CommanderTestLabor DE
Price
€99.42of €100.00
Overall win rate
31%83 wins in 265 scored games
Games
271 (6)played in 27 tournaments, 6 not scored (time limit)
Rank
19in the rankings up to €100 · Elo 1576 (start 1500)
Cards
100incl. commander · 35 lands, 17 of them basic
Game Changer
0of at most 3 allowed
Combos
0complete in the deck
Rules check
Passed100 cards, colors, banlist

AI note: the Forge AI can't play 5 cards of this deck (replaced with similar cards in the Forge games) and plays 8 more only partially well. This result is therefore somewhat less meaningful. Affected cards

At most €100 including the commander. If prices rise above that, the shopping list is rebuilt automatically.

The shopping list was rebuilt with current prices on Oct 25, 2026: the tested version had risen to €101.77, above €100.00. Win rate and placement come from the tested version.

grey: role in the deckGame Changer counts for the bracketCombo part of a comboAI can't play replaced in tournamentsAI limited played weakly by the AI

Commander (1)

Creatures (39)

Instants (9)

Sorceries (4)

Artifacts (4)

Enchantments (8)

Lands (35)

Hakbal of the Surging Soul
Card image: © Wizards of the Coast, via Scryfall

What the games show

From 265 analysed games in 27 tournaments (tournament lists as played by Forge). Games that hit the time limit don't count, just like in the rankings. Values in brackets: average of all decks in the same price class. “logged”: recorded in the game log. “indication”: recurring pattern, but no proof of cause and effect.

Play style: wins through combat – 100% of the damage to opponents is combat damage

Strengths

  • Applies a lot of pressure: avg 43 damage to opponents per game (all-deck avg: 31) logged (265 games)
  • Clears the table: eliminates 0.92 opponents per game on average (all-deck avg: 0.63) logged (265 games)
  • Unfazed by counterspells: 49% wins when opponents cast 2+ counterspells, 27% without counterspells (all-deck avg: 24% vs 25%) indication (37 / 153 games)

Weaknesses

  • Depends on its commander: only 4% wins without it, 34% with it indication (25 games without, 240 with commander)
  • Struggles against flyers: 8% wins when at least 40% of opposing creatures have flying or reach, 34% at most 15% (all-deck avg: 18% vs 27%) indication (24 / 131 games)

Damage per game all games

Total damage to opponents ÷ all 265 games – what the card contributes over the whole test

  1. Hakbal of the Surging Soul avg 8.8hit in 149 of 265 games
  2. Merfolk Cave-Diver avg 3.5hit in 39 of 265 games
  3. Mist Dancer avg 2.5hit in 47 of 265 games

Damage when used when it hits

Total damage ÷ games in which the card dealt damage – its strength when used

  1. Merfolk Cave-Diver avg 23.7hit in 39 of 265 games
  2. Nicanzil, Current Conductor avg 20.3hit in 24 of 265 games
  3. Forerunner of the Heralds avg 19.3hit in 23 of 265 games

Top finishers eliminates opponents

Cards that most often knocked an opposing commander out of the game

  1. Hakbal of the Surging Soul 38×265 games in deck
  2. Merfolk Cave-Diver 37×265 games in deck
  3. Merfolk Token 23×265 games in deck

Best interaction answers threats

Opposing cards destroyed, exiled, bounced or countered when this card resolved (tokens excluded)

  1. Rapid Hybridization 64×avg 0.2 per game · 265 games in deck
  2. Ruinous Intrusion 38×avg 0.1 per game · 265 games in deck
  3. Counterspell 26×avg 0.1 per game · 265 games in deck

Biggest walls blocks the most

Opposing cards that blocked this deck's attackers most often – 17% of 2732 attackers blocked in total, 12% of those by flyers or reach

  1. Goblin Token 16×blocked in 4 games
  2. Plant Token 13×blocked in 4 games
  3. Soldier Token 11×blocked in 7 games

Rarely cast candidates to cut

Cards in this list that were cast least often in their games – often too expensive or too slow (lands excluded)

  1. Aetherize 3%cast in 8 of 265 games
  2. Wave Goodbye 8%cast in 22 of 265 games
  3. Deeproot Waters 9%cast in 24 of 265 games

Wins by turn speed

On which own turn the 83 wins came

  • by turn 70%
  • turns 8–914%
  • turns 10–1135%
  • turns 12–1334%
  • turn 14+17%

Mana curve without lands

Average 2.98

0
4
1
21
2
21
3
11
4
5
5
1
6
1
7+

Roles in the deck

Ramp
6 / 7
Card draw
13 / 14
Removal
7 / 8
Board wipe
1 / 2
Protection
2 / 3
Strategy
35 cards no target

Count / target from the EDHREC average deck (the line), red means clearly below. Strategy: the remaining cards without one of these roles, such as the creatures and effects the deck is built around. 64 non-land cards in total.

Card types

Creatures
39
Instants
9
Sorceries
4
Artifacts
4
Enchantments
8
Lands
35

Most expensive cards

Breeding Pool
€9.89
Herald of Secret Streams
€7.38
Branching Evolution
€6.55
Merrow Commerce
€6.04
Raise the Palisade
€5.66
Kindred Discovery
€5.65
Ripples of Potential
€4.16
Rejuvenating Springs
€3.92

What the program has learned

Each tournament the deck tests one card. A verdict needs at least 40 games with and without the card. Since the deck is rebuilt every tournament with current prices and data, tested cards can drop out again later.

  • better Ravenform instead of Surgespanner · win rate 45% with, 28% without (49 / 216 games)

1 more tested card is still collecting games.

Shopping list for Cardmarket

Copy the list, create a new list under “Wants” on Cardmarket and paste it.

Total €99.42 Cardmarket average as of Oct 27, 2026

Open Cardmarket Wants

Prices without shipping. Individual cards may have become cheaper or more expensive on Cardmarket.

Placement in every tournament

Oldest on the left. Green: top 3, blue: top 10.

41251751551815112526227195164221333442294211204521

Best place 4 · average place 24.3 · 0× top 3 · 4× top 10 out of 27 tournaments

Played by the Forge AI, four players per game. An average deck wins 25%. How are decks tested?