MTG Salvation

Noxious Gearhulk 4BB
Artifact Creature - Construct (M)
Menace
When Noxious Gearhulk enters the battlefield, you may destroy another target creature. If a creature is destroyed this way, you gain life equal to its toughness.
5/4

Somewhat disappointed, as this seems pretty underwhelming at 6 for me. If it was a 6/6 with this ability, I might consider it, but it seems like it wouldn't quite perform. Still, I guess it could see play in some cubes, and it is a decently big creature with menace.

EDIT: The card is actually probably fine - providing you with removal, evasion, and lifegain in one creature. I think I was just really hoping it would be a 5-drop instead of a 6-drop.

I think the unconditional removal is what puts this over the top. Overall this does a lot and can really swing the game in your favor.

I approve.

Wow. I like this a lot. Very good rate for the effect and every lifegain is great for black.
I actually like all the Gearhulks thus far, although the White one is probably the one least exciting to me. Great big value generators / finishers, and finally some more artifact creatures for the cube.

Seems like a fine 6-drop, but Black really isn't wanting for Nekrataals. Even though it's probably better on the whole than something like Kokusho, you do get overloaded on cards like this at some point.

This is great, 2nd black 6 probably.

6-drop. Whomp. Whoooommmmmmmmppppp.

That being said, this is probably testable. It goes a super long way to stabilizing if you're behind and puts you way ahead if you're at parity. Also great with recursion or blink.

I think it's a solid creature. Unconditional removal with life gain to boot. Menace is so much nicer to see than something like deathtouch on a big creature, and it's a nice little synergy to be able to murder one of their blockers when this guy comes into play.

As already mentioned, I think larger cubes could enjoy this creature as a second six drop, but I don't think I like it quite enough for 360. If it had been something like a 3BB 4/4... oh man.

Nooooooo.... I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.

Don't get me wrong it is a fine card and I was really tempted but then I started to wonder if I wanted a black duplicant. Yes there is life gain, and it always is a 5/4 menace but that is not much better than the average case for Duplicant.

Pluses
Decent reanimation, ramp, and tinker target.
Reasonable evasion
Kills Anything
Just the right card you want when behind
Random Life gain
Compares Favorably to black staples like Nekrratal

Minuses
Only 5/4 so it will force a double block but it will die in that blocking
6 mana and it is worse than Grave Titan, and ~ vs. Massacre Wurm (Would have to be tested)
Being an artifact is likely to hurt more than help

So overall it is good but it just misses the staple catagory. So pick it up if you like this more than wurm and you want and seond 6 drop in black, or if your cube needs 3 6s (630 cube range I am guessing)

I wish they had made it a 6/6 or did damage to an opponent equal to the creature's power or was a 5 drop. Currently the Wurm is looking like it will stick for me but I will keep an eye on this.

Quote from steve_man »

I like this over Massacre Wurm: easier casting cost, doesn't blow up my Bitterblossom tokens, and life gain seems to be more what black wants to do.

It would have been nice if you could nuke planeswalkers too.

Wurm doesn't kill your faeries either, it's a one-sided -/-.

Super disappointed with this guy. Very boring and not an effect we're looking to pay 6 mana for with such a small body.

Underwhelmed and disappointed, but not totally writing it off. I would definitely cube this at 5 mana, 6 seems a tad high. The effect is rather boring, but it IS a 5/4 with menace with Murder strapped to it that can be cheated out/recurred in so many different ways. The lifegain is nothing to sneeze at either. Might actually be worth testing.

Meh, don't really want this card. Honestly, this could cost 3BB and be printable. Pass.

It might be able to compete with the 3rd or 4th best black 6-drop, but I don't think that any cubes really go that deep.

It only has 4 toughness and it can be Disenchanted. I just don't think it's very good. A 6/5 is probably what was needed to justify a 6cc pricetag.

Yeah, it seems like WotC chicken out on this one... Also very disapointed.

Ugh.

It's OK, but possibly the worst of the four Gearhulks we've seen so far. Black's six drops aren't hugely deep but this also isn't clamoring to add another one. It's a shame that this wasn't a shade smaller and printed at 5, but whatever. This doesn't mean we won't get a good five drop in this set.

Disappointing. Even so, it's the 3rd or 4th best black 6 drop, so I guess big cubes will want this. Like wtwlf said, this needed to be a 6/5 or a 5cc to be cubeworthy in mid-sized cubes. I would love black to have another creature that survives Wildfire because right now, it's the weakest color to pair with for that deck (excepting a splash for tutors).

Cheers,
rant

I like it. Black likes lifegain, this is a good card to cast when you are behind and is pretty good as a reanimation target. Probably 3rd or 4th best black six drop depending on how you categorize Taisgur.

In the color that most needed a great 5 drop. Likely pass.

Definitely no.

For 6 mana, it's quite bad in creature light matchups.. and in creature heavy matchups it's only good, not excellent. 6 mana is a lot when you are getting beat down, and if they happen to be going wide rather than tall, you still might not have stabilized enough.

I must be in the minority because I think this card is great. One of the most annoying issues with Nekrataal effects is being unable to hit black/artifact creatures, and not only does this do that but the lifegain is really significant. This can stabilize out of nowhere in the late-game - eat your consecrated sphinx and gain 6, put five power of evasion on the board? More importantly, this card is disgusting with recurring nightmare ^___^ i am going to try it.

Agreed. I play Wildfire decks in every combination, and the black Wildfire deck is excellent.

Quote from steve_man »

Ah, forgot that Massacre Wurm is completely one-sided, my bad. Regardless, this and Grave Titan are probably he two best black creatures you can pair with Recurring Nightmare. I think the life gain will be key to how this card works out, black does so much damage to itself. Still, the vulnerability of 4 toughness and being an artifact might be too much for a six drop.

This is very indicative that you are inexperienced with massacre wurm in cube.
Massacre wurm is 90-95% as good as elesh norn and serves a near identical roll (with the added bonus of being hybrid hardcast/reanimate in reanimator decks). I say this with well over a hundred worth of cubes experiences with the card. Every single member of my play group would share this sentiment.