One of Avatar's most adorable collectible cards is a formidable small force.

the popular card game’s special Avatar expansion isn't set to get a wider release before the end of the week, but after prerelease weekends over the last few days, a low-cost green spell saw a sharp rise in value.

From the initial reveals, the earthbending cub attracted a lot of attention. A creature with stats 2/2 that costs one green and one colorless mana, the card features level 1 earthbending (possibly the strongest within the set’s four “bending” mechanics). Its key advantage in its design comes from its second ability: Each time mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.

Initially, Badgermole Cub sold at around $27. After the pre-release weekend, though, the market price jumped above $45 and one seller offering as high as $60. Why are we seeing Vivi prices for this little creature? Primarily due to the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

As it hits play, the cub turns a terrain card so it becomes a creature with earthbend. Combined with its other power, as long as it remains on the board, each affected land yields two mana instead of one — along with mana-producing creatures in your control which tap for mana.

A clear choice for synergy would be this one-mana elf, a cheap 1/1 that produces G mana. Yet there are plenty of alternative mana dorks out there. This particular druid is a more expensive alternative that’s a 1/3 for two mana instead.

By playing lands, creatures that tap for mana, plus the cub, you may quickly play a very big high-cost creature on the battlefield by round three or four. Momentum builds out of control if you keep the pressure on after that.

When adding an additional hue in this strategy, cards like these mana-fixing creatures work perfectly that can make any mana color. Additionally, a useful enchantment creature allows you to put an additional land each turn AND makes all of your lands so they count as all basics. Another possibility is for example a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment grants each permanent you control the power to be tapped for any color mana — even all creatures under your control.

This card might seem overpowered in terms of ramping up your mana generation, but what’s the endgame finisher in such a strategy? One obvious and popular answer has been Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its power and toughness are set by the number of lands you control, and it changes your non-token creatures into Forests along with their other types. In other words, all your creatures you control is able to generate two green mana if used for mana.

Another creature provides a high-cost, powerful body that benefits from many terrain cards (as with the previous card, P/T match your land total).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect allows Forest lands tap for one more G. (With a Badgermole Cub, that means each one yield three G.) Her plus ability acts as an early earthbend, adding counters to a noncreature land, which is great but does not overlap with the cub's ability. Her ultimate, though, renders all of your lands indestructible enabling you to search for all the remaining forests in your deck. If you can actually activate this power, it almost certainly game over.

The cub is nearly mandatory for any kind of decks using green and Avatar focusing on Earthbending. If you dip into red-green, consider this legendary card. It possesses level 4 earthbending, and if it hits a player in combat, land creatures become untapped and may attack once more. Although this card is a popular Commander choice, the cub is set to be one of, if not the most popular pick from this expansion.