From the moment it was revealed, as one of the earliest Avatar spoilers, no less, most MTG players expected Badgermole Cub to be a pretty powerful card. Wizards hasn’t exactly been subtle with its chase mythics recently, and this mana dork with seemingly endless upsides was clearly one of them. Now that players are actually able to play with the card, however, it seems it may be even better than initially suspected. Badgermole Cub has, in just two days, proven its worth in multiple MTG formats. Unfortunately, this means its current pre-sale price of $50 probably isn’t a flash in the pan.
Shining In Standard Simic Aggro
Simic Aggro has been an up-and-coming deck in MTG Standard for a while now. Players started dabbling with it after Edge of Eternities, and it got a major buff with the addition of Jackal, Genius Geneticist in Spider-Man. Now, as WinSano’s 5-0 League finish with the deck indicates, the deck is getting another boost thanks to Badgermole Cub.
The advantages this card offers to Simic Aggro are numerous. First of all, it’s an ideal creature to copy with Jackal. Assuming you can play a one drop first, which is easily done in this deck, you can have two copies of Badgermole Cub coming down on turn three. This puts up to four bodies on the board, giving you an immediate wide position. It also ramps you by two, which allows for some really juicy turn fours.
On top of that, it amplifies the power of the various mana dorks the deck plays already. Most lists are on full playsets of Llanowar Elves and Gene Pollinator, and Badgermole Cub lets them all tap for two mana. This helps accelerate you into multi-spell turns earlier than usual, creating the kind of momentum that lets Aggro decks win games.
Even without these synergies, Badgermole Cub is a fine card in Simic Aggro by itself. It’s 3/3 in stats for two mana, and an extra mana dork to boot. Some Simic Aggro lists have started running Innkeeper’s Talent as a solid tempo card, and Badgermole Cub is ideal alongside that, too. The Ward for creatures with counters is particularly good for keeping your Earthbent lands around. If this deck sticks around in Standard, and all signs seem to indicate it will, then it’s hard to imagine Badgermole Cub ever being cut from it.
A Big Boost For Modern Yawgmoth
Standard is far from the only MTG format where Badgermole Cub is having an impact. The card has also shown up in a number of Modern lists, including DB_barczek’s 5-0 Yawgmoth deck.
Cub’s cheap Earthbending opens up a lot of new options for this classic archetype. Early in the game, it’s just a fantastic ramp piece. Getting double mana from your Dryad Arbor and Delighted Halfling is a big deal, since a couple of extra mana can make a whole turn’s difference when trying to combo off. Even if you don’t have these creatures on board, Agatha’s Soul Cauldron can add their mana abilities to your other creatures in play. The card also serves as a way to ramp and fix your mana alongside Fetchlands.
Later on, Cub is also a great way to fuel Yawgmoth’s various sacrifice synergies. Alongside Yagmoth, Thran Physician itself, you get two bodies you can trade in for cards to help assemble your combo. One of those bodies is essentially ‘free’ as well, since your Earthbent land will spring right back into play. In the same way, the card also gives you access to easy removal with Grist, the Hunger Tide, and easy deck filtering with Viscera Seer.
Neither of these use cases would really be enough to earn Badgermole Cub a slot in Yawgmoth by themselves, but together they create a very compelling package. DB_barczek’s strong early result is testament to that. That said, the card is less likely to become an ongoing staple here than it is in Simic Aggro, especially considering Yawgmoth’s marginal position in the current Modern metagame.
Legacy Cradle Control Gets A New Friend
Last, but certainly not least, Badgermole Cub has also been making some appearances all the way back in Legacy, including a showing as a full playset in Runkor’s 5-0 Cradle Control list. Far from being a mere token testing, this may actually be the deck where Cub shines the brightest so far.
Badgermole Cub adds a ton of new synergy options for this deck. For starters, Earthbending Gaea’s Cradle, the deck’s core card, allows you to untap it using Quirion Ranger. This allows for easy double Cradle turns, which means you’ll hit your big finishers, Craterhoof Behemoth, Terastodon, etc., much quicker. This is to say nothing of how it improves the deck’s regular mana dorks, such as Fyndhorn Elves. Cradle Control is already a fast deck mana-wise, and Cub makes it even faster.
Cub also plays brilliantly both with and against Wasteland, one of the most important cards in the Legacy format. In Cradle decks running Wasteland, like Runkor’s follow-up to their list above, Cub gives you an extra hit of land destruction. On the other side of the coin, Earthbending your Cradle actually serves as another layer of protection against Wasteland. You’re much more likely to be able to untap with the land and pop off if it’s safe under Cub’s protection.
Throw in some fun sacrifice synergies with Fiend Artisan and Grist, and Badgermole Cub looks like a pretty legitimate addition to Legacy Cradle Control. It’s not every day that a new Standard card gets that honor, but Cub very much seems like the real deal in that regard, unfortunately for our collective wallets.
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