currents of exploration by Deathfeather

Format: Commander

Commander: Hakbal of the Surging Soul

Bracket: 3

DeckCheck Threat Index: 51

Deck overview

This deck is a high-synergy Simic Merfolk tribal deck piloted by Hakbal of the Surging Soul. The strategy focuses on curving out low-cost Merfolk during the first three turns, casting Hakbal on Turn 4, and immediately leveraging explore triggers to draw extra lands, curate card draws, and rapidly grow the team with +1/+1 counters. The deck amplifies this counter engine using force multipliers such as Hardened Scales, Topography Tracker, and Deepglow Skate. By Turn 6, the deck converts massive board power into a decisive win through unblockable attacks from Herald of Secret Streams, a trample overrun via Overwhelming Stampede, or direct burn with Walking Ballista. An infinite mana backup line with Freed from the Real and Incubation Druid provides an alternate finish. Backed by extensive low-cost countermagic and phasing protection like Ripples of Potential, the deck maintains resilience against wipes while applying consistent pressure.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Alchemist's Refuge
  • 1 An Offer You Can't Refuse
  • 1 Arcane Denial
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Beast Within
  • 1 Birds of Paradise
  • 1 Cenote Scout
  • 1 Chord of Calling
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Counterspell
  • 1 Cyclonic Rift
  • 1 Danny Pink
  • 1 Deepfathom Echo
  • 1 Deepglow Skate
  • 1 Delay
  • 1 Dreamroot Cascade
  • 1 Emperor Mihail II
  • 1 Evolution Sage
  • 1 Evolution Witness
  • 15 Forest
  • 1 Freed from the Real
  • 1 Genesis Wave
  • 1 Greater Good
  • 1 Hakbal of the Surging Soul
  • 1 Hardened Scales
  • 1 Herald of Secret Streams
  • 1 Heroic Intervention
  • 1 Hinterland Harbor
  • 1 Incubation Druid
  • 16 Island
  • 1 Jadelight Ranger
  • 1 Jadelight Spelunker
  • 1 Kami of Whispered Hopes
  • 1 Karn's Bastion
  • 1 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
  • 1 Lightning Greaves
  • 1 Nature's Claim
  • 1 Negate
  • 1 Nicanzil, Current Conductor
  • 1 Over the Edge
  • 1 Overwhelming Stampede
  • 1 Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
  • 1 Path of Discovery
  • 1 Pongify
  • 1 Rapid Hybridization
  • 1 Rejuvenating Springs
  • 1 Reliquary Tower
  • 1 Return of the Wildspeaker
  • 1 Ripples of Potential
  • 1 Rishkar's Expertise
  • 1 Rogue's Passage
  • 1 Selvala, Heart of the Wilds
  • 1 Sentinel of the Nameless City
  • 1 Simic Ascendancy
  • 1 Simic Signet
  • 1 Singer of Swift Rivers
  • 1 Skatewing Spy
  • 1 Slip Out the Back
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Stubborn Denial
  • 1 Swan Song
  • 1 Swiftfoot Boots
  • 1 Talisman of Curiosity
  • 1 The Ozolith
  • 1 Tishana's Tidebinder
  • 1 Topography Tracker
  • 1 Tyvar's Stand
  • 1 Veil of Summer
  • 1 Vodalian Hexcatcher
  • 1 Walking Ballista
  • 1 Yavimaya Coast