EDH Optimizer
Hakbal of the Surging Soul
Legendary Creature — Merfolk Scout · 2GU
Color identity: Green · Blue · Simic
Hakbal of the Surging Soul is Simic (green and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones.
Rules text:
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.
Reference price of the card: €0.93
Comes in the precon Explorers of the Deep
Average lands in decks for Hakbal of the Surging Soul: 35
Merfolk+1/+1 CountersExploreAggroRampTokensMidrangeLands Matter
Build your Hakbal of the Surging Soul deck step by step, with in-depth analysis and AI optimization of your list.
🛠️ Build a deck for Hakbal of the Surging Soul 📥 Analyze my deck🎲 How the average Hakbal of the Surging Soul deck starts over 4,000 games
The list people actually play per EDHREC (the 99 most-included cards, with its average land count), simulated with the EDH Optimizer engine: hands, mulligans, lands, curve and commander. It does not model opponents; it measures whether the plan gets going.
Deck health of the average list: C+ (63/100)
- Consistency69
- Speed53
- Interaction69
- Resilience71
- Closing61
See the cards of the average deck · 99 cards, 35 lands (25 nonbasic, 7 Island, 3 Forest)
Nicanzil, Current Conductor · Master of the Pearl Trident · Svyelun of Sea and Sky · Herald of Secret Streams · Emperor Mihail II · Sol Ring · Kopala, Warden of Waves · Merrow Reejerey · Stonybrook Banneret · Deeproot Waters · Merfolk Sovereign · Hardened Scales · Topography Tracker · Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca · Arcane Signet · Cold-Eyed Selkie · Seafloor Oracle · Inspiring Call · Deeproot Elite · Mist Dancer · Singer of Swift Rivers · Wave Goodbye · Ripples of Potential · Tatyova, Benthic Druid · Zegana, Utopian Speaker · Deeproot Pilgrimage · Kindred Discovery · Merfolk Mistbinder · Branching Evolution · Beast Within · Rapid Hybridization · Thieving Skydiver · Vodalian Hexcatcher · Kiora's Follower · Deeproot Historian · Benthic Biomancer · Realmwalker · Lord of Atlantis · Growth Spiral · Metallic Mimic · Counterspell · Kodama's Reach · Reflections of Littjara · Swiftfoot Boots · Simic Ascendancy · Aetherize · Tishana's Tidebinder · Merfolk Skydiver · Explore · Merfolk Cave-Diver · Simic Signet · Tishana, Voice of Thunder · Tributary Instructor · Evolution Sage · Prime Speaker Zegana · Vorel of the Hull Clade · Merrow Commerce · Heroic Intervention · Roaming Throne · Harbinger of the Seas · Forerunner of the Heralds · Quandrix Command · Raise the Palisade · Surgespanner · Command Tower · Hinterland Harbor · Reliquary Tower · Path of Ancestry · Vineglimmer Snarl · Secluded Courtyard · Unclaimed Territory · Karn's Bastion · Rogue's Passage · Simic Growth Chamber · Temple of Mystery · Alchemist's Refuge · Mosswort Bridge · Dreamroot Cascade · Yavimaya Coast · Breeding Pool · Rejuvenating Springs · Myriad Landscape · Flooded Grove · Llanowar Reborn · Temple of the False God · Cavern of Souls · Misty Rainforest · Barkchannel Pathway // Tidechannel Pathway · Willowrush Verge
🃏 Recommended cards for Hakbal of the Surging Soul
The highest-synergy cards in decks for Hakbal of the Surging Soul, with their inclusion rate.
| Card | Inclusion | Synergy |
|---|---|---|
| Nicanzil, Current Conductor | 97% | +90% |
| Master of the Pearl Trident | 94% | +84% |
| Svyelun of Sea and Sky | 93% | +84% |
| Emperor Mihail II | 91% | +83% |
| Kopala, Warden of Waves | 89% | +81% |
| Stonybrook Banneret | 88% | +81% |
| Merrow Reejerey | 89% | +81% |
| Merfolk Sovereign | 87% | +80% |
| Deeproot Waters | 87% | +79% |
| Topography Tracker | 85% | +79% |
| Herald of Secret Streams | 92% | +78% |
| Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca | 83% | +77% |
| Seafloor Oracle | 80% | +73% |
| Mist Dancer | 78% | +72% |
| Deeproot Elite | 78% | +71% |
| Singer of Swift Rivers | 77% | +71% |
| Cold-Eyed Selkie | 80% | +69% |
| Hardened Scales | 85% | +67% |
| Zegana, Utopian Speaker | 74% | +67% |
| Wave Goodbye | 76% | +65% |
| Inspiring Call | 79% | +65% |
| Ripples of Potential | 75% | +65% |
| Deeproot Pilgrimage | 71% | +64% |
| Merfolk Mistbinder | 69% | +63% |
💰 The best cards for your Hakbal of the Surging Soul deck, by budget
Three tiers based on the maximum price PER CARD you are willing to pay. Paste your list and hit Optimize: you pick that cap and the AI only suggests swaps that fit under it.
Tier 1 · Budget up to €2/card
The most value for almost nothing. Coming from a precon? Start here.
- Nicanzil, Current Conductor
- Master of the Pearl Trident
- Svyelun of Sea and Sky
- Emperor Mihail II
- Kopala, Warden of Waves
- Stonybrook Banneret
Tier 2 · Balanced up to €10/card
The real step up: pieces that are no longer cheap but still sensible.
- Herald of Secret Streams
- Ripples of Potential
- Vodalian Hexcatcher
- Kindred Discovery
- Branching Evolution
- Lord of Atlantis
Reference prices (cheapest English printing). They change daily.
♾️ Known combos with Hakbal of the Surging Soul
- Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Dramatic Reversal + Isochron Scepter → Infinite magecraft triggers, Infinite mana nonland permanents you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of nonland permanents you control
- Hullbreaker Horror + Mana Vault → Infinite colorless mana, Infinite storm count
- Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy + Basalt Monolith → Infinite colorless mana
- Archetype of Imagination + Stormtide Leviathan → Opponents can't attack with most creatures, Lock
- Hullbreaker Horror + Intruder Alarm → Infinite mana creatures you control can produce, Infinite storm count, Infinite untap of creatures, Infinite creature ETB, Infinite creature LTB
👥 Community decks with Hakbal of the Surging Soul
Full decklists published by players on EDH Optimizer, with their analysis, bracket and health. Clone them to your account and optimize them for free.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Hakbal of the Surging Soul's color identity?
Hakbal of the Surging Soul is Simic (green and blue): its deck can only run cards of those colors plus colorless ones. Color identity comes from every mana symbol on the card, including those in the rules text, not just the casting cost.
What turn does Hakbal of the Surging Soul come down, and how often does the deck get stuck?
In the average Hakbal of the Surging Soul deck (the 99 most-included cards per EDHREC, with 35 lands), simulated 4,000 times, the commander comes down on turn 4.1 on average and is on the battlefield before turn 7 in 97 % of games. It misses at least one land drop in the first six turns 34 % of the time and floods 4 %. Deck health: C+ (63/100).
How many lands should a Hakbal of the Surging Soul deck run?
Real Hakbal of the Surging Soul decks run 35 lands on average. That is a starting point, not a rule: a lower curve can shave one or two, big-mana builds want more. The EDH Optimizer simulator tells you, over 10,000 games, how often you get mana screwed or flooded with your exact count.
What are the best cards for Hakbal of the Surging Soul?
The three highest-synergy cards are Nicanzil, Current Conductor, Master of the Pearl Trident, Svyelun of Sea and Sky. This page lists the top 24 with their real inclusion rate in Hakbal of the Surging Soul decks.
What combos does Hakbal of the Surging Soul have?
Hakbal of the Surging Soul has 6 known combos. The most popular one is Hullbreaker Horror + Sol Ring. Note that two-card combos raise your deck's bracket, so it is worth knowing which ones you are running before you sit down.
How much does a Hakbal of the Surging Soul deck cost?
You can start cheap: Nicanzil, Current Conductor, Master of the Pearl Trident, Svyelun of Sea and Sky are under €2 each. The "Level up" section on this page splits the best cards into three price caps PER CARD (up to €2, up to €10 and no cap), and the optimizer only suggests swaps that fit the cap you pick.