Card

Hakbal of the Surging Soul

Mana cost {2}{G}{U}

Legendary Creature — Merfolk Scout 3/3

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.

No bracket restriction: playable from bracket 1. Part of 2 known combos. 8 official rulings.

Commander
Legal
Printing
Mythic · LCC · #3
Cheapest printing
€1.26
EDHREC salt
0.74
Color identity
Green, Blue
Keywords
Explore

Scryfall · EDHREC

Bracket

  • B1 Exhibition — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
  • B2 Core — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
  • B3 Upgraded — allowed: No restriction at this bracket
  • B4 Optimized — allowed: No restriction beyond the banned list
  • B5 cEDH — allowed: No restriction beyond the banned list

Why

  • No Game Changer, mass land denial, extra turn, tutor or two-card combo

How Lotus Vault estimates a bracket

Bracket: Lotus Vault analysis, with Commander Spellbook flags

Combos

2 known combos.

Combos: Commander Spellbook

Rulings

  • 2023-11-10 · Wizards of the Coast
    If you control multiple Merfolk, you choose the order in which they explore. Make sure it's clear which Merfolk is exploring before you reveal any cards.
  • 2023-11-10 · Wizards of the Coast
    Once an ability that causes a creature to explore begins to resolve, no player may take any other actions until it's done. Notably, opponents can't try to remove the exploring creature after you reveal a nonland card but before it receives a counter.
  • 2023-11-10 · Wizards of the Coast
    If an ability instructs a creature to explore, its controller reveals the top card of their library. If it's a land card, they'll put it into their hand. Otherwise, they'll put a +1/+1 counter on that creature, then choose to either leave that card on top of their library or put it into their graveyard.
  • 2023-11-10 · Wizards of the Coast
    If no card is revealed, most likely because that player's library is empty, the exploring creature receives a +1/+1 counter.
  • 2023-11-10 · Wizards of the Coast
    In some unusual cases, noncreature permanents may explore. For example, if the creature card returned by Defossilize is somehow not a creature once it's on the battlefield, it can still explore. You'll take all the same actions, and you may end up putting a +1/+1 counter on the permanent. (Note that some effects target a creature, and those effects would still require a legal target to have it explore.)
  • 2023-11-10 · Wizards of the Coast
    Some spells or abilities might cause a creature to explore multiple times in a row. If you reveal a nonland card when a creature explores and leave it on top of your library, then the creature explores again immediately afterwards, you'll reveal the same card again.
  • 2023-11-10 · Wizards of the Coast
    If a resolving spell or ability instructs a specific creature to explore but that creature has left the battlefield, the creature still explores. If you reveal a nonland card this way, you won't put a +1/+1 counter on anything, but you may put the revealed card into your graveyard. Effects that trigger "whenever a creature explores" trigger as appropriate.
  • 2023-11-10 · Wizards of the Coast
    Each of your Merfolk creatures will explore during the resolution of Hakbal of the Surging Soul's first ability. Players won't be able to respond between the explores.

Rulings: Scryfall · Wizards of the Coast

Similar cards

Cards with the same role that fit in the same deck.