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MTG’s collaboration with Avatar isn't set to become widely available until later this week, yet following pre-releases recently, one cheap green card experienced a surge in market worth.

Throughout the spoiler season, the earthbending cub garnered a lot of attention. A 2/2 that costs a single green and one generic mana, Badgermole Cub has level 1 earthbending (perhaps the best of the elemental mechanics available). The real boon here comes from another power: Each time you tap a creature for mana, add an additional green mana.

When first listed, the card was available for $26.98. Following the early events, though, its value escalated to $49.66 including listings priced at sixty dollars. The reason for premium pricing for this little creature? Primarily because of the incredible mana acceleration it can produce.

Upon entering the battlefield, the cub turns a land to a creature land that has earthbending. And with that second ability, if it remains on the board, those lands yields two mana instead of one — plus mana-producing creatures in your control which tap for mana.

The obvious go-to for maximum effect includes this one-mana elf, an inexpensive 1/1 that taps to generate G mana. Yet there are plenty of other mana generation creatures out there. This particular druid is a higher-cost choice a 1/3 creature for two mana as an alternative.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, you may quickly play a massive pricey monster on the battlefield by round three or four. The situation escalates exponentially with continued aggression after that.

If you dip into another color in this strategy, cards like these mana-fixing creatures work perfectly which produce all five colors. Additionally, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing one extra land each turn plus turns every land you control so they count as all basics. It's also worth trying something like the enchantment A Realm Reborn, costing six mana provides every card you own the capacity to be tapped for any color mana — which covers all creatures in play.

The cub could be too strong when it comes to ramping up your mana generation, yet what’s the endgame finisher for a deck like this? One obvious and popular answer already is Ashaya. Its stats are set by your land count, and it makes your non-token creatures to be Forests in addition to their other types. This means, all your creatures on your board may generate two green mana if used for mana.

Another creature is another expensive, beefy creature that thrives with a high land count (similar to Ashaya, its stats are equal to how many lands you have).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World fits really well as a go-to Planeswalker. One of her abilities makes all Forests tap for one more G. (If you have the cub, so each one produce triple green.) Her main ability functions like a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, handy but it isn't redundant with the cub's ability. The minus ability, however, makes your entire land base indestructible and allows you to draw out every Forest left from your library. Once you trigger this power, it’s pretty much the game ends.

This card is nearly mandatory in any green-based Avatar strategies built around Earthbending. If you dip into red and green, you can use Bumi. He has level 4 earthbending, and when damage is dealt to an opponent, each animated land are ready again for another attack. Although this card has emerged as a fan favorite Commander, this small creature is set to be one of, if not the most sought-after card from this expansion.