One of Avatar's most charming MTG cards proves to be a formidable compact powerhouse.

the popular card game’s collaboration with Avatar isn't set to become widely available in the coming days, however due to early access events recently, one cheap green card experienced a surge in value.

Even during previews, this small creature garnered significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness that costs one green and one colorless mana, the card features level 1 earthbending (perhaps the best among the set’s four “bending” mechanics). Its key advantage here comes from its second ability: Each time you tap a creature for mana, it provides bonus green mana.

At its cheapest, this card was available for $26.98. After the pre-release weekend, however, the going rate has shot up to $49.66 with at least one listed priced at sixty dollars. The reason for premium pricing for this little creature? Mostly because of the incredible mana acceleration it can produce.

When it arrives the board, this creature turns a terrain card so it becomes a creature with earthbend. Alongside its mana-doubling effect, if it remains on the board, those lands produces twice the mana — along with any creatures you have which tap for mana.

An ideal partner for synergy includes this one-mana elf, a low-cost creature that produces a green resource. Yet many other mana generation creatures out there. This particular druid is a more expensive alternative with stats 1/3 costing two mana instead.

Using land cards, dorks that generate resources, plus the cub, you can easily get a massive high-cost monster on the board by round three or four. Momentum builds out of control by maintaining dominance from that point.

If you dip into another color in this strategy, examples including these mana-fixing creatures are excellent picks which produce any color of mana. And something like a useful enchantment creature allows you to put one extra land per turn as well as turns every land you control so they count as all basics. It's also worth trying for example a card called A Realm Reborn, which for six mana provides all of your permanents the ability to tap and generate one mana of any color — even each creature you have on the board.

This card could be too strong in terms of boosting mana production, yet how do you win in such a strategy? An often-seen solution already is Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Power and toughness are both equal to how many lands you have, plus it turns your non-token creatures Forests as well as other subtypes. Essentially, each creature in play may tap for two G by tapping.

Harmonious Grovestrider provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from a high land count (similar to Ashaya, its power and toughness are based on how many lands you have).

Nissa fits really well as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect causes every Forest generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, that means each one generate three green mana.) Her plus ability functions like a form of land animation, adding counters to a noncreature land, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with earthbending. Her ultimate, on the other hand, makes your entire land base indestructible enabling you to draw out every Forest left from your library. Once you trigger this power, it’s pretty much game over.

Badgermole Cub is a must-have for any kind of green Avatar deck that use the earthbend mechanic. When branching into Gruul colors, there’s this legendary card. This card features level 4 earthbending, plus if it hits a player to a player, land creatures untap and can attack again. Although this card has emerged as a beloved leader, the cute little Badgermole Cub is definitely going to remain one of the most, maybe the desired card in the collaboration.

John Sanchez
John Sanchez

Lena is a passionate storyteller and environmental advocate, sharing insights from global travels and research.