Pyrewood Gearhulk – Aetherdrift
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2025
Ratings:
Constructed: 3.63
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4.13
Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale. 1 is bad. 3 is average. 5 is great.
Reviews Below:
Speaking of cards with utterly enviable efficiency, Pyrewood Gearhulk has some jaw-dropping stats, probably even for players jaded by some recent powerful creatures. We’ve been seeing some interesting Overrun / Craterhoof Behemoth variants on creatures recently, and this one definitely punches well above its mana cost. Granting menace is easy to forget about if you’re used to the trample variants, but just as effective; and granting vigilance makes it very relevant in multiplayer. One thing I will say is that if you end up using it (or being forced to use it) as “just” a six-mana 7/7 with those keywords, there are slightly more ways for opponents to mitigate that and make a comeback than if you have enough creatures to overwhelm them. If that’s its only disadvantage, though, the card is in a good place indeed.
Constructed: 3.5
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4
Pyrewood Gearhulk is probably the most unusual of the new Gearhulk cycle in that this one is clearly meant to be a top-end finisher, thanks to its Overrun + Skullcrack effect. In particular, that last bit of text is an excellent way to mitigate one of the few things that will stop the likes of Craterhoof Behemoth, the premier version of this effect, and while it itself lacks haste, it does offer a pretty formidable body for the following turn as well as a combination of keywords that can both pry open defenses and keep yours from being opened up if things go awry. The color-heavy cost matters slightly less at six mana (it’s not irrelevant, but you’ll oft have the fixing by that point), and while this is maybe the weakest of the five gearhulks in a vacuum, this is probably the biggest threat to end a game immediately on resolution…so long as you have the means to capitalize on it.
Constructed: 3.75
Casual: 4.5
Limited: 5
Multiplayer: 4
Commander [EDH]: 4.25
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