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the popular card game’s special Avatar expansion will not get a wider release before the end of the week, however due to prerelease weekends recently, a low-cost green spell saw a sharp rise in price.

From the initial reveals, Badgermole Cub attracted widespread focus. A creature with stats 2/2 that costs one green and one colorless mana, it includes the Earthbend 1 ability (possibly the strongest among the elemental mechanics available). Its key advantage with this card comes from an additional effect: Each time you tap a creature for mana, you gain one extra green mana.

Initially, this card was available for $26.98. Following the early events, yet, the market price has shot up above $45 and one seller offering priced at sixty dollars. What explains such high costs on this adorable card? Mainly because of the rapid resource generation it provides.

As it hits play, Badgermole Cub transforms a terrain card into a creature granting it earthbend. Combined with its other power, as long as it is not removed, each affected land produces twice the mana — along with mana-producing creatures on your side that generate mana.

The obvious go-to to combine with is the classic Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 which can be tapped for one green mana. But numerous creatures that make mana out there. Druid of the Cowl costs a bit more with stats 1/3 costing two mana instead.

Using land cards, dorks that generate resources, and Badgermole Cub, it's simple to summon an enormous and very expensive creature on the board early in the game. And things just keep spiraling out of control with continued aggression from there.

If you dip into an additional hue using this method, cards like Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly which produce all five colors. Additionally, a useful enchantment creature lets you play one extra land per turn as well as makes every land you control so they count as all basics. You can also consider for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, which for six mana grants each permanent you control the ability to be tapped for one mana of any color — which covers each creature in play.

Badgermole Cub might seem overpowered when it comes to accelerating your resources, however what closes out the game in such a strategy? One obvious and popular answer has been this legendary creature. Power and toughness are set by your land count, plus it turns your non-token creatures to be Forests as well as their original types. In other words, every single creature in play is able to tap for two G when tapped.

Harmonious Grovestrider provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with lots of lands (as with the previous card, its stats match how many lands you have).

This Planeswalker fits really well as a staple. One of her abilities allows all Forests generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, so each one generate three green mana.) Her plus ability is essentially a form of land animation, adding counters to a noncreature land, which is great though it doesn't stack with earthbend. Her ultimate, though, renders all of your lands indestructible enabling you to draw out your remaining Forests in your deck. If you can actually activate that ability, it almost certainly the game ends.

The cub is pretty much essential in any green-based Avatar strategies focusing on Earthbending. By including red and green, you can use this legendary card. This card features level 4 earthbending, plus if damage is dealt to a player, all land creatures are ready again and may attack once more. Although this card is a popular Commander choice, the cub will surely stay one of, if not the most popular pick from this expansion.