Combustible Gearhulk
Artifact Creature — Construct
First strike
When this creature enters, target opponent may have you draw three cards. If the player doesn't, you mill three cards, then this creature deals damage to that player equal to the total mana value of those cards.
- CMC
- 6
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- mythic
- Set
- Duskmourn: House of Horror Commander
- Price
- $0.34
- EDHREC rank
- #1001
Combustible Gearhulk lands as a 6/6 first striker and immediately forces your opponent to give you three cards or eat damage equal to their combined mana values — either outcome is useful. The catch is that the opponent controls which mode they hand you, so against a savvy player with a healthy life total, you'll get the draw denied at exactly the wrong moment.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Dr. Eggman
Dr. Eggman's artifact-matters engine wants high-impact artifacts that generate value the turn they arrive, and Combustible Gearhulk delivers a threatening body plus a forced choice before removal can answer it.
Alena, Kessig Trapper // Gilanra, Caller of Wirewood
Alena, Kessig Trapper // Gilanra, Caller of Wirewood cares about power and mana generation, and Combustible Gearhulk's 6 power feeds Alena's tap ability the same turn it enters, immediately converting the Gearhulk into additional mana.
Feldon of the Third Path
Feldon of the Third Path reanimates artifact creatures from the graveyard as tokens, so once Combustible Gearhulk hits the bin it becomes a repeatable forced-choice engine — Feldon triggers the ETB every turn at a steep discount.
Tannuk, Steadfast Second
Tannuk, Steadfast Second rewards running large artifact creatures, and Combustible Gearhulk's high mana value means the damage mode swings hard when an opponent declines to let the cards through.
Megatron, Tyrant
Megatron, Tyrant's Decepticon-matters theme leans on powerful artifact creatures, and Combustible Gearhulk slots in as a top-end threat that generates value independent of whether Megatron is on the battlefield.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | not legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | not legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
Combustible Gearhulk is legal in Commander, Legacy, Modern, Pioneer, Vintage, and Oathbreaker, but its competitive footprint outside Commander is essentially zero — six mana is a death sentence in Legacy and Vintage, and Modern and Pioneer have cleaner six-drop payoffs. Commander is where it lives, and even there it occupies a specific lane: decks that either loop ETBs (Feldon of the Third Path, reanimator shells) or need a high-mana-value artifact body for synergy math. In a straight goodstuff red deck it's merely fine, because the opponent will always take the worse-for-you mode when it matters most.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.34 bulk tier
At $0.34, Combustible Gearhulk is firmly bulk, and that price reflects its narrow competitive window accurately. It's a safe pickup for synergy-specific builds without any meaningful financial downside, but don't expect the price to move — supply is deep and the card doesn't see enough cross-format demand to push it out of the bulk bin.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Dr. Eggman
- Alena, Kessig Trapper // Gilanra, Caller of Wirewood
- Feldon of the Third Path
- Tannuk, Steadfast Second
- Megatron, Tyrant
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.