Badgermole Cub delivers Landslide Value: 5 absurdly efficient plays

Magic: The GatheringThe Avatar set has been out for a while in pre-release weeks, and it's finally launching tomorrow. Even though community morale about Universe Beyond is on the low side after the Spider-Man debacle and the announcement that a total of four UB standard sets will be introduced next year, there's a lot of hype surrounding Avatar, and it's been very well received. With interesting mechanics that completely encapsulate what Avatar IP is all about, the new Magic: The Gathering The set has many possibilities for interesting gameplay and cool combos. One of the new best cards is already obvious, and it's Badgermole Cub.

If there is anything MTG Players learned during the pre-release period of the Avatar set that certain cards and mechanics can be incredibly broken with a dedicated deck, which is especially true for Airbending and Earthbending. Waterbending is a powerful mechanic, but it can be less game-changing than others. Firebending is extremely powerful as are the right mana outlets MTGZhao, the Moon Slayer, who can get a counter for 7 mana and turn all non-basic lands into mountains. However, airbending and earthbending can dramatically reshape gameplay, and Badgermoll Cub is a great example of the latter.

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The Best Badgermoll Cub Combos in Magic: The Gathering Explained

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Badgermole Cub breaks Fetchlands

Fetchlands are land cards that allow you to sacrifice, pay 1 life, search your library for a basic land and play it. It's a great way to thin out the deck and have the right land type you always need, and it's especially strong because newly played lands come in unused. Within Avatar's Earthbend mechanic MTG Allows you to turn any land into a creature hastily and has +1/+1 counters equal to the Earthbend value, and when the land creature dies, it returns to the tapped battlefield. So yes, that means you can play Badgermoll Cub and Earthband Fetchland, sacrifice it to get a basic land in play, and then Fetchland returns to the field for you to use next turn.

Badgermole Cub + Llanowar Elves can reshape standard

Badgermole Cub has the ability “When you tap a creature for mana, add extra green mana”, meaning you can effectively cast Llanowar Elves on turn 1, then Badgermole Cub on turn 2, and immediately cast something else for two more mana. This works on all mana dorks, meaning creatures that can tap for mana, such as the iconic Birds of Paradise, are found. MTGFinal Fantasy Chocobo Bundle. Since both Llanowar Elves and Badgermole Cub are legal in Standard, this could be the core of the new Green Stumpy deck.

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This combo can be taken even further by adding fetchlands to the mix, playing a fetchland on turn 2, and using the first combo described above with another mana dork, mana rock, or possibly another badgermol cub, netting you 8-10 mana on turn 3.

How Badgermole Cub can screw up Commander's most hated playstyle

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Depending on who is asked, one of the most heinous offenses in the game of Commander is when a player at the table uses mass land destruction, as it can take a given game back several turns, making the game longer and ruining combos for others. However, devices such as strip mines and wastelands are socially acceptable because they target a specific land. The problem is that you can bend both Strip Mine and Wasteland with Badgermoll Cub, which means they can be used twice to destroy opposing lands because they return to the field after being used.

It works with any Earthbend card, but Badgermoll Cub is one of the cheapest in terms of mana cost.

Badgermole Cub adds a lot of value to your Urza's saga

Urza's Saga is one of the most iconic cards in the game right now, and it's extremely powerful in artifact decks. Since it is both Land and Saga, it could be the target of Earthbend, meaning it will come back into the fray after the third chapter is completed. The powerful effect of this is that players can create a token from Urza's Saga twice (once in Chapter 2 and then in Chapter 3), and then repeat the process when the land comes back into play, thanks to Earthbend. This can be further expanded with cards such as Life from the Loam or Age of Eternities' Acetil Explorer, repeatedly cycling the energy saga back into play.

Two Commander staples create a powerful infinite combo with a Badgermoll Cub

There are many cards that either break or are broken by Badgermoll Cub, and these include the popular Ashaya, Soul of the Wild, and Juran's Orb. These are powerful cards MTG Commander decks on their own, but they are often part of some combo strategy. In this case, if both are on the field and you cast Badgermoll's Cub, thanks to Asha, it can bend itself to Earth due to being forested. Then, Zuran Orb can be activated by sacrificing Earthbent Badgermole Cub to gain 2 life, meaning Badgermole Cub comes back into play, its ETB Earthbend ability triggers again, and since it's still Forest, it can trigger the cycle to repeat itself over and over again. By receiving this award you will:

  • eternal life

  • Trigger life eternal benefits

  • Infinite ETB (Enter the Battlefield) triggers

  • Infinite LTB (Leave the Battlefield) triggers

  • Eternal Death Trigger

  • Trigger Eternal Sacrifice

  • Infinite Landfall Triggers


Magic: The Gathering Arena tag page cover art

systems

PC-1


issued

September 27, 2018

ESRB

T For Tin // Blood and gore, mild fantasy violence

developer(s)

Wizards of the Coast, Wizards Digital Game Studio

Publisher(s)

Wizards of the Coast


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