Hakbal of the Surging Soul
Legendary Creature — Merfolk Scout
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.
- CMC
- 4
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- GU
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander
- Price
- $2.75
- EDHREC rank
- #3574
Hakbal of the Surging Soul puts a free Explore trigger on every attacking Merfolk, which means lands hit the battlefield and cards flood your hand before combat damage even resolves. The cost is building around a creature type, but Merfolk give you enough density that Agatha's Soul Cauldron can extend Hakbal's abilities onto non-Merfolk bodies, and the whole engine outpaces what Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca could do on its own.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca wants to tap and untap a critical mass of Merfolk, and Hakbal of the Surging Soul supplies the land acceleration and card selection that keeps that engine fueled — more Merfolk in hand means more tap activations, and more lands in play means you can actually cast them.
Omo, Queen of Vesuva
Omo, Queen of Vesuva turns every permanent into a Merfolk, which means Hakbal of the Surging Soul's attack trigger applies to your entire board — suddenly your non-creature permanents and off-tribe creatures are all Exploring every combat.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | not legal |
| pioneer | not legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Commander is where Hakbal of the Surging Soul belongs — the attack trigger scales with the number of Merfolk swinging, and a multiplayer table gives you enough combat steps to bury opponents in lands and card advantage. Legacy and Vintage allow it, but neither format wants a four-mana legendary creature that does nothing until you attack with a tribal board. Oathbreaker is worth a mention: Hakbal's trigger is strong enough that a Merfolk-dense Oathbreaker shell can function, though the format's lower starting life totals favor faster closes than Explore value provides.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Hakbal of the Surging SoulAgatha's Soul CauldronCrystalline CrawlerHellkite Charger
Infinite +1/+1 counters on certain creatures; Infinite colored mana; Infinite combat phases
View on Commander Spellbook ↗
Hakbal of the Surging SoulAgatha's Soul CauldronCrystalline CrawlerAggravated Assault
Infinite +1/+1 counters on certain creatures; Infinite colored mana; Infinite combat phases; Infinite mana creatures you control can produce; Infinite untap of creatures you control
View on Commander Spellbook ↗Price Context
Current price
$2.75 cheap tier
At $2.75, Hakbal of the Surging Soul sits in the cheap tier — strong enough to anchor a Commander deck, underpriced relative to its power level. It's a safe pickup; tribal commanders with this much built-in card advantage rarely stay this low once the format rediscovers them.
Explore
Sources
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.