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MTG’s Avatar crossover set won’t get a wider release before the end of the week, but following early access events recently, an affordable green creature experienced a surge in market worth.

From the initial reveals, the earthbending cub garnered significant interest. A creature with stats 2/2 that costs a single green and one generic mana, the card features the Earthbend 1 ability (perhaps the best among the elemental mechanics available). The major perk in its design lies in its second ability: If a creature is tapped to produce mana, add an additional green mana.

Initially, the card was available for $26.98. After the pre-release weekend, though, the going rate has shot up to $49.66 with at least one listed priced at sixty dollars. What explains Vivi prices on this adorable card? Primarily because of the rapid resource generation it can produce.

As it hits the board, the cub converts a terrain card to a creature land granting it earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, if it stays in play, each affected land produces twice the mana — plus mana-producing creatures you have that produce resources.

An ideal partner for maximum effect includes the classic Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 that produces one green mana. However numerous other mana generation creatures in the game. This particular druid is a higher-cost choice with stats 1/3 for two mana as an alternative.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, it's simple to summon a massive pricey threat on the battlefield early in the game. And things just keep spiraling rapidly with continued aggression from there.

By incorporating an additional hue using this method, options such as versatile mana producers are excellent picks which produce any mana color. And something like this powerful dryad allows you to put another terrain per turn plus makes your entire land base providing all land types. Another possibility is something like this six-mana enchantment, costing six mana provides every card you own the capacity to produce one mana of any color — which covers all creatures you have on the board.

Badgermole Cub may be OP in terms of ramping up your mana generation, yet how do you win in such a strategy? An often-seen solution already is Ashaya. Its stats are both equal to your land count, plus it turns each creature you own into Forests as well as their original types. Essentially, all your creatures on your board may generate two green mana by tapping.

Another creature provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with a high land count (similar to Ashaya, its stats match how many lands you have).

This Planeswalker works perfectly as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect allows all Forests tap for one more G. (If you have the cub, that means each one generate three green mana.) One loyalty ability functions like a form of land animation, placing counters on a land, a useful effect though it doesn't stack with the cub's ability. Her ultimate, though, makes your entire land base indestructible and allows you to put onto the battlefield every Forest left in your deck. Should you manage to use this power, this typically means you win.

This card is a must-have for all green Avatar deck focusing on earthbend. When branching into Gruul colors, you can use Bumi Unleashed. This card features earthbend 4, and when it hits a player in combat, land creatures become untapped and may attack once more. Even though Bumi is a fan favorite Commander, the cute little Badgermole Cub will surely stay one of the most, maybe the desired card in the collaboration.