One of Avatar's most adorable Magic cards is a nasty little contender.

the popular card game’s special Avatar expansion will not become widely available until later this week, however due to pre-releases over the last few days, a low-cost green spell has already exploded in price.

Even during previews, Badgermole Cub attracted a lot of attention. A creature with stats 2/2 requiring one green and one colorless mana, Badgermole Cub features level 1 earthbending (arguably the strongest of the set’s four “bending” mechanics). Its key advantage here is its second ability: If mana is generated by tapping a creature, it provides bonus green mana.

When first listed, the card was available below $30. Following the early events, however, its value escalated above $45 and one seller offering as high as $60. Why are we seeing such high costs for this cute lil guy? Primarily thanks to the rapid resource generation it can produce.

When it arrives the board, the cub converts a terrain card into a creature with earthbend. And with that second ability, while it stays in play, every earthbent land yields two mana instead of one — in addition to any creatures on your side that produce resources.

A clear choice for maximum effect is the classic Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 that taps to generate a green resource. But many other mana generation creatures in the game. Druid of the Cowl is a more expensive alternative with stats 1/3 at a two-mana value as an alternative.

Deploying terrain, dorks that generate resources, alongside this card, you may quickly play an enormous high-cost threat into play early in the game. And things just keep spiraling rapidly by maintaining dominance from there.

If you dip into another color with this approach, cards like versatile mana producers work perfectly that generate any color of mana. Another card, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove lets you play another terrain every round as well as transforms every land you control providing all land types. Another possibility is something like the enchantment A Realm Reborn, which for six mana gives all of your permanents the power to tap and generate a mana of any type — even each creature under your control.

This card might seem overpowered regarding accelerating your resources, yet how do you win for a deck like this? An often-seen solution has been Ashaya. Power and toughness are both equal to your land count, and it changes your non-token creatures Forests along with their other types. Essentially, each creature you control may generate two green mana when tapped.

Another creature is another expensive, beefy creature that thrives with lots of lands (like Ashaya, its stats are based on the number of lands you control).

This Planeswalker works perfectly in this deck. Her static effect causes every Forest produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, so those lands generate three green mana.) One loyalty ability acts as a form of land animation, adding counters to a noncreature land, which is great though it doesn't stack with earthbending. Her -8 ability, however, makes your entire land base immune to destruction enabling you to draw out your remaining Forests from your library. If you can actually activate that ability, it almost certainly you win.

Badgermole Cub is a must-have for all decks using green and Avatar built around the earthbend mechanic. When branching into Gruul colors, consider Bumi Unleashed. It possesses earthbend 4, and when damage is dealt to an opponent, land creatures are ready again and may attack once more. Even though Bumi has become a fan favorite Commander, the cute little Badgermole Cub will surely stay one of, if not the most popular pick in the collaboration.