Among Avatar's cutest Magic cards is a nasty small force.
MTG’s special Avatar expansion isn't set to become widely available in the coming days, however due to pre-releases this past weekend, one cheap green card experienced a surge in value.
From the initial reveals, this small creature attracted a lot of attention. A 2/2 that costs G and 1 mana, the card features the Earthbend 1 ability (possibly the strongest among the set’s four “bending” mechanics). Its key advantage in its design lies in an additional effect: Each time mana is generated by tapping a creature, it provides bonus green mana.
At its cheapest, the card was available below $30. Following the early events, though, its value has shot up to $49.66 with at least one listed as high as $60. What explains Vivi prices on this adorable card? Mostly because of the incredible mana acceleration it can produce.
When it arrives the battlefield, Badgermole Cub turns a terrain card so it becomes a creature granting it earthbend. Combined with its other power, as long as it is not removed, each affected land generates double mana — in addition to any creatures on your side that generate mana.
A clear choice to combine with includes the classic Llanowar Elves, an inexpensive 1/1 that produces one green mana. But many creatures that make mana in the game. This particular druid is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 for two mana in comparison.
Using land cards, creatures that tap for mana, and Badgermole Cub, you may quickly play a very big pricey monster on the battlefield within a few turns. Momentum builds out of control by maintaining dominance after that.
When adding a secondary color with this approach, cards like these mana-fixing creatures work perfectly that can make all five colors. And something like Dryad of the Ilysian Grove enables playing another terrain each turn as well as makes your entire land base into every basic land type. It's also worth trying for example a card called A Realm Reborn, costing six mana provides each permanent you control the capacity to tap and generate a mana of any type — which covers each creature in play.
Badgermole Cub could be too strong regarding ramping up your mana generation, however what closes out the game with this archetype? An often-seen solution is this legendary creature. Its stats are both equal to your land count, and it makes all of your nontoken creatures into Forests along with their original types. In other words, each creature in play can generate two green mana by tapping.
Another creature is another expensive, beefy creature that thrives with many terrain cards (as with the previous card, its power and toughness are based on your land total).
Nissa works perfectly in this deck. One of her abilities allows all Forests generate an additional green mana. (Combined with earthbend, that means all earthbend forests yield three G.) One loyalty ability is essentially a form of land animation, placing counters on a land, which is great but it isn't redundant with earthbending. Her ultimate, however, grants your entire land base immune to destruction enabling you to search for every Forest left in the deck. Should you manage to use that ability, this typically means game over.
The cub is a must-have for any kind of green-based Avatar strategies that use the earthbend mechanic. When branching into Gruul colors, consider Bumi Unleashed. This card features earthbend 4, and when it hits a player in combat, land creatures untap and may attack once more. Although this card has become a popular Commander choice, the cub will surely stay among the top, possibly the desired card in the Avatar set.
