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Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set will not get a wider release before the end of the week, yet following pre-releases over the last few days, an affordable green creature has already exploded in value.

From the initial reveals, Badgermole Cub attracted widespread focus. A 2/2 priced at a single green and one generic mana, the card features Earthbending 1 (possibly the most effective among the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The major perk in its design lies in its second ability: If a creature is tapped to produce mana, add an additional green mana.

When first listed, this card was available for $26.98. Post-prerelease, though, its value escalated to nearly $50 with at least one listed for sale at $60.00. Why are we seeing such high costs on this adorable card? Mostly due to the rapid resource generation it enables.

As it hits the board, Badgermole Cub transforms a terrain card into a creature granting it earthbend. Combined with its other power, as long as it is not removed, every earthbent land yields two mana instead of one — in addition to any creatures you have that produce resources.

A clear choice for maximum effect includes this one-mana elf, a cheap 1/1 that produces G mana. Yet many other mana generation creatures in the game. Another option is a more expensive alternative that’s a 1/3 costing two mana as an alternative.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, you may quickly play a very big and very expensive monster into play by round three or four. And things just keep spiraling out of control with continued aggression from there.

When adding an additional hue with this approach, cards like Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly that can make any color of mana. Another card, this powerful dryad lets you play one extra land per turn AND makes every land you control providing all land types. Another possibility is such as a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment gives all of your permanents the ability to be tapped for one mana of any color — including each creature you have on the board.

This card might seem overpowered when it comes to accelerating your resources, however how do you win with this archetype? One obvious and popular answer already is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness are set by how many lands you have, and it changes all of your nontoken creatures Forests along with their original types. In other words, each creature you control is able to produce double green if used for mana.

Harmonious Grovestrider is a costly, large threat that thrives with many terrain cards (as with the previous card, its stats are equal to your land total).

This Planeswalker fits really well as a go-to Planeswalker. Her passive ability makes every Forest produce extra green. (Combined with earthbend, this results in those lands generate three green mana.) One loyalty ability is essentially an early earthbend, placing counters on a land, a useful effect though it doesn't stack with earthbending. The minus ability, however, renders each land you control indestructible and allows you to search for your remaining Forests in the deck. If you can actually activate this power, it’s pretty much game over.

The cub is pretty much essential for any kind of green Avatar deck that use earthbend. When branching into red and green, there’s Bumi. It possesses earthbend 4, and when damage is dealt in combat, each animated land are ready again and can attack again. While that version has emerged as a beloved leader, the cub is set to be among the top, possibly the popular pick in the collaboration.