Among the Avatar-themed most charming MTG cards proves to be a nasty compact force.
MTG’s collaboration with Avatar won’t become widely available before the end of the week, yet following pre-releases recently, one cheap green card saw a sharp rise in value.
Even during previews, Badgermole Cub drew widespread focus. A 2/2 requiring G and 1 mana, Badgermole Cub has the Earthbend 1 ability (possibly the strongest among the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The real boon here lies in an additional effect: Each time mana is generated by tapping a creature, it provides bonus green mana.
When first listed, the card sold for $26.98. After the pre-release weekend, yet, the going rate escalated to nearly $50 including listings priced at sixty dollars. The reason for such high costs on this adorable card? Primarily thanks to the rapid resource generation it can produce.
When it arrives play, Badgermole Cub turns a terrain card into a creature granting it earthbend. Combined with its other power, while it is not removed, every earthbent land generates double mana — along with other creatures you have which tap for mana.
A clear choice for synergy includes Llanowar Elves, a cheap 1/1 which can be tapped for a green resource. But numerous creatures that make mana available. This particular druid is a more expensive alternative that’s a 1/3 for two mana instead.
By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, and Badgermole Cub, you may quickly play a massive high-cost threat on the battlefield by round three or four. Momentum builds exponentially by maintaining dominance after that.
By incorporating another color in this strategy, cards like Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are all great options which produce any color of mana. And something like this powerful dryad lets you play an additional land each turn plus transforms your entire land base so they count as all basics. You can also consider such as this six-mana enchantment, at a six-mana investment gives each permanent you control the ability to be tapped for a mana of any type — including each creature in play.
This card could be too strong when it comes to ramping up your mana generation, yet how do you win for a deck like this? An often-seen solution already is this legendary creature. Its stats are set by how many lands you have, and it makes all of your nontoken creatures to be Forests as well as their original types. Essentially, every single creature you control is able to generate two green mana if used for mana.
Another creature is a costly, large threat that thrives with lots of lands (similar to Ashaya, its stats are equal to the number of lands you control).
Nissa, Who Shakes the World fits really well as a staple. Her static effect makes Forest lands tap for one more G. (Combined with earthbend, that means those lands generate three green mana.) One loyalty ability is essentially a proto-earthbend, putting +1/+1 counters on a land, a useful effect but does not overlap with earthbend. Her -8 ability, however, makes each land you control indestructible and allows you to put onto the battlefield your remaining Forests from your library. Once you trigger the ultimate, it’s pretty much you win.
The cub is a must-have in any green Avatar deck focusing on Earthbending. If you dip into red-green, there’s Bumi. This card features level 4 earthbending, and when he deals combat damage to a player, land creatures untap and may attack once more. Even though Bumi is a fan favorite Commander, the cub is definitely going to remain one of, if not the most popular pick in the collaboration.