Hakbal || EDH (B3) by Nick97

Format: Commander

Commander: Hakbal of the Surging Soul

Bracket: 3

DeckCheck Threat Index: 50

Deck overview

This Simic deck is a high-powered Merfolk Kindred engine spearheaded by Hakbal of the Surging Soul. The strategy revolves around curving out low-cost Merfolk in the opening turns, deploying Hakbal on Turn 4, and utilizing Hakbal's pre-combat explore triggers to rapidly scale creature power, filter library draws, and accelerate land drops into play. The deck transitions into a lethal clock on Turn 6 by pairing tall, wide Merfolk boards with unblockability enablers such as Herald of Secret Streams, Islandwalk lords, or one-sided sweepers like Raise the Palisade and Summon: Leviathan. While the offensive engine relies on traditional combat math, the deck's resilience and interactivity are format-ceiling. It integrates elite free countermagic including Force of Will, Force of Negation, Fierce Guardianship, and Flare of Denial, alongside on-board protective layers like Vodalian Hexcatcher, Kira, Great Glass-Spinner, and Heroic Intervention. This allows the pilot to tap out for aggressive board development while maintaining ironclad defenses against opposing combo wins and board wipes.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Alchemist's Refuge
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Barkchannel Pathway // Tidechannel Pathway
  • 1 Benthic Biomancer
  • 1 Boseiju, Who Endures
  • 1 Breeding Pool
  • 1 Bridgeworks Battle // Tanglespan Bridgeworks
  • 1 Burgeoning
  • 1 Cavern of Souls
  • 1 Cold-Eyed Selkie
  • 1 Command Beacon
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Counterbalance
  • 1 Counterspell
  • 1 Danny Pink
  • 1 Deeproot Pilgrimage
  • 1 Deeproot Waters
  • 1 Dreamroot Cascade
  • 1 Emperor Mihail II
  • 1 Exploration
  • 1 Fierce Guardianship
  • 1 Flare of Denial
  • 1 Flooded Grove
  • 1 Force of Negation
  • 1 Force of Will
  • 6 Forest
  • 1 Guardian Project
  • 1 Hakbal of the Surging Soul
  • 1 Hardened Scales
  • 1 Herald of Secret Streams
  • 1 Heroic Intervention
  • 1 Hinterland Harbor
  • 8 Island
  • 1 Isochron Scepter
  • 1 Kindred Discovery
  • 1 Kiora's Follower
  • 1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
  • 1 Kopala, Warden of Waves
  • 1 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
  • 1 Mana Drain
  • 1 Master of the Pearl Trident
  • 1 Merfolk Sovereign
  • 1 Merrow Reejerey
  • 1 Metallic Mimic
  • 1 Mindspring Merfolk
  • 1 Mist Dancer
  • 1 Misty Rainforest
  • 1 Muddle the Mixture
  • 1 Mutable Explorer
  • 1 Mutational Advantage
  • 1 Mystic Remora
  • 1 Mystic Sanctuary
  • 1 Namor the Sub-Mariner
  • 1 Nicanzil, Current Conductor
  • 1 Otawara, Soaring City
  • 1 Overwhelming Stampede
  • 1 Path of Ancestry
  • 1 Raise the Palisade
  • 1 Rapid Hybridization
  • 1 Rejuvenating Springs
  • 1 Reliquary Tower
  • 1 Rhystic Study
  • 1 Roaming Throne
  • 1 Scroll Rack
  • 1 Seafloor Oracle
  • 1 Sensei's Divining Top
  • 1 Singer of Swift Rivers
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Spark Double
  • 1 Steely Resolve
  • 1 Stonybrook Banneret
  • 1 Stubborn Denial
  • 1 Summon: Leviathan
  • 1 Svyelun of Sea and Sky
  • 1 Sylvan Library
  • 1 Thada Adel, Acquisitor
  • 1 The Great Henge
  • 1 The Ozolith
  • 1 Thieving Skydiver
  • 1 Three Tree City
  • 1 Tishana's Tidebinder
  • 1 Topography Tracker
  • 1 Vineglimmer Snarl
  • 1 Vodalian Hexcatcher
  • 1 Wildgrowth Walker
  • 1 Willowrush Verge
  • 1 Wonder
  • 1 Yavimaya Coast