Noxious Gearhulk MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 9 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost6
Rarity
TypeArtifact Creature — Construct
Abilities Menace
Power 5
Toughness 4

Key Takeaways

  1. Noxious Gearhulk grants big swing potential by removing threats and bolstering your life total simultaneously.
  2. The card fits various strategies but shines in decks that can manage its higher mana cost.
  3. Despite not being an instant, its ETB effect allows for flexible and strategic plays during your turn.

Text of card

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.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: The Noxious Gearhulk provides a significant upper hand by not only destroying a creature your opponent controls but also offering you life gain based on the destroyed creature’s power. This dual ability can swing the momentum in your favor, replacing the need for a separate removal card and a life gain card with a single potent play.

Resource Acceleration: Though the Noxious Gearhulk doesn’t directly generate mana or treasures, its six-mana slot can be eased into earlier gameplay through various ramp spells in your deck. Once on the battlefield, it can be a formidable presence that saves resources you’d otherwise spend answering threats, effectively accelerating your game plan.

Instant Speed: Although the Noxious Gearhulk itself isn’t an instant, its enter-the-battlefield effect functions as an instant-speed removal since you can play it anytime you have priority during your turn. This allows for strategic plays by removing blockers or threats right before your attack phase, creating openings or deflecting opponent strategies with timely precision.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Noxious Gearhulk doesn’t come with a discard requirement but it does ask players to make strategic decisions given its one-time removal effect upon entering the battlefield. If you’re looking for recurring board control, this could be a setback.

Specific Mana Cost: With a strict mana cost that includes two black mana, Noxious Gearhulk may not always slide seamlessly into multicolored decks. This can hinder its playability outside mono-black or heavily black-focused decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Sporting a six mana cost to cast, Noxious Gearhulk may arrive a bit too late in games where speed is a factor. While its impact is sizeable, there are instances where lower cost creatures or removal spells might better serve a player’s strategy.


Reasons to Include Noxious Gearhulk in Your Collection

Versatility: Noxious Gearhulk offers flexibility across a range of decks, with its creature destruction ability and life gain making it a valuable card in control and midrange strategies alike.

Combo Potential: This card can synergize well with reanimation strategies or other mechanics that take advantage of its enter-the-battlefield effect, thus maximizing its destructive potential multiple times within a game.

Meta-Relevance: In an environment populated by creature-heavy decks, Noxious Gearhulk can serve as a key piece in controlling the board and maintaining life totals, keeping players ahead in the race against aggressive opponents.


How to beat

Confronting Noxious Gearhulk on the battlefield is a strategic endeavor that demands careful planning. This potent MTG card offers not just creature destruction but also life gain, making it a double threat. To overcome this mechanical menace, consider utilizing removal spells that exile rather than destroy, such as Path to Exile or Swords to Plowshares, to prevent the life gain and ensure a true removal.

Counterspells are another effective tactic, stopping Gearhulk in its tracks before its enter-the-battlefield effect can trigger. For those who prefer a proactive approach, hand disruption spells like Thoughtseize can pluck the card from an opponent’s grip before it can hit the field. Finally, don’t overlook the power of board wipes like Wrath of God or board state bypassing options such as evasion creatures, which allow you to avoid direct interaction with Noxious Gearhulk altogether.

In essence, although Noxious Gearhulk is a formidable force with its destructive entrance and life-giving presence, a strategic approach with the right spells and tactics can neutralize its advantages and keep your chances of victory intact.


BurnMana Recommendations

Diving into the MTG realm, the Noxious Gearhulk stands as a remarkable card, combining destruction with life force, casting a shadow over your opponent’s creatures. Whether you’re weaving it into a control deck or a ramp-savvy setup, its entry speaks volumes on the battlefield. If you want to expand your capabilities and harness the power of this mechanical colossus, we’re here to guide you through. Embrace the synergy and strategy that Noxious Gearhulk offers. Engage with us at BurnMana to delve deeper, enrich your deck-building artistry, and claim victories with confidence.


Cards like Noxious Gearhulk

Noxious Gearhulk is a powerful creature card in MTG that offers both a robust body and a beneficial enter-the-battlefield (ETB) effect. It stands alongside the likes of Terminate, which is purely a removal spell, lacking the creature aspect but excelling in its low-cost, instant speed efficiency. By contrast, Noxious Gearhulk provides a 5/4 body and lifegain equal to the destroyed creature’s power, highlighting its dual functionality.

Comparably, Ravenous Chupacabra is a creature with a similar ETB removal effect, but with lower power and toughness stats and without the added lifegain. Massacre Wurm is another creature that imposes a detrimental impact on the opponent’s board, but it focuses on a wide-reaching effect rather than single-target elimination. Both offer distinct strategies within black creature removal.

Evaluating their utilities, Noxious Gearhulk stands out for its immediate board impact and the significant life swing it can potentially generate. It exemplifies the synergy of removal and pressure in one card, making it a valuable asset for players utilizing black in their MTG decks.

Terminate - MTG Card versions
Ravenous Chupacabra - MTG Card versions
Massacre Wurm - MTG Card versions
Terminate - Planeshift (PLS)
Ravenous Chupacabra - Rivals of Ixalan (RIX)
Massacre Wurm - Mirrodin Besieged (MBS)

Cards similar to Noxious Gearhulk by color, type and mana cost

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Tomb Blade - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)
Trazyn the Infinite - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)
Hexmark Destroyer - Warhammer 40,000 Commander (40K)
Blitzwing, Cruel Tormentor // Blitzwing, Adaptive Assailant - Transformers (BOT)
Goring Warplow - The Brothers' War (BRO)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Noxious Gearhulk MTG card by a specific set like Kaladesh Inventions and Kaladesh, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Noxious Gearhulk and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Noxious Gearhulk Magic the Gathering card was released in 8 different sets between 2016-09-30 and 2023-04-21. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12016-09-30Kaladesh InventionsMPS 32015normalblackVincent Proce
22016-09-30KaladeshKLD 962015normalblackLius Lasahido
32016-09-30Kaladesh PromosPKLD 96p2015normalblackLius Lasahido
42016-09-30Kaladesh PromosPKLD 96s2015normalblackLius Lasahido
52020-11-12Kaladesh RemasteredKLR 1042015normalblackLius Lasahido
62021-04-23Commander 2021C21 1482015normalblackLius Lasahido
72022-04-29New Capenna CommanderNCC 2542015normalblackLius Lasahido
82022-11-18The Brothers' War CommanderBRC 1101997normalblackLius Lasahido
92023-04-21March of the Machine CommanderMOC 2602015normalblackLius Lasahido

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Noxious Gearhulk has restrictions

FormatLegality
HistoricbrawlLegal
HistoricLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
GladiatorLegal
PioneerLegal
CommanderLegal
ModernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
ExplorerLegal
PennyLegal
TimelessLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Noxious Gearhulk card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2016-09-20 If the target creature has indestructible, it isn't destroyed this way and you won't gain life. If it is destroyed but put into a zone other than a graveyard, you'll gain life.
2016-09-20 Use the toughness of the creature as it last existed on the battlefield to determine how much life to gain.

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