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Magic: The Gathering’s Avatar crossover set isn't set to become widely available before the end of the week, yet following prerelease weekends this past weekend, a low-cost green spell saw a sharp rise in value.

Throughout the spoiler season, this small creature garnered a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness that costs a single green and one generic mana, the card features the Earthbend 1 ability (perhaps the most effective within the elemental mechanics available). The major perk in its design lies in its second ability: If mana is generated by tapping a creature, it provides bonus green mana.

Initially, this card could be purchased at around $27. Following the early events, yet, the going rate escalated to nearly $50 including listings for sale at $60.00. What explains premium pricing for this little creature? Primarily because of the explosive mana ramping it enables.

When it arrives the battlefield, this creature turns one land into a creature that has earthbending. Combined with its other power, as long as it remains on the board, every earthbent land produces twice the mana — plus mana-producing creatures in your control that produce resources.

An ideal partner to combine with includes the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that taps to generate a green resource. Yet many other mana generation creatures available. Another option costs a bit more that’s a 1/3 costing two mana instead.

By playing lands, creatures that tap for mana, and Badgermole Cub, it's simple to summon a very big high-cost creature on the battlefield early in the game. And things just keep spiraling rapidly with continued aggression after that.

If you dip into an additional hue with this approach, cards like these mana-fixing creatures are excellent picks that generate any mana color. Additionally, this powerful dryad allows you to put one extra land every round AND makes all of your lands so they count as all basics. It's also worth trying for example this six-mana enchantment, which for six mana gives all of your permanents the power to tap and generate one mana of any color — which covers any creature in play.

This card could be too strong when it comes to boosting mana production, however what’s the endgame finisher for a deck like this? One obvious and popular answer has been Ashaya. Its power and toughness are both equal to how many lands you have, and it makes each creature you own into Forests in addition to their other types. Essentially, each creature you control may generate two green mana if used for mana.

This additional option is another expensive, beefy creature which gains from a high land count (similar to Ashaya, its power and toughness match the number of lands you control).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. Her static effect causes all Forests produce extra green. (With a Badgermole Cub, so all earthbend forests yield three G.) Her main ability functions like a form of land animation, placing counters on terrain, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with the cub's ability. Her ultimate, on the other hand, makes each land you control unbreakable and allows you to draw out all the remaining forests from your library. If you can actually activate that ability, it almost certainly game over.

This card is a must-have for all decks using green and Avatar that use the earthbend mechanic. When branching into red and green, consider Bumi Unleashed. It possesses earthbend 4, plus if damage is dealt to a player, all land creatures become untapped and may attack once more. While that version has emerged as a fan favorite Commander, this small creature is set to be one of, if not the most desired card in the collaboration.