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Magic: The Gathering’s special Avatar expansion won’t get a wider release in the coming days, but after early access events this past weekend, an affordable green creature has already exploded in market worth.

Throughout the spoiler season, this small creature garnered a lot of attention. A 2/2 requiring one green and one colorless mana, it features the Earthbend 1 ability (perhaps the best among the elemental mechanics available). The real boon here lies in an additional effect: Whenever you tap a creature for mana, it provides bonus green mana.

When first listed, this card could be purchased below $30. Following the early events, though, the going rate escalated to nearly $50 and one seller offering priced at sixty dollars. The reason for Vivi prices on this adorable card? Primarily thanks to the incredible mana acceleration it can produce.

Upon entering play, the cub turns a terrain card to a creature land granting it earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, if it stays in play, each affected land yields two mana instead of one — in addition to any creatures you have that produce resources.

The obvious go-to to combine with includes the classic Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that taps to generate one green mana. Yet there are plenty of creatures that make mana available. Druid of the Cowl costs a bit more a 1/3 creature costing two mana in comparison.

By playing lands, mana-producing creatures, alongside this card, you can easily get a massive pricey creature on the battlefield within a few turns. And things just keep spiraling rapidly with continued aggression from there.

By incorporating an additional hue in this strategy, options such as Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks which produce all five colors. Another card, a useful enchantment creature lets you play one extra land each turn as well as makes your entire land base providing all land types. It's also worth trying for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, which for six mana grants each permanent you control the capacity to produce any color mana — including all creatures under your control.

Badgermole Cub may be OP regarding boosting mana production, however what’s the endgame finisher with this archetype? A common and powerful choice is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its power and toughness are set by how many lands you have, and it changes all of your nontoken creatures Forests in addition to other subtypes. This means, each creature on your board can tap for two G if used for mana.

Another creature provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from lots of lands (like Ashaya, P/T are based on your land total).

Nissa works perfectly as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect makes every Forest generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, so those lands produce triple green.) One loyalty ability acts as a form of land animation, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with earthbending. Her -8 ability, on the other hand, grants your entire land base indestructible and allows you to draw out all the remaining forests in the deck. Once you trigger the ultimate, it’s pretty much the game ends.

This card is nearly mandatory in any green Avatar deck focusing on the earthbend mechanic. When branching into Gruul colors, consider this legendary card. It possesses earthbend 4, plus if he deals combat damage to an opponent, all land creatures are ready again and can attack again. Although this card is a beloved leader, the cute little Badgermole Cub is definitely going to remain one of the most, maybe the sought-after card in the collaboration.