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MTG’s Avatar crossover set isn't set to become widely available until later this week, however following prerelease weekends over the last few days, an affordable green creature experienced a surge in market worth.

Throughout the spoiler season, this small creature garnered significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness priced at one green and one colorless mana, it features Earthbending 1 (possibly the most effective within the four bending abilities in the set). The major perk in its design lies in another power: Whenever a creature is tapped to produce mana, you gain one extra green mana.

When first listed, the card was available for $26.98. After the pre-release weekend, yet, its value has shot up to nearly $50 including listings priced at sixty dollars. Why are we seeing Vivi prices for this little creature? Primarily due to the rapid resource generation it provides.

Upon entering the battlefield, Badgermole Cub converts a terrain card so it becomes a creature with earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, while it is not removed, every earthbent land yields two mana instead of one — plus any creatures on your side that produce resources.

A clear choice to combine with would be this one-mana elf, an inexpensive 1/1 which can be tapped for G mana. Yet many creatures that make mana available. Another option costs a bit more that’s a 1/3 for two mana as an alternative.

Deploying terrain, mana-producing creatures, and Badgermole Cub, you may quickly play a massive pricey creature on the battlefield within a few turns. And things just keep spiraling exponentially with continued aggression after that.

If you dip into another color using this method, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly which produce all five colors. Another card, this powerful dryad enables playing an additional land every round AND makes all of your lands so they count as all basics. It's also worth trying for example a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment gives all of your permanents the ability to produce one mana of any color — even any creature you have on the board.

This card might seem overpowered when it comes to boosting mana production, however how do you win with this archetype? An often-seen solution already is this legendary creature. Its power and toughness match how many lands you have, and it changes your non-token creatures into Forests as well as other subtypes. In other words, each creature in play is able to tap for two G by tapping.

This additional option is a costly, large threat which gains from a high land count (similar to Ashaya, its power and toughness match your land total).

This Planeswalker is an excellent fit as a staple. One of her abilities causes Forest lands tap for one more G. (If you have the cub, so those lands yield three G.) Her main ability acts as a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, handy though it doesn't stack with earthbend. The minus ability, though, grants your entire land base unbreakable and allows you to draw out every Forest left in the deck. Should you manage to use this power, this typically means the game ends.

Badgermole Cub is nearly mandatory in any green Avatar deck focusing on Earthbending. If you dip into red-green, there’s this legendary card. This card features earthbend 4, and if he deals combat damage to an opponent, land creatures untap and may attack once more. Even though Bumi has emerged as a beloved leader, the cute little Badgermole Cub is definitely going to remain among the top, possibly the sought-after card in the Avatar set.