In carboniferous system of Dzungaria basin, the hard igneous rock greatly decreases the drilling velocity. Gas drilling is probably the only technology to overcome this problem. However, the applicability of gas drilling technology should be investigated first. It was studied by analyzing the rock strength both experimentally and theoretically. Stress status of many rock elements near well face was tested which showed a 2D compression status rather than 3D in conventional slurry drilling technology conditions. Therefore there was a horizontal stress for underground rocks, in a similar magnitude with upper burden pressure. The domination of the confining pressure, different with normal conditions, may mislead the selection of the failure criterion. We proved the correction of the Mohr-coulomb criterion as the most suitable failure criterion in gas drilling conditions. As a result, the applicability of gas drilling technology in Carboniferous system of Dzungaria basin was concluded.