One of the Avatar-themed most charming collectible cards is a nasty small powerhouse.

Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set won’t become widely available before the end of the week, but after prerelease weekends over the last few days, one cheap green card experienced a surge in value.

Even during previews, this small creature drew significant interest. A creature with stats 2/2 priced at G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub includes Earthbending 1 (arguably the strongest among the four bending abilities in the set). Its key advantage in its design is its second ability: Each time a creature is tapped to produce mana, add an additional green mana.

When first listed, the card could be purchased below $30. Post-prerelease, however, the going rate has shot up to nearly $50 and one seller offering priced at sixty dollars. The reason for such high costs for this little creature? Mainly thanks to the incredible mana acceleration it provides.

When it arrives play, this creature turns a terrain card so it becomes a creature granting it earthbend. Combined with its other power, while it is not removed, each affected land yields two mana instead of one — plus any creatures you have that generate mana.

The obvious go-to for synergy includes the classic Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature which can be tapped for G mana. But many creatures that make mana out there. Another option costs a bit more with stats 1/3 at a two-mana value in comparison.

By playing lands, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, you may quickly play a very big high-cost creature on the battlefield early in the game. The situation escalates out of control by maintaining dominance from there.

If you dip into another color with this approach, cards like these mana-fixing creatures are excellent picks that generate all five colors. Additionally, a useful enchantment creature allows you to put another terrain each turn AND transforms all of your lands into every basic land type. Another possibility is something like a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment gives every card you own the ability to be tapped for one mana of any color — including all creatures you have on the board.

This card could be too strong when it comes to boosting mana production, but how do you win for a deck like this? One obvious and popular answer has been Ashaya. Its power and toughness are set by how many lands you have, plus it turns each creature you own to be Forests in addition to their original types. In other words, all your creatures you control can generate two green mana by tapping.

This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with a high land count (similar to Ashaya, P/T are equal to how many lands you have).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World works perfectly as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect allows all Forests generate an additional green mana. (If you have the cub, this results in all earthbend forests produce triple green.) Her plus ability functions like a form of land animation, placing counters on terrain, a useful effect but does not overlap with earthbend. The minus ability, on the other hand, renders your entire land base unbreakable and lets you draw out your remaining Forests in the deck. If you can actually activate this power, it almost certainly game over.

This card is a must-have for all green Avatar deck focusing on earthbend. By including Gruul colors, there’s Bumi Unleashed. This card features earthbend 4, plus if he deals combat damage to a player, land creatures become untapped and may attack once more. While that version has become a popular Commander choice, the cute little Badgermole Cub is set to be among the top, possibly the sought-after card in the Avatar set.

Ricky Barnes
Ricky Barnes

A passionate writer and tech enthusiast sharing personal insights and practical advice for modern living.