🔗 Share this article

the popular card game’s special Avatar expansion isn't set to hit the general market before the end of the week, however due to early access events over the last few days, a low-cost green spell saw a sharp rise in price.

Even during previews, Badgermole Cub drew significant interest. A creature with stats 2/2 priced at one green and one colorless mana, the card has the Earthbend 1 ability (possibly the best among the elemental mechanics available). The real boon with this card is its second ability: Whenever you tap a creature for mana, add an additional green mana.

When first listed, Badgermole Cub could be purchased for $26.98. Post-prerelease, yet, its value has shot up to $49.66 with at least one listed as high as $60. The reason for such high costs on this adorable card? Primarily due to the incredible mana acceleration it enables.

When it arrives the battlefield, Badgermole Cub converts a terrain card to a creature land granting it earthbend. And with that second ability, while it remains on the board, every earthbent land produces twice the mana — along with mana-producing creatures in your control that generate mana.

A clear choice for maximum effect includes this one-mana elf, an inexpensive 1/1 that taps to generate one green mana. But numerous alternative mana dorks out there. Druid of the Cowl is a more expensive alternative with stats 1/3 at a two-mana value in comparison.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, alongside this card, it's simple to summon a massive and very expensive creature on the battlefield early in the game. The situation escalates rapidly by maintaining dominance after that.

If you dip into another color in this strategy, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks which produce any color of mana. Another card, a useful enchantment creature lets you play one extra land every round plus turns all of your lands providing all land types. You can also consider for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, costing six mana provides all of your permanents the ability to tap and generate one mana of any color — even any creature you have on the board.

This card could be too strong in terms of boosting mana production, however how do you win in such a strategy? One obvious and popular answer has been Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness are both equal to your land count, plus it turns each creature you own to be Forests in addition to their original types. This means, each creature in play can tap for two G by tapping.

This additional option is a costly, large threat which gains from lots of lands (as with the previous card, its stats are equal to how many lands you have).

Nissa is an excellent fit as a staple. One of her abilities makes Forest lands tap for one more G. (Combined with earthbend, so all earthbend forests produce triple green.) Her main ability acts as an early earthbend, adding counters on a land, a useful effect but does not overlap with earthbend. Her -8 ability, on the other hand, makes each land you control unbreakable and allows you to put onto the battlefield your remaining Forests from your library. If you can actually activate the ultimate, it’s pretty much game over.

This card is nearly mandatory for any kind of green-based Avatar strategies that use the earthbend mechanic. If you dip into red and green, you can use Bumi Unleashed. This card features earthbend 4, and if he deals combat damage to an opponent, each animated land are ready again and can attack again. While that version has become a popular Commander choice, this small creature will surely stay one of, if not the most desired card from this expansion.