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Magic: The Gathering’s special Avatar expansion will not hit the general market until later this week, however due to prerelease weekends over the last few days, an affordable green creature saw a sharp rise in price.

From the initial reveals, Badgermole Cub attracted a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness requiring a single green and one generic mana, Badgermole Cub includes Earthbending 1 (perhaps the most effective within the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The real boon with this card comes from an additional effect: Whenever you tap a creature for mana, you gain one extra green mana.

Initially, this card could be purchased at around $27. Following the early events, yet, its value has shot up above $45 with at least one listed for sale at $60.00. The reason for such high costs for this cute lil guy? Mainly because of the incredible mana acceleration it provides.

When it arrives play, this creature turns a terrain card to a creature land that has earthbending. Combined with its other power, if it remains on the board, each affected land generates double mana — plus other creatures on your side that produce resources.

An ideal partner for synergy includes this one-mana elf, a low-cost creature which can be tapped for one green mana. Yet many creatures that make mana available. Another option costs a bit more a 1/3 creature at a two-mana value instead.

Deploying terrain, creatures that tap for mana, alongside this card, you may quickly play a massive and very expensive threat on the battlefield early in the game. Momentum builds exponentially if you keep the pressure on from that point.

If you dip into a secondary color using this method, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly that generate all five colors. Additionally, a useful enchantment creature lets you play one extra land each turn plus transforms all of your lands so they count as all basics. Another possibility is for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, which for six mana grants each permanent you control the capacity to tap and generate one mana of any color — even all creatures in play.

Badgermole Cub may be OP regarding ramping up your mana generation, but what closes out the game for a deck like this? A common and powerful choice already is Ashaya. Its power and toughness match how many lands you have, and it changes each creature you own into Forests as well as their original types. This means, all your creatures in play is able to tap for two G if used for mana.

Another creature provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from many terrain cards (as with the previous card, its power and toughness are based on how many lands you have).

This Planeswalker is an excellent fit as a staple. One of her abilities causes Forest lands produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, so each one yield three G.) Her plus ability functions like a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, handy but does not overlap with earthbend. Her ultimate, though, makes your entire land base indestructible enabling you to put onto the battlefield all the remaining forests in the deck. Once you trigger that ability, it’s pretty much game over.

Badgermole Cub is nearly mandatory in any decks using green and Avatar focusing on Earthbending. When branching into red and green, there’s Bumi. It possesses earthbend 4, and if damage is dealt in combat, land creatures untap and can attack again. Even though Bumi is a fan favorite Commander, this small creature is definitely going to remain among the top, possibly the sought-after card in the Avatar set.