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Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set isn't set to hit the general market before the end of the week, however due to early access events this past weekend, one cheap green card saw a sharp rise in value.

Throughout the spoiler season, the earthbending cub attracted a lot of attention. A 2/2 priced at one green and one colorless mana, it has level 1 earthbending (possibly the most effective within the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The real boon with this card is an additional effect: Whenever you tap a creature for mana, add an additional green mana.

Initially, Badgermole Cub was available for $26.98. After the pre-release weekend, though, its value jumped to nearly $50 including listings priced at sixty dollars. The reason for premium pricing for this little creature? Mostly thanks to the rapid resource generation it provides.

Upon entering the battlefield, the cub turns a land into a creature granting it earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it stays in play, each affected land yields two mana instead of one — plus other creatures in your control which tap for mana.

A clear choice to combine with is this one-mana elf, a cheap 1/1 that taps to generate one green mana. However there are plenty of creatures that make mana out there. This particular druid is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 costing two mana in comparison.

By playing lands, creatures that tap for mana, and Badgermole Cub, it's simple to summon a massive and very expensive monster into play early in the game. And things just keep spiraling out of control by maintaining dominance from there.

If you dip into an additional hue in this strategy, cards like Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks that can make any color of mana. And something like a useful enchantment creature allows you to put one extra land each turn as well as turns your entire land base so they count as all basics. Another possibility is such as the enchantment A Realm Reborn, costing six mana gives each permanent you control the ability to tap and generate a mana of any type — which covers all creatures in play.

The cub might seem overpowered regarding boosting mana production, but what closes out the game for a deck like this? An often-seen solution is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness are both equal to the number of lands you control, and it changes your non-token creatures to be Forests in addition to other subtypes. Essentially, every single creature you control can produce double green when tapped.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with many terrain cards (like Ashaya, P/T match the number of lands you control).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World works perfectly as a staple. One of her abilities makes Forest lands generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, so those lands produce triple green.) One loyalty ability functions like an early earthbend, placing counters to a noncreature land, handy but it isn't redundant with earthbend. Her ultimate, though, renders each land you control immune to destruction and allows you to draw out all the remaining forests from your library. If you can actually activate this power, it almost certainly you win.

The cub is pretty much essential in any decks using green and Avatar that use Earthbending. If you dip into Gruul colors, consider Bumi Unleashed. He has earthbend 4, plus if it hits a player to an opponent, all land creatures become untapped and may attack once more. While that version has become a fan favorite Commander, the cub will surely stay among the top, possibly the sought-after card from this expansion.