A standout from Avatar's most charming MTG cards is a powerful little powerhouse.
the popular card game’s Avatar crossover set won’t get a wider release before the end of the week, however due to prerelease weekends recently, one cheap green card has already exploded in price.
Even during previews, this small creature garnered a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness requiring one green and one colorless mana, it features level 1 earthbending (possibly the strongest among the set’s four “bending” mechanics). Its key advantage here comes from another power: If you tap a creature for mana, it provides bonus green mana.
When first listed, Badgermole Cub was available for $26.98. Following the early events, however, the going rate has shot up to $49.66 including listings as high as $60. What explains Vivi prices for this little creature? Mainly thanks to the rapid resource generation it can produce.
Upon entering the battlefield, the cub transforms a land to a creature land that has earthbending. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, while it stays in play, those lands produces twice the mana — plus mana-producing creatures on your side that generate mana.
The obvious go-to for maximum effect includes this one-mana elf, a low-cost creature which can be tapped for G mana. However there are plenty of alternative mana dorks available. This particular druid is a higher-cost choice a 1/3 creature at a two-mana value in comparison.
Deploying terrain, mana-producing creatures, plus the cub, you may quickly play a massive and very expensive monster on the battlefield early in the game. The situation escalates out of control if you keep the pressure on from there.
By incorporating another color in this strategy, examples including these mana-fixing creatures are excellent picks which produce any color of mana. Additionally, this powerful dryad allows you to put one extra land every round AND makes every land you control into every basic land type. You can also consider such as a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment grants every card you own the ability to produce a mana of any type — which covers each creature in play.
This card may be OP regarding ramping up your mana generation, however how do you win with this archetype? An often-seen solution already is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its stats are both equal to the number of lands you control, plus it turns each creature you own Forests along with other subtypes. This means, all your creatures in play may generate two green mana if used for mana.
This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body that thrives with lots of lands (as with the previous card, its stats are based on how many lands you have).
Nissa, Who Shakes the World fits really well as a staple. Her static effect makes all Forests tap for one more G. (Combined with earthbend, this results in those lands produce triple green.) Her main ability acts as an early earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, a useful effect but does not overlap with earthbending. The minus ability, however, grants all of your lands indestructible enabling you to search for every Forest left in the deck. Once you trigger this power, it’s pretty much the game ends.
The cub is nearly mandatory for all decks using green and Avatar built around Earthbending. When branching into red-green, you can use Bumi Unleashed. He has level 4 earthbending, and when damage is dealt to a player, land creatures become untapped for another attack. While that version has become a beloved leader, the cub will surely stay one of, if not the most sought-after card in the collaboration.