Art: Tyler Walpole · ™ & © Wizards of the Coast

Hakbal of the Surging Soul

Legendary Creature — Merfolk Scout · from $0.24

At the beginning of combat on your turn, each Merfolk creature you control explores. (Reveal the top card of your library. Put that card into your hand if it's a land. Otherwise, put a +1/+1 counter on the exploring creature, then put the card back or put it into your graveyard.) Whenever Hakbal attacks, you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield. If you don't, draw a card.

Build with this commander Start with a starter shell Card details, printings & prices

A typical Commander deck

A starting template, not a rule — counts to fill in around the commander.

Lands3736–38 for most decks; fewer with cheap curves
Ramp10mana rocks, dorks, land ramp — mostly 2–3 mana
Card draw10repeatable engines beat one-shot cantrips
Targeted removal6answers for creatures AND artifacts/enchantments
Board wipes3sweepers reset boards you've lost
Synergy & win conditions33the deck's actual plan

Staples in these colors

The 100 cards that fit this color identity in the most EDHREC decklists (EDHREC rank via Scryfall).

Budget

55 of 100 at $5 or less · 31 at $1 or less

#	Card	Type	MV	Price
1	Sol Ring	Artifact	1	$1.07
2	Command Tower	Land	0	$0.26
3	Arcane Signet	Artifact	2	$0.34
4	Exotic Orchard	Land	0	$0.19
5	Reliquary Tower	Land	0	$4.28
6	Swiftfoot Boots	Artifact	2	$1.43
7	Lightning Greaves	Artifact	2	$3.86
8	Path of Ancestry	Land	0	$0.16
9	Counterspell	Instant	2	$1.33
10	Fellwar Stone	Artifact	2	$0.47
11	Rogue's Passage	Land	0	$0.31
12	Evolving Wilds	Land	0	$0.09
13	Cultivate	Sorcery	3	$0.38
14	Thought Vessel	Artifact	2	$2.23
15	Farseek	Sorcery	2	$0.42
16	Beast Within	Instant	3	$0.49
17	Nature's Lore	Sorcery	2	$2.15
18	Rampant Growth	Sorcery	2	$0.39
19	Heroic Intervention	Instant	2	$9.28
20	Terramorphic Expanse	Land	0	$0.10
21	Myriad Landscape	Land	0	$0.25
22	Mind Stone	Artifact	2	$0.21
23	An Offer You Can't Refuse	Instant	1	$3.01
24	Birds of Paradise	Creature	1	$4.98
25	Polluted Delta	Land	0	$19.85
26	Kodama's Reach	Sorcery	3	$1.55
27	Flooded Strand	Land	0	$12.78
28	Three Visits	Sorcery	2	$5.55
29	Skullclamp	Artifact	1	$4.85
30	Solemn Simulacrum	Creature	4	$0.27
31	Misty Rainforest	Land	0	$35.98
32	Bloodstained Mire	Land	0	$14.54
33	Fabled Passage	Land	0	$0.65
34	Windswept Heath	Land	0	$11.19
35	Rhystic Study	Enchantment	3	$61.06
36	Wooded Foothills	Land	0	$17.96
37	Verdant Catacombs	Land	0	$29.16
38	Scalding Tarn	Land	0	$36.86
39	Marsh Flats	Land	0	$32.04
40	Arcane Denial	Instant	2	$1.88
41	Commander's Sphere	Artifact	3	$0.19
42	Negate	Instant	2	$0.12
43	Arid Mesa	Land	0	$31.40
44	Cyclonic Rift	Instant	2	$29.75
45	Llanowar Elves	Creature	1	$0.24
46	Breeding Pool	Land	0	$9.15
47	Swan Song	Instant	1	$10.72
48	Ancient Tomb	Land	0	$56.94
49	Brainstorm	Instant	1	$0.56
50	Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth	Land	0	$56.13
51	Boseiju, Who Endures	Land	0	$50.48
52	Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth	Land	0	$16.76
53	Fierce Guardianship	Instant	3	$59.21
54	Temple of the False God	Land	0	$0.19
55	Chromatic Lantern	Artifact	3	$0.38
56	Otawara, Soaring City	Land	0	$26.57
57	Garruk's Uprising	Enchantment	3	$0.39
58	City of Brass	Land	0	$9.17
59	The One Ring	Artifact	4	$109.88
60	Hinterland Harbor	Land	0	$0.28
61	Frantic Search	Instant	3	$0.82
62	Mystic Remora	Enchantment	1	$10.97
63	Elvish Mystic	Creature	1	$0.35
64	Cavern of Souls	Land	0	$47.72
65	Propaganda	Enchantment	3	$1.84
66	Sakura-Tribe Elder	Creature	2	$0.30
67	Mana Confluence	Land	0	$34.75
68	Urza's Saga	Enchantment	0	$34.67
69	Mana Drain	Instant	2	$50.65
70	Lotus Petal	Artifact	0	$35.11
71	Eternal Witness	Creature	3	$1.10
72	Wayfarer's Bauble	Artifact	1	$0.31
73	Roaming Throne	Creature	4	$47.06
74	Ashnod's Altar	Artifact	3	$8.15
75	Yavimaya Coast	Land	0	$0.31
76	War Room	Land	0	$0.79
77	Ponder	Sorcery	1	$1.82
78	Rejuvenating Springs	Land	0	$4.12
79	Delighted Halfling	Creature	1	$25.91
80	Herald's Horn	Artifact	3	$2.88
81	Mana Vault	Artifact	1	$91.59
82	Pongify	Instant	1	$2.21
83	Chrome Mox	Artifact	0	$51.19
84	Windfall	Sorcery	3	$4.78
85	Mystical Tutor	Instant	1	$14.99
86	Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx	Land	0	$45.68
87	Reflecting Pool	Land	0	$5.50
88	Sink into Stupor // Soporific Springs	Instant	3	$9.68
89	Worldly Tutor	Instant	1	$26.58
90	Dreamroot Cascade	Land	0	$0.86
91	Mystic Sanctuary	Land	0	$1.01
92	Three Tree City	Land	0	$29.09
93	Return of the Wildspeaker	Instant	5	$1.51
94	Gemstone Caverns	Land	0	$62.05
95	Command Beacon	Land	0	$7.99
96	Hardened Scales	Enchantment	1	$1.85
97	Tireless Provisioner	Creature	3	$2.33
98	Doubling Season	Enchantment	5	$29.62
99	Idol of Oblivion	Artifact	2	$2.40
100	Prismatic Vista	Land	0	$28.10

Curve of these staples

Most played with Hakbal of the Surging Soul

The 25 most-played cards in 16 settled top-16 lists running Hakbal of the Surging Soul at 16+ player events since Mar 12, 2026, ranked by lists played — top-4 counts shown for context. Results from Topdeck.gg.

#	Card	Played in	Top 4
1	Cold-Eyed Selkie	100% · 16 of 16	3
2	Command Tower	100% · 16 of 16	3
3	Deeproot Waters	100% · 16 of 16	3
4	Emperor Mihail II	100% · 16 of 16	3
5	Forest	100% · 16 of 16	3
6	Herald of Secret Streams	100% · 16 of 16	3
7	Hinterland Harbor	100% · 16 of 16	3
8	Island	100% · 16 of 16	3
9	Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca	100% · 16 of 16	3
10	Master of the Pearl Trident	100% · 16 of 16	3
11	Merrow Reejerey	100% · 16 of 16	3
12	Nicanzil, Current Conductor	100% · 16 of 16	3
13	Ripples of Potential	100% · 16 of 16	3
14	Sol Ring	100% · 16 of 16	3
15	Topography Tracker	100% · 16 of 16	3
16	Vineglimmer Snarl	100% · 16 of 16	3
17	Deeproot Elite	94% · 15 of 16	3
18	Reliquary Tower	94% · 15 of 16	3
19	Secluded Courtyard	94% · 15 of 16	2
20	Svyelun of Sea and Sky	94% · 15 of 16	3
21	Arcane Signet	88% · 14 of 16	3
22	Hardened Scales	88% · 14 of 16	3
23	Kindred Discovery	88% · 14 of 16	3
24	Kiora's Follower	88% · 14 of 16	3
25	Kodama's Reach	88% · 14 of 16	3

Top finishes

The 8 most recent of 16 finishes placing top 16 at 16+ player events with this commander. Results from Topdeck.gg.

13th of 26 — COMMANDER PRECON GRATIS LALUNA on Topdeck.ggAug 1, 2026 · 0–3–0 · by Sergi Blasi
8th of 21 — TGL July Bracket 3 Commander Tournament on Topdeck.ggJul 11, 2026 · 1–3–0 · by Cooper Mathis
12th of 21 — TGL July Bracket 3 Commander Tournament on Topdeck.ggJul 11, 2026 · 1–3–0 · by Andrew Harrison
1st of 43 — Liga Mesão Presencial S3-E01 on Topdeck.ggJul 3, 2026 · 2–0–0 · by HENRIQUE ALEXANDRE LANGA
9th of 27 — Liga Mesão Presencial S2-E8 on Topdeck.ggMay 29, 2026 · 0–1–1 · by Dellani
4th of 23 — Good AF Games Precon Tournament on Topdeck.ggMay 23, 2026 · 1–1–1 · by Ben Dantin
4th of 19 — Commander Budget - Magic Barcelona on Topdeck.ggMay 23, 2026 · 0–2–0 · by Hernán Garay
10th of 25 — Liga Mesão Presencial S2-E7 on Topdeck.ggMay 22, 2026 · 1–1–0 · by Carlos Alexandre Vieira Manfrinato

All 16 finishes →

Precons led by Hakbal of the Surging Soul

Official preconstructed decks with Hakbal of the Surging Soul at the helm.

Explorers of the Deep
PreconCommander· Released Nov 2023

Card data and images courtesy of Scryfall; popularity ranking from EDHREC decklist data included in Scryfall bulk. Tournament results courtesy of Topdeck.gg. Precon product lists via MTGJSON. Deckwarden is unofficial Fan Content and is not endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.

Commanders