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MTG’s special Avatar expansion won’t get a wider release before the end of the week, yet due to pre-releases over the last few days, an affordable green creature experienced a surge in price.

From the initial reveals, this small creature drew a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness requiring G and 1 mana, the card features the Earthbend 1 ability (arguably the best within the elemental mechanics available). The major perk here is an additional effect: If you tap a creature for mana, it provides bonus green mana.

Initially, the card was available at around $27. After the pre-release weekend, however, the market price has shot up to $49.66 with at least one listed as high as $60. What explains Vivi prices on this adorable card? Primarily due to the incredible mana acceleration it provides.

Upon entering the battlefield, this creature converts one land into a creature granting it earthbend. Combined with its other power, if it remains on the board, each affected land generates double mana — along with mana-producing creatures you have that generate mana.

The obvious go-to to combine with is the classic Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that produces a green resource. Yet many alternative mana dorks in the game. This particular druid is a more expensive alternative that’s a 1/3 costing two mana in comparison.

Deploying terrain, dorks that generate resources, alongside this card, you may quickly play a massive pricey creature on the board by round three or four. The situation escalates exponentially if you keep the pressure on after that.

When adding a secondary color using this method, examples including versatile mana producers are excellent picks that generate any color of mana. Another card, Dryad of the Ilysian Grove lets you play an additional land per turn plus turns your entire land base into every basic land type. Another possibility is for example this six-mana enchantment, which for six mana provides every card you own the ability to produce a mana of any type — even any creature under your control.

This card may be OP in terms of boosting mana production, yet what’s the endgame finisher for a deck like this? An often-seen solution is this legendary creature. Its stats are both equal to your land count, plus it turns all of your nontoken creatures Forests in addition to other subtypes. This means, all your creatures you control can produce double green by tapping.

Harmonious Grovestrider provides a high-cost, powerful body which gains from a high land count (as with the previous card, P/T are equal to your land total).

Nissa, Who Shakes the World is an excellent fit as a go-to Planeswalker. One of her abilities allows Forest lands tap for one more G. (Combined with earthbend, this results in those lands produce triple green.) Her main ability is essentially a form of land animation, placing counters on terrain, a useful effect though it doesn't stack with earthbend. Her -8 ability, on the other hand, grants your entire land base indestructible and lets you put onto the battlefield every Forest left in your deck. Once you trigger the ultimate, it almost certainly you win.

The cub is a must-have for all green Avatar deck that use earthbend. When branching into red and green, consider Bumi. This card features earthbend 4, and when it hits a player in combat, each animated land are ready again and may attack once more. While that version has emerged as a popular Commander choice, the cute little Badgermole Cub is definitely going to remain one of, if not the most popular pick in the collaboration.