🔗 Share this article

Magic: The Gathering’s special Avatar expansion will not get a wider release in the coming days, but after early access events this past weekend, a low-cost green spell has already exploded in market worth.

Throughout the spoiler season, this small creature drew widespread focus. This two-power, two-toughness priced at one green and one colorless mana, it has Earthbending 1 (perhaps the most effective among the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The real boon with this card is another power: If mana is generated by tapping a creature, you gain one extra green mana.

When first listed, this card could be purchased below $30. Following the early events, though, the market price escalated to $49.66 with at least one listed for sale at $60.00. The reason for premium pricing for this cute lil guy? Mostly thanks to the explosive mana ramping it can produce.

When it arrives the battlefield, the cub converts a land to a creature land granting it earthbend. Combined with its other power, while it is not removed, those lands produces twice the mana — plus any creatures you have which tap for mana.

The obvious go-to for synergy would be the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that produces a green resource. However many alternative mana dorks out there. Another option is a more expensive alternative with stats 1/3 costing two mana in comparison.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, and Badgermole Cub, you can easily get a massive and very expensive creature on the battlefield by round three or four. Momentum builds rapidly by maintaining dominance from that point.

By incorporating a secondary color with this approach, cards like these mana-fixing creatures are all great options that can make any color of mana. And something like a useful enchantment creature enables playing an additional land every round as well as turns all of your lands so they count as all basics. Another possibility is for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, which for six mana provides each permanent you control the ability to be tapped for any color mana — including all creatures you have on the board.

This card may be OP in terms of boosting mana production, however what closes out the game for a deck like this? A common and powerful choice has been Ashaya. Its power and toughness are both equal to the number of lands you control, plus it turns all of your nontoken creatures into Forests as well as their other types. This means, all your creatures in play can produce double green by tapping.

Another creature provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from lots of lands (similar to Ashaya, P/T are based on the number of lands you control).

This Planeswalker works perfectly in this deck. One of her abilities causes all Forests produce extra green. (Combined with earthbend, so each one generate three green mana.) Her plus ability is essentially a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters to a noncreature land, which is great though it doesn't stack with earthbending. Her ultimate, on the other hand, makes each land you control indestructible enabling you to draw out your remaining Forests in the deck. Should you manage to use that ability, it almost certainly game over.

The cub is a must-have for all decks using green and Avatar focusing on earthbend. If you dip into red-green, consider Bumi. It possesses level 4 earthbending, and if damage is dealt to an opponent, land creatures are ready again and may attack once more. Even though Bumi has become a fan favorite Commander, this small creature is definitely going to remain among the top, possibly the popular pick from this expansion.