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MTG’s Avatar crossover set will not hit the general market until later this week, yet due to early access events recently, a low-cost green spell has already exploded in price.

Even during previews, the earthbending cub drew widespread focus. A 2/2 priced at G and 1 mana, the card features the Earthbend 1 ability (possibly the most effective among the elemental mechanics available). The real boon in its design comes from its second ability: Whenever mana is generated by tapping a creature, you gain one extra green mana.

When first listed, the card could be purchased for $26.98. After the pre-release weekend, yet, its value has shot up to $49.66 and one seller offering for sale at $60.00. Why are we seeing Vivi prices for this little creature? Mainly thanks to the rapid resource generation it enables.

As it hits the battlefield, the cub turns a terrain card so it becomes a creature granting it earthbend. And with that second ability, as long as it remains on the board, those lands generates double mana — in addition to other creatures in your control which tap for mana.

The obvious go-to for synergy includes Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature which can be tapped for one green mana. However numerous other mana generation creatures available. Another option costs a bit more a 1/3 creature at a two-mana value in comparison.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, plus the cub, you may quickly play a very big and very expensive creature into play early in the game. The situation escalates rapidly by maintaining dominance after that.

When adding another color using this method, cards like these mana-fixing creatures are all great options that can make all five colors. Additionally, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing one extra land per turn as well as transforms your entire land base into every basic land type. It's also worth trying such as the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment gives each permanent you control the ability to be tapped for a mana of any type — including any creature in play.

Badgermole Cub may be OP in terms of ramping up your mana generation, but how do you win with this archetype? An often-seen solution is Ashaya. Power and toughness match the number of lands you control, and it makes your non-token creatures Forests along with their other types. This means, all your creatures you control may produce double green if used for mana.

Harmonious Grovestrider is another expensive, beefy creature that benefits from lots of lands (as with the previous card, P/T are based on your land total).

This Planeswalker works perfectly as a staple. Her passive ability makes Forest lands tap for one more G. (Combined with earthbend, this results in each one yield three G.) Her main ability acts as a form of land animation, adding counters on a land, handy though it doesn't stack with earthbend. Her ultimate, though, renders all of your lands immune to destruction enabling you to draw out all the remaining forests in your deck. Once you trigger that ability, this typically means game over.

Badgermole Cub is pretty much essential in any decks using green and Avatar focusing on the earthbend mechanic. By including red-green, there’s Bumi Unleashed. This card features level 4 earthbending, plus if he deals combat damage to a player, all land creatures become untapped and may attack once more. Although this card is a beloved leader, this small creature is definitely going to remain one of the most, maybe the popular pick in the Avatar set.