Hakbal: Merfolk explorer by user1695420

Format: Commander

Creator: user1695420

Commander: Hakbal of the Surging Soul

Bracket: 3

DeckCheck Threat Index: 38

Deck overview

This deck is a Simic Merfolk tribal and +1/+1 counters deck commanded by Hakbal of the Surging Soul. The strategy curves out with low-cost Merfolk and mana ramp during the early turns, establishing Hakbal on Turn 4 to trigger teamwide explore abilities every combat step. Exploring provides substantial card flow, filtering draws, putting lands onto the battlefield, and growing the entire board with +1/+1 counters. Counter multipliers like Branching Evolution and token producers like Deeproot Waters quickly create an overwhelming army. The deck closes games through unblockable combat damage using Herald of Secret Streams, Master of the Pearl Trident, and Zegana, Utopian Speaker, or by resetting opposing blockers with Wave Goodbye. Dedicated protection spells such as Ripples of Potential and Inspiring Call shield the board from sweepers, ensuring high resilience while the creature swarm closes out the table across consecutive combat steps.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Aetherize
  • 1 Arcane Signet
  • 1 Beast Within
  • 1 Benthic Biomancer
  • 1 Branching Evolution
  • 1 Cenote Scout
  • 1 Cold-Eyed Selkie
  • 1 Command Tower
  • 1 Coralhelm Commander
  • 1 Counterspell
  • 1 Curse of the Swine
  • 1 Decisive Denial
  • 1 Deepfathom Echo
  • 1 Deeproot Elite
  • 1 Deeproot Historian
  • 1 Deeproot Waters
  • 1 Dreamroot Cascade
  • 1 Emperor Mihail II
  • 1 Evolution Sage
  • 1 Explore
  • 1 Flooded Grove
  • 1 Floodpits Drowner
  • 10 Forest
  • 1 Growth Spiral
  • 1 Hakbal of the Surging Soul
  • 1 Hardened Scales
  • 1 Herald of Secret Streams
  • 1 Hinterland Harbor
  • 1 Inspiring Call
  • 16 Island
  • 1 Jadelight Ranger
  • 1 Kindred Discovery
  • 1 Kiora's Follower
  • 1 Kodama's Reach
  • 1 Kopala, Warden of Waves
  • 1 Krosan Grip
  • 1 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
  • 1 Master of the Pearl Trident
  • 1 Merfolk Mistbinder
  • 1 Merfolk Sovereign
  • 1 Merrow Reejerey
  • 1 Metallic Mimic
  • 1 Mist Dancer
  • 1 Mosswort Bridge
  • 1 Mystic Sanctuary
  • 1 Nicanzil, Current Conductor
  • 1 Path of Ancestry
  • 1 Prime Speaker Zegana
  • 1 Quandrix Command
  • 1 Rapid Hybridization
  • 1 Realmwalker
  • 1 Reflections of Littjara
  • 1 Ripples of Potential
  • 1 Sage of Fables
  • 1 Seafloor Oracle
  • 1 Secluded Courtyard
  • 1 Simic Ascendancy
  • 1 Simic Signet
  • 1 Singer of Swift Rivers
  • 1 Snakeskin Veil
  • 1 Sol Ring
  • 1 Spell Rupture
  • 1 Stonybrook Banneret
  • 1 Svyelun of Sea and Sky
  • 1 Swiftfoot Boots
  • 1 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
  • 1 Tezzeret's Gambit
  • 1 Tishana's Tidebinder
  • 1 Topography Tracker
  • 1 Tributary Instructor
  • 1 Twists and Turns // Mycoid Maze
  • 1 Unclaimed Territory
  • 1 Vineglimmer Snarl
  • 1 Wave Goodbye
  • 1 Xolatoyac, the Smiling Flood
  • 1 Zegana, Utopian Speaker