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MTG’s special Avatar expansion won’t hit the general market until later this week, yet after prerelease weekends this past weekend, one cheap green card has already exploded in price.

Even during previews, this small creature attracted widespread focus. A 2/2 that costs G and 1 mana, it includes Earthbending 1 (arguably the most effective within the elemental mechanics available). The major perk in its design comes from another power: If a creature is tapped to produce mana, you gain one extra green mana.

Initially, Badgermole Cub sold below $30. After the pre-release weekend, however, the market price escalated to nearly $50 including listings as high as $60. What explains such high costs for this cute lil guy? Mainly thanks to the incredible mana acceleration it provides.

As it hits play, the cub transforms a terrain card into a creature with earthbend. And with that second ability, if it remains on the board, those lands produces twice the mana — in addition to any creatures in your control that generate mana.

The obvious go-to for maximum effect would be the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that taps to generate a green resource. Yet there are plenty of alternative mana dorks in the game. Another option is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 costing two mana instead.

Using land cards, creatures that tap for mana, alongside this card, it's simple to summon a massive high-cost threat on the battlefield early in the game. Momentum builds exponentially if you keep the pressure on after that.

When adding another color in this strategy, cards like these mana-fixing creatures work perfectly that can make any color of mana. Another card, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing an additional land every round as well as makes your entire land base so they count as all basics. You can also consider something like the enchantment A Realm Reborn, which for six mana provides every card you own the capacity to produce one mana of any color — which covers each creature you have on the board.

This card may be OP in terms of ramping up your mana generation, but what closes out the game in such a strategy? One obvious and popular answer has been Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness are both equal to your land count, and it makes each creature you own Forests in addition to their original types. This means, all your creatures on your board may produce double green when tapped.

Harmonious Grovestrider provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with many terrain cards (similar to Ashaya, P/T are equal to your land total).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit in this deck. Her passive ability makes every Forest tap for one more G. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means those lands yield three G.) One loyalty ability acts as a form of land animation, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, which is great but it isn't redundant with earthbending. Her -8 ability, though, grants all of your lands immune to destruction enabling you to draw out your remaining Forests in your deck. Once you trigger this power, this typically means the game ends.

Badgermole Cub is pretty much essential in any green Avatar deck focusing on earthbend. When branching into Gruul colors, you can use Bumi Unleashed. He has level 4 earthbending, plus if it hits a player to a player, land creatures become untapped and can attack again. While that version has become a beloved leader, this small creature is definitely going to remain one of, if not the most popular pick in the collaboration.