🔗 Share this article A standout from the Avatar-themed most charming MTG cards is a powerful small contender. the popular card game’s Avatar crossover set isn't set to become widely available before the end of the week, yet following pre-releases over the last few days, a low-cost green spell has already exploded in market worth. Throughout the spoiler season, this small creature attracted a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness requiring G and 1 mana, the card has Earthbending 1 (perhaps the most effective among the four bending abilities in the set). The major perk with this card is another power: Whenever mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana. Initially, this card sold for $26.98. Following the early events, however, the market price has shot up to $49.66 including listings as high as $60. The reason for Vivi prices for this little creature? Mostly thanks to the explosive mana ramping it enables. Upon entering play, Badgermole Cub turns a terrain card to a creature land granting it earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it is not removed, each affected land yields two mana instead of one — along with other creatures on your side that produce resources. A clear choice for maximum effect is Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that taps to generate a green resource. However many alternative mana dorks in the game. Another option costs a bit more that’s a 1/3 for two mana in comparison. Using land cards, creatures that tap for mana, plus the cub, it's simple to summon an enormous and very expensive threat into play early in the game. The situation escalates exponentially if you keep the pressure on after that. By incorporating a secondary color with this approach, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks which produce any mana color. Additionally, a useful enchantment creature enables playing another terrain each turn AND turns your entire land base providing all land types. You can also consider for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, which for six mana grants every card you own the power to produce one mana of any color — even each creature you have on the board. This card might seem overpowered in terms of ramping up your mana generation, yet how do you win for a deck like this? A common and powerful choice is this legendary creature. Its stats are set by the number of lands you control, plus it turns each creature you own into Forests as well as their original types. This means, every single creature on your board can generate two green mana when tapped. Harmonious Grovestrider is a costly, large threat that benefits from many terrain cards (similar to Ashaya, P/T are equal to your land total). Nissa, Who Shakes the World works perfectly in this deck. One of her abilities causes Forest lands generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means each one generate three green mana.) Her main ability is essentially a form of land animation, adding counters on terrain, which is great but does not overlap with the cub's ability. Her ultimate, however, renders all of your lands unbreakable enabling you to search for all the remaining forests in your deck. If you can actually activate this power, this typically means you win. This card is nearly mandatory for any kind of green-based Avatar strategies focusing on earthbend. By including red-green, consider Bumi. It possesses level 4 earthbending, and if damage is dealt to a player, each animated land are ready again and can attack again. Although this card has become a popular Commander choice, the cute little Badgermole Cub will surely stay one of the most, maybe the sought-after card in the Avatar set.