Hakbal by user5115751

Format: Commander

Commander: Hakbal of the Surging Soul

Bracket: 2

DeckCheck Threat Index: 31

Deck overview

This deck is a synergistic Simic Merfolk tribal and +1/+1 counter aggressive strategy commanded by Hakbal of the Surging Soul. The primary game plan revolves around curving out low-cost Merfolk on Turns 1 through 3, then deploying Hakbal on Turn 4 to trigger massive team-wide explore triggers at combat. Exploring filters draws, fills the graveyard, ensures uninterrupted land drops, and steadily grows the board with +1/+1 counters. Counter doublers like Branching Evolution and Hardened Scales accelerate creature sizing, while evasion enablers like Herald of Secret Streams and Master of the Pearl Trident turn large boards into unblockable lethal strikes. The deck can also close games through an alternate win condition in Simic Ascendancy. While resilient in card flow and engine recovery, the deck relies heavily on combat damage and remaining wide, leaving it vulnerable to mass exile and bounce sweepers.

Decklist (100 cards)

  • 1 Armory of Iroas
  • 1 Arrester's Admonition
  • 1 Attuma, Atlantean Warlord
  • 1 Branching Evolution
  • 1 Cancel
  • 1 Chorus of Might
  • 1 Commencement of Festivities
  • 1 Coralhelm Commander
  • 1 Deepfathom Echo
  • 1 Deeproot Waters
  • 1 Fists of Ironwood
  • 1 Forerunner of the Heralds
  • 14 Forest
  • 1 Ghostform
  • 1 Goldvein Pick
  • 1 Hakbal of the Surging Soul
  • 1 Hardened Scales
  • 1 Haunted Cloak
  • 1 Herald of Secret Streams
  • 1 Imprisoned in the Moon
  • 1 Inspiring Call
  • 14 Island
  • 1 Jadelight Ranger
  • 1 Jadelight Spelunker
  • 1 Karametra's Favor
  • 1 Kopala, Warden of Waves
  • 1 Market Festival
  • 1 Master of the Pearl Trident
  • 1 Merfolk Cave-Diver
  • 1 Merfolk Sovereign
  • 1 Merrow Commerce
  • 1 Merrow Reejerey
  • 1 Metallic Mimic
  • 1 Mist Dancer
  • 1 Namor the Sub-Mariner
  • 1 Naturalize
  • 1 New Horizons
  • 1 Nicanzil, Current Conductor
  • 1 Oakenform
  • 1 Opaline Unicorn
  • 1 Opt
  • 1 Ozolith, the Shattered Spire
  • 1 Path of Discovery
  • 1 Peek
  • 1 Pendrell Flux
  • 1 Peregrination
  • 1 Potioner's Trove
  • 1 Prime Speaker Zegana
  • 1 Rancor
  • 1 Reclamation Sage
  • 1 Reflections of Littjara
  • 1 Return to Nature
  • 1 River Heralds' Boon
  • 1 Roaming Throne
  • 1 Root Snare
  • 1 Seafloor Oracle
  • 1 Serum Visions
  • 1 Shaper Apprentice
  • 1 Simic Ascendancy
  • 1 Simic Guildgate
  • 1 Simic Locket
  • 1 Stonybrook Banneret
  • 1 Streambed Aquitects
  • 1 Talons of Wildwood
  • 1 Tamiyo's Epiphany
  • 1 Tempest Caller
  • 1 Tidal Courier
  • 1 Tishana's Wayfinder
  • 1 Topography Tracker
  • 1 Triton Shorestalker
  • 1 Vineshaper Mystic
  • 1 Vorel of the Hull Clade
  • 1 Woodland Stream
  • 1 Zegana, Utopian Speaker