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MTG’s collaboration with Avatar won’t hit the general market until later this week, but after pre-releases this past weekend, one cheap green card has already exploded in value.

Throughout the spoiler season, Badgermole Cub garnered a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness that costs a single green and one generic mana, it has the Earthbend 1 ability (arguably the strongest within the elemental mechanics available). The major perk in its design is an additional effect: Whenever you tap a creature for mana, it provides bonus green mana.

At its cheapest, Badgermole Cub was available for $26.98. After the pre-release weekend, though, the going rate has shot up above $45 including listings for sale at $60.00. What explains such high costs for this little creature? Primarily due to the explosive mana ramping it can produce.

Upon entering play, this creature converts one land to a creature land that has earthbending. Combined with its other power, as long as it remains on the board, every earthbent land yields two mana instead of one — along with mana-producing creatures in your control which tap for mana.

A clear choice to combine with would be the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that produces one green mana. Yet numerous other mana generation creatures out there. Druid of the Cowl is a higher-cost choice a 1/3 creature for two mana as an alternative.

Using land cards, creatures that tap for mana, and Badgermole Cub, you may quickly play an enormous high-cost threat into play within a few turns. The situation escalates out of control with continued aggression after that.

By incorporating another color using this method, options such as these mana-fixing creatures work perfectly that can make all five colors. Another card, a useful enchantment creature lets you play another terrain every round as well as makes your entire land base into every basic land type. Another possibility is for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, which for six mana provides every card you own the power to be tapped for one mana of any color — even all creatures you have on the board.

The cub could be too strong when it comes to accelerating your resources, yet what’s the endgame finisher for a deck like this? One obvious and popular answer has been Ashaya. Its stats match your land count, and it makes each creature you own into Forests along with other subtypes. Essentially, each creature in play can tap for two G if used for mana.

Harmonious Grovestrider is a costly, large threat that thrives with many terrain cards (as with the previous card, its stats are based on the number of lands you control).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World fits really well in this deck. One of her abilities causes all Forests tap for one more G. (If you have the cub, that means those lands yield three G.) Her main ability acts as a proto-earthbend, placing counters to a noncreature land, which is great though it doesn't stack with earthbending. Her -8 ability, though, grants your entire land base indestructible and allows you to search for your remaining Forests in the deck. Once you trigger this power, this typically means the game ends.

This card is nearly mandatory in any decks using green and Avatar that use the earthbend mechanic. When branching into red and green, there’s Bumi Unleashed. This card features earthbend 4, plus if damage is dealt in combat, all land creatures are ready again and can attack again. Even though Bumi has become a fan favorite Commander, the cub is definitely going to remain among the top, possibly the desired card in the collaboration.