A standout from the Avatar-themed cutest collectible cards turns out to be a powerful small powerhouse.

the popular card game’s collaboration with Avatar isn't set to get a wider release until later this week, however following pre-releases over the last few days, a low-cost green spell saw a sharp rise in value.

Throughout the spoiler season, this small creature drew widespread focus. A creature with stats 2/2 requiring one green and one colorless mana, Badgermole Cub includes Earthbending 1 (perhaps the best among the four bending abilities in the set). The major perk with this card is another power: Each time you tap a creature for mana, it provides bonus green mana.

Initially, Badgermole Cub sold below $30. Post-prerelease, yet, its value jumped to $49.66 with at least one listed for sale at $60.00. The reason for Vivi prices for this cute lil guy? Mainly because of the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

As it hits the battlefield, the cub transforms one land into a creature with earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, if it remains on the board, every earthbent land yields two mana instead of one — along with any creatures you have which tap for mana.

A clear choice to combine with is this one-mana elf, a cheap 1/1 that produces G mana. But many other mana generation creatures out there. Druid of the Cowl is a higher-cost choice a 1/3 creature at a two-mana value in comparison.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, you may quickly play a very big high-cost creature on the board within a few turns. The situation escalates out of control by maintaining dominance from that point.

By incorporating a secondary color in this strategy, options such as Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are all great options that can make any mana color. And something like Dryad of the Ilysian Grove allows you to put another terrain per turn AND transforms every land you control into every basic land type. You can also consider something like this six-mana enchantment, at a six-mana investment gives each permanent you control the power to produce one mana of any color — including each creature under your control.

Badgermole Cub may be OP in terms of accelerating your resources, yet how do you win in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice already is this legendary creature. Its stats match how many lands you have, and it changes your non-token creatures into Forests in addition to other subtypes. Essentially, all your creatures you control can tap for two G when tapped.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from a high land count (similar to Ashaya, its stats match your land total).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her passive ability causes every Forest generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, so each one yield three G.) Her main ability functions like a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters to a noncreature land, handy but it isn't redundant with the cub's ability. Her -8 ability, however, grants each land you control unbreakable and allows you to draw out all the remaining forests in your deck. Once you trigger that ability, it almost certainly game over.

This card is nearly mandatory for all green Avatar deck built around the earthbend mechanic. By including Gruul colors, there’s Bumi Unleashed. It possesses earthbend 4, and if damage is dealt to a player, all land creatures untap and may attack once more. Although this card has become a beloved leader, the cub is definitely going to remain among the top, possibly the sought-after card from this expansion.