Hakbal of the Surging Soul card art — Art by Tyler Walpole · © Wizards of the Coast

Explorers of the Deep

Bracket 3

LCC — The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander · 2023-11-17

Commander: Hakbal of the Surging Soul · Color identity: GU

Bracket

Power Level

5.8/10

Tipping Point

Game Changers

Why this bracket?

4 counter multipliers + a counters win condition — a snowballing +1/+1 engine — but the goldfish sim wins around turn 8 (Bracket 2 "Core" pace, ~8+ turns), not the ~6-7 of an Upgraded deck, so this theme engine alone does not floor Bracket 3
4 counter multipliers backing a counters win-condition (Simic Ascendancy / Herald of Secret Streams) — an explosive, reliable game-ending plan (= Bracket 3 floor)
Supported alternate win condition (Simic Ascendancy) — but it assembles slowly (goldfish ~turn 8, Bracket 2 pace), so it does not floor Bracket 3 on its own
Deliberate-upgrade signals (supported alternate win condition (Simic Ascendancy) + 13 synergy pairs — a deliberately built engine deck beyond precon level) — but the goldfish sim wins around turn 8 (Core pace, ~8+ turns), so it stays Bracket 2
Borderline verdict — close to B2: promoted to Upgraded on deliberate-build signals (premium manabase / supported alt-win engine) with zero Game Changers — sits at the B2/B3 line
Alternate win condition detected: Simic Ascendancy — backed by a real support engine in this list
Engine accuracy: 77.1% exact and 99.5% within one bracket on 1,229 organizer-labeled tournament decklists (engine v389).

How it compares

Against the 4 The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander decks we analyzed, this is the strongest — power 5.8 versus a set average of 4.8. That is 1.2 above the 174-precon library average of 4.6. Its Tipping Point lands on turn 3, 1 turn earlier than the library median of turn 4.

How to drop to Bracket 2Removing the one floor at Bracket 3 would drop your deck to Bracket 2.

More The Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander decks

Blood Rites — Bracket 2, power 4.5
Ahoy Mateys — Bracket 2, power 4.4
Veloci-Ramp-Tor — Bracket 2, power 4.3

Other Bracket 3 precons at a similar power

Counter Blitz (FINAL FANTASY X) — Bracket 3, power 5.7
Arcane Maelstrom — Bracket 3, power 5.9
Abzan Armor — Bracket 3, power 5.6
Counterpunch — Bracket 3, power 5.6
Creative Energy — Bracket 3, power 5.6

Upgrade this precon

6 staples this deck does not already run — all legal in Hakbal of the Surging Soul's color identity, none over $20, and none of them a Game Changer, so none forces a Bracket 3 floor on its own. Adding cards can still move the bracket: paste the updated list back into the calculator to re-check.

Wayfarer's Bauble Ramp $5.61
Cultivate Ramp $0.41
Nature's Lore Ramp $2.23
Rampant Growth Ramp $1.28
Three Visits Ramp $5.55
Counterspell Interaction $4.28

Add all 6 to TCGplayer cart — about $19.36

Affiliate links. If you buy through one we earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you and with no effect on the bracket we report. Prices are Scryfall's latest and will drift.

Analyze in calculator → ← Back to library MTGJSON source ↗

Decklist (100 cards)

1 Hakbal of the Surging Soul
1 Xolatoyac, the Smiling Flood
1 Mist Dancer
1 Ripples of Potential
1 Wave Goodbye
1 Bygone Marvels
1 Deeproot Historian
1 Topography Tracker
1 Tributary Instructor
1 Singer of Swift Rivers
1 Benthic Biomancer
1 Commit // Memory
1 Coralhelm Commander
1 Curse of the Swine
1 Emperor Mihail II
1 Herald of Secret Streams
1 Kindred Discovery
1 Kopala, Warden of Waves
1 Master of the Pearl Trident
1 Merfolk Sovereign
1 Reflections of Littjara
1 Seafloor Oracle
1 Surgespanner
1 Svyelun of Sea and Sky
1 Thassa, God of the Sea
1 Thieving Skydiver
1 Branching Evolution
1 Deeproot Elite
1 Hardened Scales
1 Realmwalker
1 Ruinous Intrusion
1 Cold-Eyed Selkie
1 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
1 Prime Speaker Zegana
1 Quandrix Command
1 Simic Ascendancy
1 Tishana, Voice of Thunder
1 Vorel of the Hull Clade
1 Zegana, Utopian Speaker
1 Metallic Mimic
1 Alchemist's Refuge
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Karn's Bastion
1 Mosswort Bridge
1 Temple of Mystery
1 Vineglimmer Snarl
1 Merfolk Cave-Diver
1 Aetherize
1 Deeproot Waters
1 Merrow Reejerey
1 Rapid Hybridization
1 Ravenform
1 Sage of Fables
1 Stonybrook Banneret
1 Beast Within
1 Nicanzil, Current Conductor
1 Evolution Sage
1 Explore
1 Inspiring Call
1 Kodama's Reach
1 Growth Spiral
1 Kiora's Follower
1 Merfolk Mistbinder
1 Merfolk Skydiver
1 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
1 Arcane Signet
1 Commander's Sphere
1 Simic Signet
1 Sol Ring
1 Swiftfoot Boots
1 Command Tower
1 Llanowar Reborn
1 Myriad Landscape
1 Path of Ancestry
1 Reliquary Tower
1 Rogue's Passage
1 Secluded Courtyard
1 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Temple of the False God
1 Unclaimed Territory
4 Forest
3 Forest
7 Island
6 Island

Bracket assignment per WotC Commander Brackets Beta. Decklist sourced from MTGJSON (https://mtgjson.com/api/v5/decks/ExplorersOfTheDeep_LCC.json). Analyzed against https://scrollvault.net on 2026-10-09.