Aladdin's Lamp MTG Card
1993-12-17 - Number 56
1994-04-01 - Number 231
1994-04-01 - Number 231
1994-06-21 - Number 231
1995-04-01 - Number 291
1995-04-01 - Number 291
| Card sets | Released in 6 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 10 |
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Artifact |
Text of card
oo X Instead of drawing a card from the top of your library, draw X cards but choose only one to put in your hand. You must shuffle the leftover cards and put them at the bottom of your library.
Cards like Aladdin's Lamp
Aladdin’s Lamp is a unique artifact in the realm of MTG, boasting a distinctive mechanic that allows the manipulation of card draw. When examining its counterparts, we encounter cards like Jayemdae Tome, which offers straightforward card advantage without the manipulation aspect. Aladdin’s Lamp, however, demands a hefty investment of mana to potentially improve the quality of your draws. While Jayemdae Tome has a more immediate impact on the game state, Aladdin’s Lamp can set up more powerful future turns if one is willing to commit the resources.
Talking about resource exchange, Crystal Ball is another artifact that shares the theme of manipulating draws. It offers scrying, providing partial control over upcoming cards without the same mana intensity as Aladdin’s Lamp. This scrying can be a more cost-effective way to shape future draws, though it lacks the Lamp’s raw power to outright fetch the next useful card. It’s about balance: whether to allocate a lot of mana for a single, high-impact use or to spread it out for consistent, smaller advantages.
Ultimately, Aladdin’s Lamp can provide unparalleled card selection in the right circumstances, aligning with those players willing to invest heavily in late-game payoff. It carves its niche among similar MTG artifacts by offering a broader – albeit more expensive – manipulation of one’s fate through the deck.
Cards similar to Aladdin's Lamp by color, type and mana cost
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Aladdin’s Lamp provides a unique form of card advantage. By paying X and tapping, where X is the cost of the top card of your library, you can swap it with another. This ability can help sift through your deck to find the cards you need, ultimately enhancing your strategic options on the battlefield.
Resource Acceleration: Although Aladdin’s Lamp itself doesn’t directly generate additional mana, it paves the way for smarter use of the resources you do have. By efficiently planning your mana allocation, you can optimize your draws and set up for powerful turns, making every resource count.
Instant Speed: While Aladdin’s Lamp doesn’t operate at instant speed, it offers flexibility akin to instant-speed actions by not committing to specific mana costs upfront. This can lead to more dynamic play, allowing you to adapt to the evolving game state and utilize your mana efficiently across multiple phases of your turn.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: To activate Aladdin’s Lamp’s ability, a player has to invest not only a substantial amount of mana but also dedicate a card slot in their deck that could potentially be used for more immediately impactful cards. This means each use of the lamp comes at the cost of not playing another card that turn.
Specific Mana Cost: Aladdin’s Lamp demands ten mana to use its ability, and because of its colorless identity, it competes for space with other universally applicable mana-intensive cards, which can make deck optimization challenging.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With an initial cost of ten mana to cast, and an additional ten to use its ability, the Lamp’s prohibitive mana requirements often outweigh the tactical advantage provided by the card, especially when considering the pace of the current meta where efficiency and speed are key.
Reasons to Include Aladdin’s Lamp in Your Collection
Versatility: Aladdin’s Lamp offers a unique approach to deck manipulation. It enables players to sift through their decks to find the perfect answer or threat, adaptively shaping their game plan.
Combo Potential: This artifact synergizes with strategies built around high mana generation, allowing for potentially game-ending combos that could turn the tides in your favor.
Meta-Relevance: Understanding your metagame is crucial, and in environments where long game strategies prevail, Aladdin’s Lamp can be a formidable tool to outmaneuver slower, more controlling decks with its ability to consistently access key cards.
How to beat
Aladdin’s Lamp is a unique artifact in the realm of Magic: The Gathering with a mana-intensive ability that lets players manipulate their draws. Its high casting and activation costs mean that opponents often have time to formulate a response. To effectively counter this card, consider using artifact destruction spells like Shatter or Naturalize to remove it from the battlefield before it can significantly impact the game flow.
Alternatively, use enchantments like Stony Silence or Karn, the Great Creator’s activated ability to prevent Aladdin’s Lamp’s ability from being used. In faster-paced games, applying pressure through aggressive strategies can overwhelm a player relying on Aladdin’s Lamp. As they invest in mana to utilize the lamp’s power, exploit openings to advance your board presence. Efficient resource management is vital, as overextending to deal with Aladdin’s Lamp can leave you vulnerable elsewhere.
Lastly, employing strategies that don’t depend on the top-deck, such as graveyard-based play, can negate the advantage Aladdin’s Lamp offers. Adapting your game plan to operate independently of the card draw order helps to sidestep the lamp’s primary strength. In sum, while Aladdin’s Lamp may appear daunting, its high-cost nature provides ample opportunities to outmaneuver its capabilities.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Aladdin's Lamp MTG card by a specific set like Arabian Nights and Foreign Black Border, 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 Aladdin's Lamp and other MTG cards:
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- eBay
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
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Printings
The Aladdin's Lamp Magic the Gathering card was released in 6 different sets between 1993-12-17 and 1995-04-01. Illustrated by Mark Tedin.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1993-12-17 | Arabian Nights | ARN | 56 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Mark Tedin | |
| 2 | 1994-04-01 | Foreign Black Border | FBB | 231 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Mark Tedin | |
| 3 | 1994-04-01 | Revised Edition | 3ED | 231 | 1993 | Normal | White | Mark Tedin | |
| 4 | 1994-06-21 | Summer Magic / Edgar | SUM | 231 | 1993 | Normal | White | Mark Tedin | |
| 5 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border | 4BB | 291 | 1993 | Normal | Black | Mark Tedin | |
| 6 | 1995-04-01 | Fourth Edition | 4ED | 291 | 1993 | Normal | White | Mark Tedin |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Aladdin's Lamp has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Oldschool | Legal |
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Aladdin's Lamp card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2004-10-04 | If you use more than one Lamp effect, the second one will end up replacing the card being drawn with the first one. |