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MTG’s special Avatar expansion won’t hit the general market until later this week, however after early access events this past weekend, a low-cost green spell saw a sharp rise in price.

From the initial reveals, the earthbending cub garnered widespread focus. A 2/2 requiring one green and one colorless mana, the card features Earthbending 1 (possibly the best among the four bending abilities in the set). The real boon with this card comes from an additional effect: Each time a creature is tapped to produce mana, you gain one extra green mana.

When first listed, the card was available below $30. Post-prerelease, though, the going rate escalated above $45 including listings as high as $60. The reason for such high costs on this adorable card? Primarily thanks to the incredible mana acceleration it can produce.

As it hits the board, Badgermole Cub converts a terrain card so it becomes a creature that has earthbending. Combined with its other power, while it remains on the board, those lands generates double mana — along with mana-producing creatures on your side that produce resources.

An ideal partner for synergy would be the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that taps to generate one green mana. Yet numerous creatures that make mana in the game. Druid of the Cowl is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 for two mana instead.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, and Badgermole Cub, it's simple to summon an enormous pricey creature on the battlefield early in the game. The situation escalates out of control if you keep the pressure on from there.

If you dip into a secondary color with this approach, examples including these mana-fixing creatures work perfectly that can make any color of mana. And something like Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing an additional land each turn plus turns every land you control providing all land types. Another possibility is for example a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment provides every card you own the ability to be tapped for a mana of any type — even all creatures under your control.

The cub might seem overpowered when it comes to accelerating your resources, however what closes out the game with this archetype? A common and powerful choice already is this legendary creature. Its power and toughness match the number of lands you control, plus it turns each creature you own to be Forests as well as their other types. This means, every single creature in play can tap for two G if used for mana.

Harmonious Grovestrider provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from a high land count (like Ashaya, its stats are equal to how many lands you have).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World fits really well as a staple. Her passive ability allows Forest lands produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, so those lands generate three green mana.) One loyalty ability functions like a proto-earthbend, adding counters to a noncreature land, a useful effect but does not overlap with the cub's ability. Her ultimate, though, renders each land you control unbreakable and allows you to draw out all the remaining forests in the deck. Should you manage to use the ultimate, it almost certainly the game ends.

The cub is a must-have in any decks using green and Avatar focusing on Earthbending. By including red-green, you can use this legendary card. It possesses earthbend 4, and if damage is dealt to an opponent, all land creatures untap and can attack again. Although this card is a fan favorite Commander, the cub will surely stay one of the most, maybe the sought-after card in the Avatar set.