One of the Avatar-themed cutest Magic cards is a formidable compact powerhouse.

Magic: The Gathering’s collaboration with Avatar will not hit the general market before the end of the week, however following early access events recently, an affordable green creature saw a sharp rise in price.

Throughout the spoiler season, Badgermole Cub drew a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness that costs a single green and one generic mana, it features Earthbending 1 (arguably the best within the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The major perk here comes from an additional effect: Whenever a creature is tapped to produce mana, add an additional green mana.

When first listed, the card sold below $30. After the pre-release weekend, though, the going rate escalated above $45 with at least one listed for sale at $60.00. What explains such high costs for this cute lil guy? Primarily because of the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

As it hits the board, Badgermole Cub converts a terrain card so it becomes a creature granting it earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, if it remains on the board, those lands generates double mana — plus mana-producing creatures in your control that produce resources.

An ideal partner for maximum effect would be Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature which can be tapped for a green resource. Yet numerous creatures that make mana available. Another option is a more expensive alternative a 1/3 creature for two mana as an alternative.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, plus the cub, you may quickly play a massive high-cost threat on the battlefield by round three or four. And things just keep spiraling rapidly if you keep the pressure on after that.

If you dip into an additional hue with this approach, examples including these mana-fixing creatures are all great options that can make all five colors. Another card, this powerful dryad lets you play another terrain per turn as well as turns every land you control providing all land types. It's also worth trying such as this six-mana enchantment, costing six mana gives every card you own the power to tap and generate one mana of any color — which covers each creature you have on the board.

The cub might seem overpowered in terms of accelerating your resources, yet what closes out the game for a deck like this? One obvious and popular answer is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its stats are set by the number of lands you control, and it changes your non-token creatures to be Forests as well as other subtypes. Essentially, all your creatures in play can generate two green mana when tapped.

Another creature provides a high-cost, powerful body that benefits from lots of lands (similar to Ashaya, its stats match your land total).

Nissa works perfectly as a staple. Her passive ability allows Forest lands tap for one more G. (If you have the cub, that means all earthbend forests produce triple green.) Her main ability is essentially a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, handy but does not overlap with the cub's ability. Her ultimate, however, makes each land you control immune to destruction enabling you to put onto the battlefield every Forest left from your library. Should you manage to use the ultimate, it’s pretty much you win.

Badgermole Cub is a must-have in any green Avatar deck built around Earthbending. If you dip into red and green, there’s Bumi Unleashed. This card features earthbend 4, and if damage is dealt to an opponent, land creatures are ready again and can attack again. Even though Bumi has become a popular Commander choice, the cute little Badgermole Cub is definitely going to remain one of the most, maybe the desired card in the Avatar set.