors, you can use Bumi. This card features earthbend 4, plus if it hits a player in combat, each animated land untap and may attack once more. Although this card has become a fan favorite Commander, this small creature is definitely going to remain one of the most, maybe the desired card in the Avatar set.