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the popular card game’s special Avatar expansion isn't set to hit the general market before the end of the week, however due to prerelease weekends this past weekend, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in value.

From the initial reveals, the earthbending cub attracted significant interest. A creature with stats 2/2 priced at G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub features level 1 earthbending (arguably the best within the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The major perk here is another power: If you tap a creature for mana, it provides bonus green mana.

At its cheapest, this card could be purchased below $30. Post-prerelease, though, the going rate escalated to nearly $50 and one seller offering priced at sixty dollars. Why are we seeing premium pricing for this cute lil guy? Mainly due to the incredible mana acceleration it provides.

When it arrives the board, Badgermole Cub turns one land to a creature land that has earthbending. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, if it remains on the board, every earthbent land generates double mana — in addition to mana-producing creatures in your control which tap for mana.

The obvious go-to for maximum effect includes Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that taps to generate a green resource. But many alternative mana dorks available. Another option is a more expensive alternative a 1/3 creature for two mana instead.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, you can easily get an enormous high-cost threat on the battlefield by round three or four. And things just keep spiraling out of control if you keep the pressure on from that point.

If you dip into an additional hue using this method, options such as versatile mana producers are all great options which produce all five colors. And something like this powerful dryad allows you to put another terrain each turn AND makes your entire land base providing all land types. Another possibility is such as this six-mana enchantment, at a six-mana investment provides all of your permanents the ability to produce a mana of any type — including all creatures you have on the board.

Badgermole Cub might seem overpowered regarding ramping up your mana generation, yet what closes out the game in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice already is this legendary creature. Power and toughness are both equal to your land count, plus it turns all of your nontoken creatures Forests along with their other types. This means, every single creature on your board may generate two green mana by tapping.

Another creature is another expensive, beefy creature that benefits from lots of lands (like Ashaya, its stats match your land total).

Nissa works perfectly as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect allows all Forests tap for one more G. (With a Badgermole Cub, this results in each one yield three G.) Her main ability is essentially a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on terrain, handy but does not overlap with the cub's ability. Her -8 ability, however, renders each land you control immune to destruction and lets you search for your remaining Forests from your library. If you can actually activate this power, this typically means the game ends.

Badgermole Cub is a must-have in any decks using green and Avatar that use the earthbend mechanic. If you dip into Gruul colors, there’s Bumi Unleashed. It possesses level 4 earthbending, and when damage is dealt to a player, land creatures become untapped for another attack. While that version has emerged as a popular Commander choice, the cute little Badgermole Cub is set to be one of, if not the most desired card from this expansion.