A standout from the Avatar-themed cutest MTG cards turns out to be a nasty compact force.
MTG’s collaboration with Avatar isn't set to become widely available until later this week, however following prerelease weekends this past weekend, one cheap green card experienced a surge in price.
Throughout the spoiler season, Badgermole Cub garnered significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness requiring G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub includes Earthbending 1 (perhaps the most effective within the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The real boon here is another power: Each time you tap a creature for mana, it provides bonus green mana.
Initially, this card could be purchased at around $27. After the pre-release weekend, however, the going rate has shot up to $49.66 with at least one listed as high as $60. The reason for premium pricing for this little creature? Mostly thanks to the rapid resource generation it enables.
When it arrives the board, this creature converts a terrain card into a creature granting it earthbend. Combined with its other power, as long as it stays in play, those lands generates double mana — along with any creatures in your control that produce resources.
A clear choice to combine with includes Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 that produces G mana. But numerous alternative mana dorks available. This particular druid costs a bit more a 1/3 creature costing two mana in comparison.
Deploying terrain, dorks that generate resources, alongside this card, you can easily get a very big and very expensive creature into play by round three or four. The situation escalates out of control if you keep the pressure on from that point.
If you dip into a secondary color in this strategy, cards like Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid work perfectly that can make all five colors. Additionally, this powerful dryad enables playing another terrain each turn as well as makes every land you control providing all land types. It's also worth trying such as this six-mana enchantment, which for six mana grants each permanent you control the capacity to produce a mana of any type — including all creatures under your control.
This card could be too strong in terms of boosting mana production, but what’s the endgame finisher in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice has been this legendary creature. Its power and toughness are both equal to how many lands you have, and it changes each creature you own to be Forests as well as their other types. Essentially, all your creatures you control is able to tap for two G by tapping.
Another creature is another expensive, beefy creature that thrives with a high land count (similar to Ashaya, its power and toughness are based on the number of lands you control).
Nissa is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her passive ability makes every Forest generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, so each one yield three G.) One loyalty ability is essentially a form of land animation, placing counters on a land, handy but does not overlap with the cub's ability. The minus ability, however, renders all of your lands indestructible and lets you put onto the battlefield your remaining Forests in the deck. If you can actually activate that ability, this typically means the game ends.
This card is nearly mandatory for all green-based Avatar strategies focusing on the earthbend mechanic. When branching into red and green, you can use Bumi Unleashed. This card features earthbend 4, and if damage is dealt in combat, land creatures untap for another attack. Although this card has emerged as a popular Commander choice, this small creature will surely stay one of, if not the most desired card in the Avatar set.