Coalstoke Gearhulk – Aetherdrift
Date Reviewed: March 4, 2025
Ratings:
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4
Limited: 4.13
Multiplayer: 3.88
Commander [EDH]: 4
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
The first thing I thought of on reading this card was Cauldron Dance. It’s not entirely similar, though it’s funny that there are now two different black-red cards that basically throw something out of the graveyard at an opponent. Coalstoke Gearhulk is the more generally-useful of the pair – it doesn’t have a timing restriction, it can do other things if there’s no good targets, and it adds its own keywords to the reanimated creature. If you need some kind of weird timing tricks, then obviously Cauldron Dance shines, but there’s really no downside to the Gearhulk apart from its highly specific mana cost. It’s also worth noting that unlike most temporary reanimation spells, you keep the creature for a whole turn cycle, making it surprisingly good on defense and perhaps even tricky. Having tried to fight through Mystical Teachings control decks with random 2/2s while being told that Gruul and Rakdos “have plenty”, I love that this color combination is ever more able to play like that.
Constructed: 4
Casual: 4
Limited: 4
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
A second life for something once killed, Coalstoke Gearhulk is an interesting trigger. The revival trigger can fish back a creature in any graveyard and eliminate it for good afterwards. Haste, menace, and deathtouch can definitely leave a mark with the right creature, and the Gearhulk is a potent attacker when the time comes with deathtouch and menace to plow through armies. The heavy color demand is definitely a sticking point, but this is definitely a potent weapon if you deploy it at the right time.
Constructed: 4 (great if you call the shot, but can be awkward to deploy besides)
Casual: 4
Limited: 4.25
Multiplayer: 3.75
Commander [EDH]: 4
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