Among Avatar's cutest MTG cards is a nasty compact force.
the popular card game’s special Avatar expansion isn't set to hit the general market until later this week, but after early access events this past weekend, a low-cost green spell experienced a surge in value.
From the initial reveals, this small creature drew a lot of attention. This two-power, two-toughness requiring G and 1 mana, the card has level 1 earthbending (perhaps the best of the set’s four “bending” mechanics). The major perk with this card is an additional effect: Each time mana is generated by tapping a creature, add an additional green mana.
Initially, the card could be purchased below $30. Post-prerelease, however, the going rate escalated to $49.66 with at least one listed priced at sixty dollars. Why are we seeing Vivi prices for this cute lil guy? Primarily thanks to the incredible mana acceleration it can produce.
When it arrives the board, this creature converts a terrain card into a creature with earthbend. And with that second ability, while it remains on the board, every earthbent land generates double mana — along with mana-producing creatures in your control that generate mana.
A clear choice for maximum effect is the classic Llanowar Elves, a low-cost creature that taps to generate one green mana. However there are plenty of alternative mana dorks in the game. This particular druid is a higher-cost choice that’s a 1/3 at a two-mana value in comparison.
Deploying terrain, creatures that tap for mana, plus the cub, you may quickly play a massive pricey threat on the board by round three or four. Momentum builds rapidly if you keep the pressure on from there.
If you dip into a secondary color in this strategy, examples including Fuel Tank Feaster, Ilysian Caryatid, and Paradise Druid are all great options that generate any mana color. Additionally, this powerful dryad allows you to put one extra land every round plus turns all of your lands into every basic land type. Another possibility is something like this six-mana enchantment, at a six-mana investment provides all of your permanents the ability to tap and generate any color mana — which covers all creatures in play.
The cub could be too strong in terms of ramping up your mana generation, but what’s the endgame finisher with this archetype? An often-seen solution has been Ashaya, Soul of the Wild. Its power and toughness are both equal to the number of lands you control, and it changes your non-token creatures Forests in addition to their other types. This means, every single creature in play is able to produce double green when tapped.
This additional option provides a high-cost, powerful body that benefits from a high land count (similar to Ashaya, its stats are equal to how many lands you have).
This Planeswalker fits really well as a staple. One of her abilities makes every Forest produce extra green. (If you have the cub, this results in each one generate three green mana.) One loyalty ability functions like a form of land animation, placing counters on terrain, handy but it isn't redundant with earthbending. The minus ability, though, grants each land you control immune to destruction enabling you to search for all the remaining forests in the deck. If you can actually activate this power, this typically means game over.
This card is pretty much essential for all green-based Avatar strategies focusing on Earthbending. If you dip into red-green, you can use Bumi Unleashed. It possesses earthbend 4, plus if it hits a player to a player, each animated land become untapped and can attack again. Even though Bumi has become a beloved leader, the cub will surely stay one of the most, maybe the popular pick in the collaboration.