One of the Avatar-themed most charming Magic cards is a nasty little contender.

the popular card game’s collaboration with Avatar isn't set to get a wider release until later this week, but due to pre-releases recently, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in market worth.

Throughout the spoiler season, the earthbending cub garnered a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness priced at G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub includes the Earthbend 1 ability (perhaps the best within the four bending abilities in the set). Its key advantage with this card comes from its second ability: Whenever a creature is tapped to produce mana, add an additional green mana.

When first listed, Badgermole Cub could be purchased at around $27. After the pre-release weekend, however, its value has shot up to nearly $50 including listings priced at sixty dollars. What explains Vivi prices on this adorable card? Primarily due to the incredible mana acceleration it provides.

Upon entering the battlefield, the cub converts one land so it becomes a creature with earthbend. And with that second ability, while it is not removed, those lands produces twice the mana — plus any creatures in your control that generate mana.

The obvious go-to for synergy is this one-mana elf, a cheap 1/1 which can be tapped for G mana. But many alternative mana dorks in the game. Druid of the Cowl is a more expensive alternative that’s a 1/3 costing two mana in comparison.

Using land cards, creatures that tap for mana, alongside this card, you can easily get an enormous and very expensive creature on the board within a few turns. Momentum builds rapidly with continued aggression from there.

By incorporating a secondary color with this approach, options such as Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly that can make all five colors. Another card, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing one extra land each turn as well as makes all of your lands so they count as all basics. You can also consider such as a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment grants each permanent you control the ability to produce any color mana — including each creature under your control.

The cub might seem overpowered regarding accelerating your resources, but what’s the endgame finisher with this archetype? An often-seen solution already is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its stats are set by how many lands you have, and it makes each creature you own to be Forests as well as other subtypes. This means, all your creatures on your board is able to produce double green by tapping.

Harmonious Grovestrider is a costly, large threat that benefits from lots of lands (like Ashaya, its stats are based on how many lands you have).

This Planeswalker is an excellent fit in this deck. Her passive ability makes all Forests produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, so those lands produce triple green.) Her main ability acts as an early earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, handy but it isn't redundant with the cub's ability. Her -8 ability, however, makes all of your lands indestructible and lets you search for your remaining Forests from your library. Once you trigger the ultimate, it almost certainly game over.

Badgermole Cub is a must-have for all green Avatar deck built around the earthbend mechanic. When branching into Gruul colors, there’s Bumi. This card features earthbend 4, and when he deals combat damage to an opponent, each animated land are ready again for another attack. Even though Bumi is a popular Commander choice, the cub is set to be one of, if not the most desired card in the Avatar set.

Brian Jones
Brian Jones

Lena Hofmann ist eine preisgekrönte Journalistin mit über zehn Jahren Erfahrung in der politischen Berichterstattung und investigativen Recherche.