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MTG’s special Avatar expansion isn't set to get a wider release until later this week, but after prerelease weekends over the last few days, one cheap green card saw a sharp rise in price.

From the initial reveals, Badgermole Cub attracted a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness priced at one green and one colorless mana, it has the Earthbend 1 ability (possibly the best of the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The major perk in its design lies in an additional effect: If mana is generated by tapping a creature, it provides bonus green mana.

At its cheapest, Badgermole Cub was available below $30. After the pre-release weekend, yet, its value escalated to $49.66 including listings for sale at $60.00. Why are we seeing premium pricing for this little creature? Mainly due to the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

When it arrives the board, the cub turns a land to a creature land with earthbend. Combined with its other power, if it stays in play, every earthbent land generates double mana — along with other creatures in your control that produce resources.

The obvious go-to for synergy would be the classic Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 which can be tapped for one green mana. However numerous other mana generation creatures in the game. Another option costs a bit more that’s a 1/3 costing two mana in comparison.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, it's simple to summon an enormous and very expensive monster on the battlefield within a few turns. The situation escalates out of control with continued aggression from that point.

By incorporating a secondary color in this strategy, examples including these mana-fixing creatures work perfectly which produce any color of mana. And something like a useful enchantment creature enables playing another terrain every round as well as turns all of your lands into every basic land type. It's also worth trying something like a card called A Realm Reborn, which for six mana gives each permanent you control the capacity to be tapped for any color mana — even each creature in play.

This card might seem overpowered regarding ramping up your mana generation, but how do you win in such a strategy? An often-seen solution already is Ashaya. Power and toughness are both equal to your land count, and it changes each creature you own to be Forests along with their other types. In other words, each creature you control is able to generate two green mana by tapping.

This additional option is a costly, large threat that benefits from many terrain cards (as with the previous card, P/T are equal to your land total).

This Planeswalker fits really well as a staple. Her static effect makes Forest lands tap for one more G. (If you have the cub, so those lands yield three G.) Her plus ability acts as an early earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, handy but does not overlap with earthbending. Her ultimate, though, renders your entire land base indestructible enabling you to search for every Forest left in the deck. If you can actually activate this power, it’s pretty much the game ends.

The cub is pretty much essential for any kind of green-based Avatar strategies focusing on earthbend. When branching into Gruul colors, consider Bumi. He has level 4 earthbending, plus if he deals combat damage to an opponent, each animated land become untapped for another attack. While that version has emerged as a beloved leader, the cub will surely stay one of, if not the most sought-after card in the Avatar set.