Explorers of the Deep ++ by lovvme

Format: Commander

Commander: Hakbal of the Surging Soul

Bracket: 3

DeckCheck Threat Index: 37

Deck overview

This deck is a focused Simic Merfolk kindred strategy commanded by Hakbal of the Surging Soul. It curves out with low-cost Merfolk on early turns, then uses Hakbal's combat explore triggers to rapidly draw lands, filter draws, and grow the team with +1/+1 counters. The deck translates this card advantage and board presence into a decisive victory around Turn 6 or 7 using unblockable enablers like Herald of Secret Streams, one-sided sweeps like Wave Goodbye, and overrun effects like Overwhelming Stampede. A robust suite of protection spells—including Ripples of Potential and Vodalian Hexcatcher—defends against removal, while incidental interaction disrupts opposing combos. While highly resilient to spot removal and ground blockers, the deck remains susceptible to heavy board wipes and fast non-creature combo strategies.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Aetherize
  • 1 Auroral Procession
  • 1 Benthic Biomancer
  • 1 Botanical Sanctum
  • 1 Branching Evolution
  • 1 Brawn
  • 1 Bred for the Hunt
  • 1 Bridgeworks Battle // Tanglespan Bridgeworks
  • 1 Cephalid Coliseum
  • 1 Cold-Eyed Selkie
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Counterspell
  • 1 Daughter of the Deep
  • 1 Deeproot Historian
  • 1 Deeproot Pilgrimage
  • 1 Deeproot Waters
  • 1 Deeproot Wayfinder
  • 1 Dreamroot Cascade
  • 1 Eclipsed Realms
  • 1 Emperor Mihail II
  • 1 Filter Out
  • 1 Flooded Grove
  • 1 Floodpits Drowner
  • 1 Forensic Researcher
  • 6 Forest
  • 1 Glasspool Mimic // Glasspool Shore
  • 1 Hakbal of the Surging Soul
  • 1 Halimar Depths
  • 1 Hardened Scales
  • 1 Harmonized Crescendo
  • 1 Harmonized Trio // Brainstorm
  • 1 Herald of Secret Streams
  • 1 Hide on the Ceiling
  • 1 Hinterland Harbor
  • 1 Hydroelectric Specimen // Hydroelectric Laboratory
  • 1 Inspiring Call
  • 9 Island
  • 1 Jadelight Spelunker
  • 1 Karn's Bastion
  • 1 Kindred Discovery
  • 1 Kiora's Follower
  • 1 Kopala, Warden of Waves
  • 1 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
  • 1 Lightning Greaves
  • 1 Masked Vandal
  • 1 Master of the Pearl Trident
  • 1 Merrow Reejerey
  • 1 Mindspring Merfolk
  • 1 Mist Dancer
  • 1 Murkfiend Liege
  • 1 Negate
  • 1 Nicanzil, Current Conductor
  • 1 Obscuring Haze
  • 1 Overflowing Basin
  • 1 Overwhelming Stampede
  • 1 Path of Ancestry
  • 1 Pongify
  • 1 Rapid Hybridization
  • 1 Realmwalker
  • 1 Reliquary Tower
  • 1 Ripples of Potential
  • 1 Secluded Courtyard
  • 1 Silvergill Adept
  • 1 Singer of Swift Rivers
  • 1 Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Spell Snare
  • 1 Stonybrook Banneret
  • 1 Summon: Leviathan
  • 1 Svyelun of Sea and Sky
  • 1 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
  • 1 Temple of Mystery
  • 1 Thieving Skydiver
  • 1 Three Steps Ahead
  • 1 Tide Shaper
  • 1 Titan of Littjara
  • 1 Topography Tracker
  • 1 Tributary Instructor
  • 1 Twists and Turns // Mycoid Maze
  • 1 Tyvar's Stand
  • 1 Unclaimed Territory
  • 1 Vineglimmer Snarl
  • 1 Vodalian Hexcatcher
  • 1 Wave Goodbye
  • 1 Wonder
  • 1 Yavimaya Coast
  • 1 Zegana, Utopian Speaker