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MTG’s Avatar crossover set isn't set to become widely available until later this week, but after prerelease weekends over the last few days, one cheap green card experienced a surge in market worth.

Throughout the spoiler season, the earthbending cub attracted a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness priced at a single green and one generic mana, the card has level 1 earthbending (perhaps the most effective among the elemental mechanics available). The major perk with this card is another power: Whenever you tap a creature for mana, it provides bonus green mana.

When first listed, this card sold below $30. Post-prerelease, yet, its value escalated to nearly $50 including listings for sale at $60.00. What explains Vivi prices on this adorable card? Primarily thanks to the rapid resource generation it can produce.

As it hits the battlefield, Badgermole Cub converts a terrain card into a creature granting it earthbend. And with that second ability, while it is not removed, every earthbent land produces twice the mana — along with mana-producing creatures you have that produce resources.

An ideal partner for synergy includes Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that taps to generate G mana. However there are plenty of creatures that make mana in the game. Druid of the Cowl costs a bit more with stats 1/3 for two mana as an alternative.

Deploying terrain, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, it's simple to summon a very big pricey creature on the battlefield early in the game. Momentum builds out of control if you keep the pressure on from there.

When adding a secondary color using this method, examples including versatile mana producers are all great options that generate any mana color. Another card, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove lets you play another terrain each turn as well as makes all of your lands providing all land types. It's also worth trying something like the enchantment A Realm Reborn, costing six mana provides all of your permanents the ability to produce any color mana — including each creature under your control.

Badgermole Cub may be OP in terms of boosting mana production, yet what’s the endgame finisher in such a strategy? An often-seen solution is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness are both equal to how many lands you have, and it makes your non-token creatures into Forests as well as their other types. In other words, every single creature you control is able to generate two green mana by tapping.

Harmonious Grovestrider provides a high-cost, powerful body that benefits from many terrain cards (as with the previous card, its stats match how many lands you have).

Nissa is an excellent fit in this deck. One of her abilities makes Forest lands produce extra green. (If you have the cub, so each one produce triple green.) Her main ability is essentially an early earthbend, placing counters on terrain, which is great but does not overlap with earthbend. Her -8 ability, though, renders all of your lands indestructible enabling you to search for every Forest left from your library. Should you manage to use the ultimate, this typically means the game ends.

This card is pretty much essential in any decks using green and Avatar built around the earthbend mechanic. When branching into red-green, there’s Bumi. He has earthbend 4, and if he deals combat damage in combat, land creatures are ready again for another attack. Even though Bumi has emerged as a fan favorite Commander, this small creature is set to be one of, if not the most sought-after card from this expansion.