Commander Hakbal by ReignOrShine

Format: Commander

Commander: Hakbal of the Surging Soul

Bracket: 3

Deck overview

This is a Simic Merfolk tribal deck helmed by Hakbal of the Surging Soul, built around the +1/+1 counter and proliferate mechanics. The primary game plan is to deploy a swarm of Merfolk, use Hakbal's explore trigger to grow the board and ramp lands, then overwhelm opponents with pumped, unblockable (islandwalk) creatures. The deck leans heavily on combat damage as its sole win condition, with no infinite combos or alternative finishers. Proliferate spells like Courage in Crisis and Experimental Augury compound the counter growth, while lords like Master of the Pearl Trident and Merfolk Mistbinder turn the tide. The deck is a classic value-based tribal strategy that wins through incremental advantage and a wide, resilient board.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Adrix and Nev, Twincasters
  • 1 Ancient Animus
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Armorcraft Judge
  • 1 Attuma, Atlantean Warlord
  • 1 Bender's Waterskin
  • 1 Benthic Biomancer
  • 1 Breeding Pool
  • 1 Cankerbloom
  • 1 Cold-Eyed Selkie
  • 1 Combine Guildmage
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Counterspell
  • 1 Courage in Crisis
  • 1 Deeproot Elite
  • 1 Deeproot Historian
  • 1 Deeproot Waters
  • 1 Dreamroot Cascade
  • 1 Duskshell Crawler
  • 1 Eclipsed Realms
  • 1 Emperor Mihail II
  • 1 Essence Capture
  • 1 Everflowing Chalice
  • 1 Expand the Sphere
  • 1 Experimental Augury
  • 1 Fertilid's Favor
  • 10 Forest
  • 1 Fuel for the Cause
  • 1 Germination Practicum
  • 1 Gift of the Viper
  • 1 Growth Curve
  • 1 Hakbal of the Surging Soul
  • 1 Harmonized Trio // Brainstorm
  • 1 Hidden Cataract
  • 1 Hidden Nursery
  • 1 High Score
  • 1 Hinterland Harbor
  • 1 Inspiring Call
  • 12 Island
  • 1 Karn's Bastion
  • 1 Kiora, the Rising Tide
  • 1 Kopala, Warden of Waves
  • 1 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
  • 1 Lonely Sandbar
  • 1 Master of the Pearl Trident
  • 1 Merfolk Mistbinder
  • 1 Merfolk Skydiver
  • 1 Mesmerizing Dose
  • 1 Midnight Clock
  • 1 Mind into Matter
  • 1 Negate
  • 1 Nesting Grounds
  • 1 Orysa, Tide Choreographer
  • 1 Over the Edge
  • 1 Overflowing Basin
  • 1 Pensive Professor
  • 1 Prime Speaker Zegana
  • 1 Reflections of Littjara
  • 1 Reject Imperfection
  • 1 Repulsive Mutation
  • 1 Ripples of Potential
  • 1 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
  • 1 River Heralds' Boon
  • 1 Seafloor Oracle
  • 1 Seahunter
  • 1 Serum Snare
  • 1 Simic Signet
  • 1 Singer of Swift Rivers
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Stonybrook Banneret
  • 1 Summon: Leviathan
  • 1 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
  • 1 Temple of Mystery
  • 1 Tezzeret's Gambit
  • 1 Tributary Instructor
  • 1 Twists and Turns // Mycoid Maze
  • 1 Vineshaper Mystic
  • 1 Vivisurgeon's Insight
  • 1 Wave Goodbye
  • 1 Yavimaya Coast