Hakbal of the Surging Soul

Hakbal of the Surging Soul card image

Hakbal of the Surging Soul: Legendary Creature - Merfolk Scout, The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander. Printings, prices, and format legality on Mana Grove.

Mana cost
{2}{G}{U}
Mana value
4
Type
Legendary Creature - Merfolk Scout
Colour identity
Blue and green (UG)
Power / toughness
3/3
Rarity
Mythic
Set
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC)
Released
2023-11-17
Collector number
3
Artist
Tyler Walpole
Commander rank
3,763 (by how often it appears in Commander decks)
Keywords
Explore
Commander
Can be your commander

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About Hakbal of the Surging Soul

Hakbal of the Surging Soul is a Magic: The Gathering card, a mythic rare blue and green legendary creature from The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC), a Commander product released in November 2023. It is collector number 3 in that set, with art by Tyler Walpole. It costs {2}{G}{U} (two generic, one blue and one green mana) to cast, for a mana value of 4. It is a 3/3 creature. Its colour identity is blue and green. It is legal in Legacy, Vintage, Commander, Duel Commander and Oathbreaker. The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander is its only printing so far. It can be your commander. The latest aggregated market price for this printing is $1.56 (normal finish, as of 2026-11-03).

Card 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.

Market price

Latest aggregated market price for the normal finish of this printing: $1.56 (as of 2026-11-03).

The figure covers this printing only; other printings carry their own price on their own page.

Format legality

Legality of Hakbal of the Surging Soul by format. Formats in which it is not legal are not listed.

LegacyLegal
VintageLegal
CommanderLegal
Duel CommanderLegal
OathbreakerLegal

Other printings of Hakbal of the Surging Soul

The other printings are listed newest first, with the rarity and release year of each.

PrintingRarityYear
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC) #123Mythic2023
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC) #19Mythic2023
The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander (LCC) #29Mythic2023

Official rulings

The 8 most recent official rulings for Hakbal of the Surging Soul, newest first.

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • If no card is revealed, most likely because that player's library is empty, the exploring creature receives a +1/+1 counter.
  • 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.)
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Similar cards

Other creature cards with a blue and green colour identity, ranked by how often they appear in Commander decks.

In these precons

Hakbal of the Surging Soul is in the decklist of these preconstructed Commander decks.

Mentioned in these guides

These guides mention Hakbal of the Surging Soul.

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