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MTG’s Avatar crossover set will not become widely available until later this week, however following prerelease weekends over the last few days, an affordable green creature experienced a surge in price.

Even during previews, this small creature garnered significant interest. This two-power, two-toughness requiring G and 1 mana, it includes Earthbending 1 (possibly the most effective among the four bending abilities in the set). The major perk in its design comes from an additional effect: If a creature is tapped to produce mana, add an additional green mana.

When first listed, the card sold at around $27. Following the early events, though, the market price escalated to nearly $50 including listings priced at sixty dollars. What explains Vivi prices for this little creature? Primarily because of the explosive mana ramping it enables.

Upon entering play, this creature turns one land so it becomes a creature granting it earthbend. And with that second ability, as long as it is not removed, every earthbent land produces twice the mana — in addition to mana-producing creatures on your side which tap for mana.

An ideal partner for synergy is Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that taps to generate a green resource. Yet numerous other mana generation creatures in the game. Another option is a more expensive alternative a 1/3 creature at a two-mana value instead.

By playing lands, dorks that generate resources, alongside this card, it's simple to summon an enormous and very expensive threat into play by round three or four. And things just keep spiraling rapidly if you keep the pressure on after that.

If you dip into a secondary color in this strategy, cards like versatile mana producers are all great options that can make any mana color. And something like a useful enchantment creature allows you to put another terrain per turn as well as turns your entire land base providing all land types. Another possibility is for example the enchantment A Realm Reborn, at a six-mana investment gives each permanent you control the power to be tapped for a mana of any type — including all creatures under your control.

The cub could be too strong regarding ramping up your mana generation, however how do you win in such a strategy? A common and powerful choice is Ashaya. Its power and toughness match how many lands you have, and it changes all of your nontoken creatures to be Forests in addition to their original types. This means, each creature in play is able to generate two green mana by tapping.

This additional option is another expensive, beefy creature which gains from many terrain cards (as with the previous card, its power and toughness are based on your land total).

This Planeswalker works perfectly as a staple. Her static effect makes every Forest generate an additional green mana. (With a Badgermole Cub, so each one produce triple green.) One loyalty ability functions like an early earthbend, adding counters on terrain, a useful effect but it isn't redundant with earthbend. Her -8 ability, however, renders each land you control indestructible and lets you search for every Forest left in the deck. Once you trigger this power, it almost certainly you win.

The cub is pretty much essential for all green-based Avatar strategies focusing on earthbend. By including red and green, you can use Bumi Unleashed. This card features earthbend 4, and if damage is dealt to an opponent, land creatures become untapped for another attack. While that version has emerged as a popular Commander choice, the cub will surely stay one of, if not the most popular pick in the Avatar set.