🔗 Share this article

Magic: The Gathering’s special Avatar expansion won’t get a wider release until later this week, however following early access events over the last few days, a low-cost green spell has already exploded in value.

From the initial reveals, Badgermole Cub attracted significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness priced at G and 1 mana, it has level 1 earthbending (perhaps the strongest among the elemental mechanics available). Its key advantage here comes from its second ability: Whenever you tap a creature for mana, add an additional green mana.

Initially, the card was available at around $27. Post-prerelease, though, the going rate escalated to nearly $50 including listings as high as $60. Why are we seeing Vivi prices on this adorable card? Mainly because of the incredible mana acceleration it can produce.

When it arrives play, the cub converts a land to a creature land that has earthbending. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it is not removed, each affected land produces twice the mana — in addition to other creatures in your control which tap for mana.

The obvious go-to for maximum effect is Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 that produces one green mana. However many creatures that make mana in the game. Druid of the Cowl costs a bit more that’s a 1/3 costing two mana instead.

Using land cards, dorks that generate resources, alongside this card, you may quickly play an enormous and very expensive monster on the board by round three or four. And things just keep spiraling exponentially if you keep the pressure on from that point.

When adding a secondary color in this strategy, options such as Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are all great options that generate any mana color. Additionally, this powerful dryad lets you play an additional land each turn plus transforms all of your lands so they count as all basics. It's also worth trying such as this six-mana enchantment, costing six mana provides all of your permanents the ability to be tapped for a mana of any type — which covers each creature you have on the board.

This card may be OP when it comes to ramping up your mana generation, yet what’s the endgame finisher with this archetype? A common and powerful choice has been this legendary creature. Power and toughness are set by the number of lands you control, and it makes all of your nontoken creatures to be Forests as well as their original types. In other words, every single creature on your board is able to tap for two G by tapping.

Another creature is a costly, large threat that thrives with a high land count (as with the previous card, P/T match your land total).

Nissa fits really well in this deck. Her passive ability causes Forest lands produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, so those lands yield three G.) Her plus ability is essentially an early earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, handy but it isn't redundant with earthbending. Her ultimate, however, makes your entire land base unbreakable and lets you draw out every Forest left in your deck. If you can actually activate this power, it’s pretty much the game ends.

Badgermole Cub is nearly mandatory for all decks using green and Avatar built around Earthbending. When branching into red-green, there’s Bumi Unleashed. This card features level 4 earthbending, plus if it hits a player in combat, each animated land become untapped and can attack again. Although this card has become a popular Commander choice, the cub is definitely going to remain among the top, possibly the popular pick in the collaboration.