Hakbal of the Surging Soul is the most built Simic commander, with 25,782 decks on EDHREC, ahead of Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy (22,749) and Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait (17,554). Simic is blue and green: ramp, card draw, +1/+1 counters and big sea creatures. Hakbal is a Merfolk, which makes Simic the color pair to watch before Nauctis, Magic’s underwater set, arrives on February 5, 2027. Here are the top 12 ranked by decks, with today’s prices, the best Merfolk and sea monster commanders, and budget picks.
My take: start with Hakbal. It’s $0.45, Merfolk are cheap, and the deck draws cards and drops lands every turn. Kinnan ($16.35) is the pick if you want a fast, combo-heavy deck. And Simic is cheap overall: 7 of the top 12 cost under a dollar.
Updated November 14, 2026. Deck counts: EDHREC’s Simic commanders page, November 14. Prices: TCGplayer market price of each card’s cheapest regular printing, via Scryfall, November 14.
Table of Contents
The 12 best Simic commanders
| Commander | Decks | Price |
|---|---|---|
| #1 Hakbal of the Surging Soul Merfolk that explore | 25,782 | $0.45 |
| #2 Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy Extra mana from rocks and dorks | 22,749 | $16.35 |
| #3 Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait Extra lands, draw on landfall | 17,554 | $14.35 |
| #4 Zimone, Mystery Unraveler Landfall face-down creatures | 14,707 | $0.52 |
| #5 Omo, Queen of Vesuva Everything counters | 13,229 | $0.35 |
| #6 Zimone, Infinite Analyst X spells | 12,350 | $0.72 |
| #7 Volo, Guide to Monsters Copy new creature types | 10,633 | $0.40 |
| #8 Aloy, Savior of Meridian Artifact creatures discover | 10,554 | $5.46 |
| #9 Tatyova, Benthic Druid Landfall life and cards | 9,744 | $0.16 |
| #10 Adrix and Nev, Twincasters Token doubling | 8,883 | $7.25 |
| #11 Clement, the Worrywort Frogs and bounce | 8,354 | $0.32 |
| #12 Koma, Cosmos Serpent A Serpent every upkeep | 7,858 | $5.93 |
Prices move fast. Follow @HelloNerdsnack on X for price drops and new chase cards.
25,782 decks · $0.45
22,749 decks · $16.35
17,554 decks · $14.35
14,707 decks · $0.52
13,229 decks · $0.35
12,350 decks · $0.72
10,633 decks · $0.40
10,554 decks · $5.46
9,744 decks · $0.16
8,883 decks · $7.25
8,354 decks · $0.32
7,858 decks · $5.93
Tap any card to see it on TCGplayer.
Why the top 3 lead
Hakbal of the Surging Soul (#1, $0.45) makes every Merfolk you control explore at the start of each of your combats, so each one draws you a land or grows with a +1/+1 counter. When Hakbal attacks, you either drop a land from your hand or draw a card. It was the face of a Lost Caverns of Ixalan Commander deck.
Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy (#2, $16.35) adds one extra mana whenever you tap a nonland permanent for mana, so every mana rock and mana creature makes more. Its 7-mana ability digs up a non-Human creature from the top five cards. It’s a favorite in high-power Commander, which is why it’s one of the priciest picks here.
Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait (#3, $14.35) is a 6-mana Serpent that lets you play an extra land each turn and draws a card every time a land enters on your side.
Next: Zimone, Mystery Unraveler (#4, $0.52) manifests dread the first time a land enters on your side each turn (you put one of the top two cards of your library onto the battlefield as a face-down 2/2) and flips face-down permanents with later lands. Omo, Queen of Vesuva (#5, $0.35) puts everything counters on a land and a creature, making them every land type and every creature type. Zimone, Infinite Analyst (#6, $0.72) grows every time you cast your first X spell each turn and makes the next one cheaper.
The rest of the top 12:
- Volo, Guide to Monsters (#7, 10,633 decks, $0.40): copies every creature spell you cast whose type you don’t already have on the battlefield or in your graveyard, so a deck of one-of creature types gets two of everything.
- Aloy, Savior of Meridian (#8, 10,554 decks, $5.46): from the Horizon video games, printed in Secret Lair: whenever your artifact creatures attack, you discover X, where X is the greatest power among them.
- Tatyova, Benthic Druid (#9, 9,744 decks, $0.16): every land you play gains you 1 life and draws a card.
- Adrix and Nev, Twincasters (#10, 8,883 decks, $7.25): a pair of Merfolk Wizards that double every token you make.
- Clement, the Worrywort (#11, 8,354 decks, $0.32): bounces a cheaper creature of yours back to hand whenever a creature enters, and lets your Frogs tap for mana to cast creatures.
- Koma, Cosmos Serpent (#12, 7,858 decks, $5.93): can’t be countered and makes a 3/3 Serpent at the start of every player’s upkeep, which you can sacrifice to tap down threats or make Koma indestructible.
Merfolk and sea monster commanders for Nauctis
Nauctis is set under the sea, and Wizards has already shown Salinae, the Ocean Mother, a blue Whale God that copies your creature spells. Hakbal (#1), Tatyova (#9) and Adrix and Nev (#10) are all Merfolk already. These four Simic commanders are also built around Merfolk or sea monsters, so they should pick up new toys in February:
$3.04
$0.37
$8.81
$0.68
- Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep (#13, 7,659 decks, $3.04): a Merfolk who rewards casting a Kraken, Leviathan, Octopus or Serpent from your hand with a free spell from the top of your library.
- Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca (#22, 5,324 decks, $0.37): taps your other Merfolk to become unblockable, draw cards and put +1/+1 counters on your whole team.
- Kenessos, Priest of Thassa (#19, 6,016 decks, $8.81): a Merfolk Cleric that adds one to every scry and digs Krakens, Leviathans, Octopuses and Serpents straight onto the battlefield. It costs only blue, but its hybrid ability makes it Simic.
- Arixmethes, Slumbering Isle (#17, 6,181 decks, $0.68): a Kraken that starts as a land tapping for green and blue, then wakes up after you cast five spells.
See every Nauctis card revealed so far, and our cards to buy before Nauctis for Merfolk lords and sea monsters to pick up now.
Simic commanders from other worlds
Two of the top 12 come from other worlds: Volo (#7) from Dungeons & Dragons’ Forgotten Realms and Aloy (#8) from the Horizon games. These four are also popular, and all cost under $1:
$0.33
$0.30
$0.28
$0.21
- Galadriel of Lothlórien (#24, 5,029 decks, $0.33): from The Lord of the Rings: scry 3 whenever the Ring tempts you, and every scry can put a land from the top of your library onto the battlefield.
- The Astonishing Ant-Man (#25, 5,017 decks, $0.30): from the Marvel Super Heroes set: grows with every card you draw, then cashes those counters in for 1/1 Insects.
- Círdan the Shipwright (#34, 3,403 decks, $0.28): from the Tales of Middle-earth Commander decks: every player secretly votes when he enters or attacks, everyone draws for their votes, and players with no votes can drop a permanent for free.
- Galadriel, Elven-Queen (#42, 2,511 decks, $0.21): also from Tales of Middle-earth Commander: an Elf deck where the table votes between the Ring tempting you and you drawing a card.
Budget Simic commanders under $1
On top of the 7 top-12 commanders under a dollar, these six popular picks cost less than $1 too:
$0.50
$0.52
$0.31
$0.98
$0.30
$0.91
- Grolnok, the Omnivore ($0.50, #15 with 7,414 decks): your attacking Frogs mill three, and every permanent card milled gets exiled so you can play it later.
- Ivy, Gleeful Spellthief ($0.52, #16 with 6,833 decks): whenever anyone casts a spell that targets one creature, you can copy it onto Ivy, so your opponents’ removal and pump spells help you too.
- Imoti, Celebrant of Bounty ($0.31, #18 with 6,137 decks): gives every spell you cast with mana value 6 or more cascade.
- Quandrix, the Proof ($0.98, #20 with 5,944 decks): a 6-mana flying Elder Dragon with cascade that gives your instants and sorceries cascade too.
- Lonis, Cryptozoologist ($0.30, #23 with 5,098 decks): makes a Clue whenever another nontoken creature enters, then cashes Clues in to steal a permanent off the top of an opponent’s library.
- Primo, the Unbounded ($0.91, #28 with 4,163 decks): an X-cost Fractal that makes a new Fractal whenever your base-0-power creatures hit a player.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Simic commander?
By number of decks, Hakbal of the Surging Soul is the most popular Simic commander, with 25,782 decks on EDHREC as of November 14, 2026. Kinnan, Bonder Prodigy and Aesi, Tyrant of Gyre Strait are second and third.
What is the best budget Simic commander?
Hakbal ($0.45) is both the most popular and one of the cheapest. Tatyova, Benthic Druid ($0.16) and Omo, Queen of Vesuva ($0.35) are other top-12 picks under a dollar.
What colors are Simic?
Simic is blue and green. The name comes from the Simic Combine guild on Ravnica, a guild of biomancers who experiment with life.
What is the best Merfolk commander in Simic?
Hakbal of the Surging Soul, with 25,782 decks. Tatyova and Adrix and Nev are Merfolk too, but their decks aren’t built around Merfolk. For a Merfolk-themed deck, Kiora, Sovereign of the Deep and Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca are the next picks.
More color guides: best Golgari commanders, best Gruul commanders, best Rakdos commanders, and the best commander for every color combination.
Simic commanders
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