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the popular card game’s collaboration with Avatar will not become widely available before the end of the week, however after pre-releases this past weekend, one cheap green card saw a sharp rise in price.

Even during previews, the earthbending cub garnered significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness requiring one green and one colorless mana, it includes the Earthbend 1 ability (perhaps the best within the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The major perk with this card lies in another power: Whenever a creature is tapped to produce mana, add an additional green mana.

At its cheapest, the card sold below $30. Following the early events, yet, the going rate jumped above $45 with at least one listed for sale at $60.00. What explains premium pricing for this cute lil guy? Mainly because of the explosive mana ramping it enables.

Upon entering play, the cub converts a terrain card into a creature granting it earthbend. And with that second ability, as long as it remains on the board, each affected land generates double mana — plus mana-producing creatures on your side which tap for mana.

A clear choice to combine with includes Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature which can be tapped for one green mana. But numerous creatures that make mana available. Another option costs a bit more a 1/3 creature costing two mana in comparison.

Using land cards, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, it's simple to summon a massive high-cost monster into play by round three or four. Momentum builds exponentially if you keep the pressure on from that point.

When adding an additional hue using this method, options such as Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks that can make any mana color. Additionally, this powerful dryad enables playing one extra land every round plus transforms every land you control into every basic land type. Another possibility is for example this six-mana enchantment, costing six mana gives every card you own the ability to produce one mana of any color — which covers each creature under your control.

This card might seem overpowered in terms of boosting mana production, yet what’s the endgame finisher for a deck like this? A common and powerful choice has been this legendary creature. Its power and toughness match how many lands you have, and it makes your non-token creatures Forests as well as their original types. Essentially, each creature on your board is able to generate two green mana by tapping.

Another creature provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with lots of lands (as with the previous card, its power and toughness are equal to how many lands you have).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a staple. Her passive ability allows every Forest produce extra green. (Combined with earthbend, that means each one generate three green mana.) Her plus ability is essentially a form of land animation, adding counters to a noncreature land, handy but it isn't redundant with the cub's ability. The minus ability, however, grants your entire land base unbreakable and allows you to search for all the remaining forests in your deck. If you can actually activate that ability, it almost certainly the game ends.

Badgermole Cub is a must-have in any decks using green and Avatar focusing on Earthbending. When branching into red and green, consider Bumi Unleashed. He has earthbend 4, and when it hits a player to a player, each animated land are ready again and may attack once more. Although this card is a beloved leader, this small creature is definitely going to remain among the top, possibly the sought-after card in the collaboration.