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the popular card game’s Avatar crossover set will not get a wider release in the coming days, yet following pre-releases over the last few days, an affordable green creature has already exploded in market worth.

Throughout the spoiler season, the earthbending cub drew significant interest. A 2/2 priced at a single green and one generic mana, it includes the Earthbend 1 ability (arguably the strongest of the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The real boon in its design comes from another power: If a creature is tapped to produce mana, you gain one extra green mana.

Initially, the card was available below $30. Following the early events, though, the going rate escalated above $45 including listings as high as $60. The reason for premium pricing on this adorable card? Mostly thanks to the explosive mana ramping it provides.

When it arrives the board, the cub turns a land into a creature granting it earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it stays in play, every earthbent land yields two mana instead of one — along with other creatures on your side that produce resources.

A clear choice for synergy is this one-mana elf, a cheap 1/1 that taps to generate one green mana. But numerous other mana generation creatures in the game. Druid of the Cowl is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 for two mana as an alternative.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, and Badgermole Cub, you can easily get an enormous pricey creature into play within a few turns. And things just keep spiraling rapidly if you keep the pressure on from that point.

When adding an additional hue in this strategy, examples including these mana-fixing creatures are excellent picks that can make all five colors. Additionally, this powerful dryad lets you play one extra land each turn as well as makes your entire land base providing all land types. It's also worth trying something like a card called A Realm Reborn, costing six mana grants every card you own the capacity to produce any color mana — including any creature under your control.

Badgermole Cub could be too strong regarding ramping up your mana generation, however what’s the endgame finisher with this archetype? An often-seen solution has been this legendary creature. Its stats are both equal to the number of lands you control, and it changes all of your nontoken creatures into Forests along with their other types. This means, each creature on your board is able to tap for two G by tapping.

Another creature is a costly, large threat which gains from many terrain cards (as with the previous card, its power and toughness are based on how many lands you have).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World fits really well as a go-to Planeswalker. Her passive ability causes every Forest generate an additional green mana. (If you have the cub, this results in those lands generate three green mana.) Her plus ability acts as a form of land animation, putting +1/+1 counters to a noncreature land, handy but does not overlap with earthbending. Her -8 ability, though, makes your entire land base immune to destruction enabling you to put onto the battlefield your remaining Forests in the deck. Should you manage to use that ability, this typically means the game ends.

The cub is pretty much essential for all decks using green and Avatar focusing on the earthbend mechanic. By including Gruul colors, there’s Bumi Unleashed. He has level 4 earthbending, and when it hits a player in combat, each animated land untap for another attack. While that version has become a fan favorite Commander, this small creature will surely stay one of, if not the most popular pick from this expansion.