A standout from the Avatar-themed cutest Magic cards is a formidable small force.
Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set isn't set to hit the general market until later this week, however after early access events this past weekend, one cheap green card has already exploded in price.
Throughout the spoiler season, Badgermole Cub attracted significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness requiring G and 1 mana, it includes level 1 earthbending (arguably the strongest of the elemental mechanics available). The major perk with this card comes from another power: Whenever you tap a creature for mana, it provides bonus green mana.
At its cheapest, the card sold at around $27. After the pre-release weekend, however, its value escalated to $49.66 including listings for sale at $60.00. What explains Vivi prices for this cute lil guy? Mostly because of the incredible mana acceleration it provides.
Upon entering the board, this creature turns a terrain card to a creature land with earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, as long as it is not removed, each affected land generates double mana — along with mana-producing creatures in your control that generate mana.
A clear choice for maximum effect would be Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature which can be tapped for a green resource. Yet many creatures that make mana available. This particular druid costs a bit more that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value as an alternative.
Using land cards, dorks that generate resources, plus the cub, you can easily get a very big pricey creature into play within a few turns. The situation escalates out of control with continued aggression from there.
When adding an additional hue in this strategy, options such as these mana-fixing creatures are all great options that can make all five colors. Another card, a useful enchantment creature enables playing one extra land each turn as well as turns every land you control into every basic land type. It's also worth trying such as a card called A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment gives all of your permanents the capacity to tap and generate any color mana — including all creatures you have on the board.
The cub could be too strong when it comes to boosting mana production, however what’s the endgame finisher in such a strategy? An often-seen solution is this legendary creature. Its stats match how many lands you have, and it changes all of your nontoken creatures Forests in addition to other subtypes. In other words, every single creature in play can tap for two G if used for mana.
Harmonious Grovestrider provides a high-cost, powerful body that benefits from many terrain cards (similar to Ashaya, its stats match the number of lands you control).
Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit in this deck. Her passive ability makes all Forests produce extra green. (Combined with earthbend, so those lands generate three green mana.) One loyalty ability functions like a form of land animation, putting +1/+1 counters on terrain, handy but does not overlap with earthbend. The minus ability, however, grants all of your lands immune to destruction enabling you to draw out all the remaining forests in the deck. Should you manage to use that ability, it’s pretty much game over.
This card is a must-have in any green-based Avatar strategies built around the earthbend mechanic. If you dip into red and green, there’s Bumi Unleashed. It possesses earthbend 4, and if damage is dealt in combat, all land creatures untap and can attack again. While that version has become a beloved leader, the cub will surely stay among the top, possibly the desired card in the collaboration.