🔗 Share this article

Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set won’t hit the general market until later this week, but after prerelease weekends over the last few days, an affordable green creature experienced a surge in market worth.

Even during previews, the earthbending cub garnered significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness that costs G and 1 mana, it features level 1 earthbending (possibly the most effective of the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The major perk in its design is an additional effect: Each time you tap a creature for mana, you gain one extra green mana.

At its cheapest, the card sold below $30. Post-prerelease, yet, the going rate has shot up above $45 with at least one listed for sale at $60.00. The reason for premium pricing for this little creature? Mostly thanks to the explosive mana ramping it can produce.

As it hits the battlefield, Badgermole Cub converts a land to a creature land with earthbend. Combined with its other power, as long as it stays in play, those lands yields two mana instead of one — along with mana-producing creatures you have which tap for mana.

A clear choice to combine with includes this one-mana elf, a cheap 1/1 that produces one green mana. However 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.

Deploying terrain, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, you may quickly play a massive pricey monster on the board within a few turns. The situation escalates rapidly if you keep the pressure on from there.

By incorporating a secondary color in this strategy, options such as versatile mana producers are all great options that can make all five colors. Additionally, this powerful dryad allows you to put one extra land every round AND makes your entire land base so they count as all basics. It's also worth trying such as a card called A Realm Reborn, which for six mana provides each permanent you control the capacity to produce one mana of any color — even any creature under your control.

This card may be OP regarding accelerating your resources, but what’s the endgame finisher for a deck like this? A common and powerful choice already is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its stats are set by the number of lands you control, and it makes your non-token creatures into Forests as well as their original types. This means, every single creature in play is able to produce double green if used for mana.

Harmonious Grovestrider is another expensive, beefy creature which gains from many terrain cards (similar to Ashaya, its stats are equal to your land total).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect causes all Forests tap for one more G. (With a Badgermole Cub, so those lands generate three green mana.) Her main ability is essentially an early earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters to a noncreature land, handy but does not overlap with the cub's ability. Her ultimate, though, renders each land you control indestructible and lets you put onto the battlefield your remaining Forests from your library. Should you manage to use the ultimate, it almost certainly game over.

This card is nearly mandatory for all green Avatar deck built around Earthbending. If you dip into red and green, consider this legendary card. This card features earthbend 4, and if damage is dealt to an opponent, all land creatures become untapped and may attack once more. While that version has emerged as a beloved leader, this small creature will surely stay one of, if not the most desired card from this expansion.