Explorers of the Deep

Hakbal of the Surging Soul Commander Deck

Hakbal of the Surging Soul leads a Merfolk tribal deck that weaponizes the explore mechanic to flood the board with +1/+1 counters while accelerating land drops, generating massive card advantage and a steadily growing army. Counter-doubling effects and proliferate synergies stack counters rapidly across the board, while evasion tools like unblockable abilities, flying, and islandwalk — plus Herald of Secret Streams making all countered creatures unblockable — push that army through for lethal damage. Simic Ascendancy provides an alternative win condition by converting the constant stream of +1/+1 counters into growth counters, threatening an automatic game win once twenty accumulate.

Decklist

• Xolatoyac, the Smiling Flood
• Mist Dancer
• Ripples of Potential
• Wave Goodbye
• Bygone Marvels
• Deeproot Historian
• Topography Tracker
• Tributary Instructor
• Singer of Swift Rivers
• Benthic Biomancer
• Commit // Memory
• Coralhelm Commander
• Curse of the Swine
• Emperor Mihail II
• Herald of Secret Streams
• Kindred Discovery
• Kopala, Warden of Waves
• Master of the Pearl Trident
• Merfolk Sovereign
• Reflections of Littjara
• Seafloor Oracle
• Surgespanner
• Svyelun of Sea and Sky
• Thassa, God of the Sea
• Thieving Skydiver
• Branching Evolution
• Deeproot Elite
• Hardened Scales
• Realmwalker
• Ruinous Intrusion
• Cold-Eyed Selkie
• Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
• Prime Speaker Zegana
• Quandrix Command
• Simic Ascendancy
• Tishana, Voice of Thunder
• Vorel of the Hull Clade
• Zegana, Utopian Speaker
• Metallic Mimic
• Alchemist's Refuge
• Hinterland Harbor
• Karn's Bastion
• Mosswort Bridge
• Temple of Mystery
• Vineglimmer Snarl
• Merfolk Cave-Diver
• Aetherize
• Deeproot Waters
• Merrow Reejerey
• Rapid Hybridization
• Ravenform
• Sage of Fables
• Stonybrook Banneret
• Beast Within
• Nicanzil, Current Conductor
• Evolution Sage
• Explore
• Inspiring Call
• Kodama's Reach
• Growth Spiral
• Kiora's Follower
• Merfolk Mistbinder
• Merfolk Skydiver
• Tatyova, Benthic Druid
• Arcane Signet
• Commander's Sphere
• Simic Signet
• Sol Ring
• Swiftfoot Boots
• Command Tower
• Llanowar Reborn
• Myriad Landscape
• Path of Ancestry
• Reliquary Tower
• Rogue's Passage
• Secluded Courtyard
• Simic Growth Chamber
• Temple of the False God
• Unclaimed Territory
• 4× Forest
• 3× Forest
• 7× Island
• 6× Island