For whatever reason, baby animals in Magic: the Gathering are often significantly stronger than their fully grown counterparts. Displacer Beast is a completely unremarkable piece of draft chaff, while Displacer Kitten is an absolute juggernaut in blink decks. Similarly, Scythecat Cub is strictly better than Territorial Scythecat in every possible way. The new Avatar crossover continues this proud tradition of incredibly powerful infants by printing Badgermole, a thoroughly forgettable five-drop, and Badgermole Cub, a mythic rare that may well be the single strongest creature in the set.
So, what can this terrifying toddler accomplish? For two mana, Badgermole Cub animates a land with its earthbending 1 effect when it enters play. Already this is pretty awesome, since it means you're getting 3/3 worth of stats spread out over two bodies, for a really low upfront investment.
It's Badgermole Cub's second ability, which really helps you burrow your way towards victory, though. While the Cub is in play, any creature that you tap to generate mana produces an additional green. This is a huge buff to all of your mana dorks from Llanowar Elves, to Birds of Paradise, to the earthbent land that the cub animates when it enters play. With multiple baby badgermoles in play, you'll be generating so many resources that you'll be able to cast just about anything without breaking a sweat.
There are already decks experimenting with Badgermole Cubs in a variety of formats. Whether it's Standard, Commander, Pioneer, or even Modern, nowhere is safe from the wrath of the Badgermole. Fetch lands in Modern combo particularly well with this card, since earthbending a Scalding Tarn, a Misty Rainforest, or any of their counterparts allows for them to be activated twice.
What's your take? Do you think that Badgermole Cub is on track to be the next Vivi, or will the hype eventually burn out? Let us know in the Wargamer Discord.