Hakbal: Merfolk Explorers

Commander / EDH Budget Casual Counters Explore GU (Simic) Merfolk

Darb_the_Bard

Creature (38)

• 1x Benthic Biomancer
• 1x Cold-Eyed Selkie
• 1x Coralhelm Commander
• 1x Deeproot Elite
• 1x Deeproot Historian
• 1x Emperor Mihail II
• 1x Forerunner of the Heralds
• 1x Herald of Secret Streams
• 1x Kiora's Follower
• 1x Kopala, Warden of Waves
• 1x Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
• 1x Master of the Pearl Trident
• 1x Merfolk Cave-Diver
• 1x Merfolk Looter
• 1x Merfolk Mistbinder
• 1x Merfolk Skydiver
• 1x Merfolk Sovereign
• 1x Merrow Harbinger
• 1x Merrow Reejerey
• 1x Mist Dancer
• 1x Nicanzil, Current Conductor
• 1x Prime Speaker Zegana
• 1x Realmwalker
• 1x Sage of Fables
• 1x Seafloor Oracle
• 1x Singer of Swift Rivers
• 1x Stonybrook Banneret
• 1x Surgespanner
• 1x Svyelun of Sea and Sky
• 1x Tatyova, Benthic Druid
• 1x Tempest Caller
• 1x Thieving Skydiver
• 1x Tishana, Voice of Thunder
• 1x Topography Tracker
• 1x Tributary Instructor
• 1x Umara Wizard  ^Flip
• 1x Vodalian Hexcatcher
• 1x Zegana, Utopian Speaker

Land (35)

• 1x Alchemist's Refuge
• 1x Command Tower
• 7x Forest
• 1x Hinterland Harbor
• 11x Island
• 1x Karn's Bastion
• 1x Llanowar Reborn
• 1x Mosswort Bridge
• 1x Myriad Landscape
• 1x Overflowing Basin
• 1x Path of Ancestry
• 1x Reliquary Tower
• 1x Rogue's Passage
• 1x Secluded Courtyard
• 1x Simic Growth Chamber
• 1x Temple of Mystery
• 1x Unclaimed Territory
• 1x Vineglimmer Snarl
• 1x Yavimaya Coast

Enchantment (8)

• 1x Branching Evolution
• 1x Bred for the Hunt
• 1x Deeproot Pilgrimage
• 1x Deeproot Waters
• 1x Exploration
• 1x Hardened Scales
• 1x Kindred Discovery
• 1x Reflections of Littjara

Commander (1)

Instant (9)

• 1x AEtherize
• 1x Beast Within
• 1x Growth Spiral
• 1x Inspiring Call
• 1x Quandrix Command
• 1x Rapid Hybridization
• 1x Reality Shift
• 1x Ripples of Potential
• 1x Ruinous Intrusion

Sorcery (5)

• 1x Bygone Marvels
• 1x Curse of the Swine
• 1x Explore
• 1x Ravenform
• 1x Wave Goodbye

Artifact (4)

• 1x Arcane Signet
• 1x Simic Signet
• 1x Sol Ring
• 1x Swiftfoot Boots

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Maybeboard

Creature (5)

• 1x Evolution Sage
• 1x Metallic Mimic
• 1x Thassa, God of the Sea
• 1x Vorel of the Hull Clade
• 1x Xolatoyac, the Smiling Flood

Instant (1)

• 1x Commit / Memory

Enchantment (1)

• 1x Simic Ascendancy

Artifact (1)

• 1x Commander's Sphere

Sorcery (1)

• 1x Kodama's Reach

Land (1)

• 1x Temple of the False God

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Deck Snapshot

Primary Commander: Hakbal of the Surging Soul

Alternate Commander(s): Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca

Major Theme(s): Merfolk Tribal

Subtheme(s): Explore, +1/+1 counters

Primary Win Condition: Quickly build a board full of merfolk creatures and pump them with +1/+1 counters as you explore with your commander; Grant your army evasion with cards like Herald of Secret Streams or Zegana, Utopian Speaker

Backup Win Condition: Outvalue opponents by refilling your hand through cards like Kindred Discovery; Continually rebuild your board with cards like Deeproot Waters

Infinite Combos: None

Non-land Tutors: 2

1. Forerunner of the Heralds = any merfolk
2. Merrow Harbinger = any merfolk

Suggested Targets:

• Value/Win Condition: Topography Tracker, Nicanzil, Current Conductor, Herald of Secret Streams, Mist Dancer
• Protection: Kopala, Warden of Waves, Singer of Swift Rivers
• Removal: Thieving Skydiver, Surgespanner
• Draw Cards: Tributary Instructor, Seafloor Oracle, Tishana, Voice of Thunder, Tatyova, Benthic Druid, Emperor Mihail II

Gameplay

This is a super low-curve, aggressive deck that seeks to play out a ton of merfolk early and then pump them with your commander, Hakbal of the Surging Soul, along with other merfolk lords such as Master of the Pearl Trident and Merfolk Mistbinder. Since Hakbal causes each merfolk to explore each turn, your merfolk army will quickly start to accumulate a bunch of +1/+1 counters. The deck takes advantage of this by adding even more +1/+1 counters through cards like Deeproot Elite, Hardened Scales, and Branching Evolution. Then you can reap the benefits by drawing cards from Bred for the Hunt, protecting your board with Ripples of Potential, or doing both with Inspiring Call. The greatest benefit of all the +1/+1 counters, of course, is that you end up with a very large and difficult-to-deal-with army. Then use cards like Herald of Secret Streams or Zegana, Utopian Speaker to grant your creatures evasion, or use Wave Goodbye to clear out blockers entirely, and swing in for the victory!

A common downside of many aggressive strategies is that you tend to play out your whole hand and run out of gas quickly. This deck, however, has tons of ways to draw cards while still pushing for damage. Kindred Discovery and Seafloor Oracle draw cards each time a merfolk deals damage. Realmwalker and Emperor Mihail II allow you to play merfolk from the top of your library. And Prime Speaker Zegana and Tishana, Voice of Thunder sit at the top of your curve ready to refill your hand after playing all your other creatures. Tributary Instructor will also draw you multiple cards after most board wipes and Deeproot Historian allows you to play your merfolk from your graveyard.

Of course, drawing all these cards is only helpful if you have enough mana to play them. Thankfully, Hakbal's explore-granting ability will ensure you draw plenty of lands, and he even lets you ramp by putting an extra land into play each time he attacks. One of the best cards alongside Hakbal is Topography Tracker to allow you to explore additional times. Nicanzil, Current Conductor is also a powerhouse in the deck as it puts all lands you explore directly into play. You can also cheat additional lands into play with Growth Spiral, Explore, and Exploration.

Tales from Darb the Bard

Beneath the waves of the ocean blue
Lives a commander, faithful and true
Hakbal of the Surging Soul
With his merfolk explorers on patrol

Bred for the Hunt in the Deeproot Waters
The merfolk send their sons and daughters
From Merfolk Sovereign to Deeproot Elite
This merfolk army cannot be beat

With Vodalian Hexcatcher and Sage of Fables
All opposing schemes will be disabled
Then Topography Tracker, Tempest Caller, and cast
Will Wave Goodbye to their enemies at last

Knowing they will conquer all
The merfolk heed the Inspiring Call
Of Hakbal, merfolk leader supreme
Realizing at last his long-sought dream

Precon Cuts

Precon Cuts:
Lands:
1x Temple of the False God
1x Island

Non-Lands:
1x Evolution Sage
1x Metallic Mimic
1x Thassa, God of the Sea
1x Vorel of the Hull Clade
1x Xolatoyac, the Smiling Flood
1x Simic Ascendancy
1x Commander's Sphere
1x Commit / Memory
1x Kodama's Reach

Additions

Lands:
1x Umara Wizard  
1x Yavimaya Coast

Non-Lands:
1x Deeproot Pilgrimage
1x Reality Shift
1x Forerunner of the Heralds
1x Merrow Harbinger
1x Vodalian Hexcatcher
1x Tempest Caller
1x Bred for the Hunt
1x Merfolk Looter
1x Exploration

I am a casual, budget player and my goal is to always keep my commander decks within $100 or close to it. Any suggestions to improve the deck while still keeping it within budget are appreciated!

Date added	6 months
Last updated	2 weeks
Legality	This deck is Commander / EDH legal.
Rarity (main - side)	5 - 0 Mythic Rares 40 - 0 Rares 30 - 0 Uncommons 7 - 0 Commons
Cards	100
Avg. CMC	2.98
Tokens	Beast 3/3 G, Bird 1/1 U, Boar 2/2 G, Copy Clone, Frog Lizard 3/3 G, Manifest 2/2 C, Map, Merfolk 1/1 U, Merfolk 1/1 U w/ Hexproof
Folders	Casual - Built Decks