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MTG’s Avatar crossover set won’t get a wider release in the coming days, yet due to prerelease weekends this past weekend, an affordable green creature experienced a surge in value.

From the initial reveals, Badgermole Cub attracted widespread focus. A 2/2 requiring one green and one colorless mana, Badgermole Cub has Earthbending 1 (arguably the most effective of the set’s four “bending” mechanics). Its key advantage in its design comes from another power: Each time a creature is tapped to produce mana, add an additional green mana.

When first listed, Badgermole Cub was available below $30. After the pre-release weekend, though, its value has shot up above $45 including listings priced at sixty dollars. Why are we seeing such high costs for this little creature? Mostly because of the incredible mana acceleration it provides.

As it hits the battlefield, the cub turns a land to a creature land with earthbend. And with that second ability, while it is not removed, every earthbent land produces twice the mana — plus mana-producing creatures on your side which tap for mana.

An ideal partner to combine with would be Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that taps to generate a green resource. But there are plenty of alternative mana dorks in the game. Another option is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value instead.

By playing lands, creatures that tap for mana, plus the cub, you can easily get a very big and very expensive monster on the board within a few turns. Momentum builds exponentially with continued aggression after that.

By incorporating another color with this approach, options such as Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks that can make any mana color. And something like Dryad of the Ilysian Grove allows you to put one extra land each turn as well as turns your entire land base into every basic land type. You can also consider for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment provides all of your permanents the ability to produce a mana of any type — including each creature in play.

The cub could be too strong in terms of boosting mana production, but what’s the endgame finisher for a deck like this? An often-seen solution already is Ashaya. Its stats are set by the number of lands you control, plus it turns each creature you own to be Forests as well as other subtypes. Essentially, all your creatures in play is able to tap for two G when tapped.

Harmonious Grovestrider provides a high-cost, powerful body that benefits from many terrain cards (like Ashaya, its power and toughness are equal to how many lands you have).

This Planeswalker is an excellent fit as a staple. Her static effect allows Forest lands generate an additional green mana. (If you have the cub, that means those lands produce triple green.) Her plus ability acts as a proto-earthbend, adding counters on terrain, a useful effect but does not overlap with earthbending. The minus ability, however, grants all of your lands immune to destruction enabling you to put onto the battlefield every Forest left in the deck. Should you manage to use the ultimate, it almost certainly the game ends.

The cub is pretty much essential for any kind of green Avatar deck focusing on earthbend. By including red and green, there’s Bumi Unleashed. It possesses earthbend 4, plus if he deals combat damage in combat, each animated land become untapped and may attack once more. While that version has become a beloved leader, the cub is definitely going to remain one of, if not the most popular pick in the collaboration.