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Magic: The Gathering’s collaboration with Avatar won’t hit the general market until later this week, but following early access events recently, an affordable green creature saw a sharp rise in price.

Even during previews, Badgermole Cub drew a lot of attention. A 2/2 priced at G and 1 mana, it features Earthbending 1 (arguably the strongest of the elemental mechanics available). Its key advantage with this card is its second ability: If a creature is tapped to produce mana, you gain one extra green mana.

Initially, the card could be purchased below $30. Following the early events, however, the going rate jumped to $49.66 and one seller offering for sale at $60.00. The reason for such high costs for this little creature? Primarily thanks to the explosive mana ramping it provides.

Upon entering the board, this creature transforms a terrain card so it becomes a creature with earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it remains on the board, each affected land generates double mana — plus other creatures on your side which tap for mana.

An ideal partner for synergy includes the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 which can be tapped for G mana. But there are plenty of creatures that make mana available. Druid of the Cowl is a higher-cost choice a 1/3 creature costing two mana instead.

By playing lands, mana-producing creatures, and Badgermole Cub, it's simple to summon an enormous pricey threat into play early in the game. And things just keep spiraling out of control by maintaining dominance after that.

When adding an additional hue with this approach, options such as these mana-fixing creatures are excellent picks that can make any color of mana. Another card, a useful enchantment creature enables playing an additional land every round plus makes all of your lands into every basic land type. You can also consider such as a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment grants every card you own the ability to tap and generate a mana of any type — which covers each creature under your control.

This card could be too strong when it comes to ramping up your mana generation, however how do you win in such a strategy? One obvious and popular answer already is this legendary creature. Power and toughness are both equal to how many lands you have, plus it turns your non-token creatures to be Forests in addition to their other types. In other words, all your creatures on your board may generate two green mana if used for mana.

Harmonious Grovestrider provides a high-cost, powerful body that benefits from lots of lands (as with the previous card, P/T match your land total).

Nissa fits really well as a staple. One of her abilities allows Forest lands produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, so those lands produce triple green.) Her main ability functions like an early earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, a useful effect but does not overlap with earthbend. The minus ability, though, renders all of your lands unbreakable enabling you to search for every Forest left in the deck. If you can actually activate this power, it almost certainly the game ends.

The cub is nearly mandatory in any decks using green and Avatar that use the earthbend mechanic. By including red and green, you can use Bumi Unleashed. This card features level 4 earthbending, and if damage is dealt to a player, each animated land become untapped and may attack once more. Although this card is a fan favorite Commander, the cub will surely stay one of the most, maybe the popular pick in the collaboration.