MTG’s collaboration with Avatar will not become widely available until later this week, but after prerelease weekends this past weekend, an affordable green creature experienced a surge in price.
Even during previews, this small creature drew widespread focus. A 2/2 priced at a single green and one generic mana, Badgermole Cub has Earthbending 1 (possibly the most effective of the four bending abilities in the set). The real boon here comes from another power: Each time you tap a creature for mana, add an additional green mana.
Initially, Badgermole Cub could be purchased for $26.98. After the pre-release weekend, however, its value jumped to nearly $50 with at least one listed as high as $60. What explains such high costs on this adorable card? Primarily thanks to the incredible mana acceleration it enables.
When it arrives play, Badgermole Cub transforms one land to a creature land that has earthbending. And with that second ability, if it remains on the board, each affected land yields two mana instead of one — plus other creatures you have which tap for mana.
The obvious go-to to combine with is Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 which can be tapped for one green mana. Yet numerous alternative mana dorks in the game. This particular druid is a more expensive alternative with stats 1/3 costing two mana as an alternative.
By playing lands, creatures that tap for mana, and Badgermole Cub, it's simple to summon a massive high-cost threat on the board early in the game. And things just keep spiraling exponentially if you keep the pressure on from that point.
When adding a secondary color in this strategy, options such as Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are excellent picks which produce all five colors. And something like Dryad of the Ilysian Grove lets you play one extra land every round as well as transforms your entire land base into every basic land type. Another possibility is for example this six-mana enchantment, costing six mana provides each permanent you control the capacity to produce one mana of any color — even all creatures in play.
The cub may be OP when it comes to accelerating your resources, yet what closes out the game for a deck like this? An often-seen solution is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness are set by how many lands you have, and it changes all of your nontoken creatures to be Forests in addition to their other types. This means, all your creatures you control is able to generate two green mana when tapped.
This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body that benefits from a high land count (like Ashaya, its stats match how many lands you have).
Nissa is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect makes Forest lands generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, so each one produce triple green.) One loyalty ability is essentially a proto-earthbend, placing counters on terrain, which is great but does not overlap with the cub's ability. Her ultimate, though, grants your entire land base unbreakable and allows you to draw out every Forest left from your library. Should you manage to use the ultimate, it’s pretty much game over.
This card is pretty much essential in any decks using green and Avatar focusing on Earthbending. By including red-green, consider this legendary card. He has earthbend 4, and when he deals combat damage to a player, each animated land are ready again and may attack once more. While that version has emerged as a popular Commander choice, this small creature is set to be one of the most, maybe the popular pick from this expansion.
