Erhnam Djinn MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 10 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Djinn
Power 4
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Erhnam Djinn provides a substantial 4/5 body for just four mana, presenting early game threats and dominating the board.
  2. Its downside requires strategic hand and board management, often presenting a double-edged sword in deck construction.
  3. Erhnam Djinn remains a versatile and powerful card that can find its place in various MTG deck archetypes.

Text of card

During your upkeep, you must choose one of opponent's non-wall creatures in play. Until your next upkeep, that creature gains the forestwalk ability. If opponent has no creatures, ignore this effect.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While the Erhnam Djinn might not directly allow you to draw cards, its formidable 4/5 body can dominate the battlefield, providing a consistent threat that can lead to an indirect card advantage. Having a powerful creature onboard forces your opponent to deal with it, potentially using up more resources than they’d like.

Resource Acceleration: Costing just four mana makes Erhnam Djinn an efficient play. Summoning such a high-impact creature early in the game can accelerate the pressure you apply, compelling your opponent to respond quickly or fall behind. This card slides into the board swiftly, serving as a catalyst for your winning strategy.

Instant Speed: While Erhnam Djinn itself does not have an instant speed ability, its presence influences how your opponent will play their instants and other spells. The mere threat of activating its potential on your turn can force instant-speed responses which might not align with your opponent’s optimal play sequence.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One substantial downside to the Erhnam Djinn card is that while it offers considerable power, it requires you to discard another card from your hand to unleash it. This could set you back by depleting valuable hand resources, particularly if you’re running low or holding onto key strategic cards for later use.

Specific Mana Cost: The Erhnam Djinn demands a specific combination of mana to play: three generic and one green. This requirement can be restrictive as it necessitates a certain color alignment in your deck, potentially limiting its widespread inclusion to decks that heavily feature green mana or have efficient mana fixing capabilities.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Four mana might not be exorbitant, but in a game where every turn matters, the cost of deploying Erhnam Djinn could be considered steep relative to other creatures in its league. There are alternatives in the same mana cost bracket that could offer either more powerful effects or creatures with additional abilities, likely providing a better cost-to-benefit ratio.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Erhnam Djinn can seamlessly adapt to a variety of deck archetypes. Its power allows it to serve as a formidable threat in green-based aggro or midrange decks, while its drawback is often negligible in the right build.

Combo Potential: This card has natural synergy with effects that neutralize or take advantage of its downside, such as those that prevent or redirect the forestwalking ability it grants to opposing creatures.

Meta-Relevance: As metagames evolve, Erhnam Djinn’s powerful presence on the board keeps it pertinent. Whether the meta favors creature-heavy builds or not, having a 4/5 body that can be cast on turn four is always a considerable advantage.


How to beat

Erhnam Djinn holds a venerable place among Magic the Gathering creatures, notorious for its high power level that comes with the cost of granting an opposing land the ability to produce an unblockable creature. Understanding its strength and limitation is key to outmaneuvering this classic card. Its strength lies in the powerful 4/5 body able to dominate the battlefield if left unchecked. However, its downside is a strategic entry point for players facing this Djinn.

To effectively combat Erhnam Djinn, one could employ removal spells targeting creatures, such as Doom Blade or Path to Exile, before the Djinn can leverage its power. In a broader strategy, control decks that limit creature abilities can also rein in the Djinn’s advantage, using cards like Propaganda or Ghostly Prison to make attacks less viable. Additionally, leveraging the Djinn’s forced land enchantment can turn the tide—a tactful player can use this to their benefit, designating a land that isn’t essential or using the enchanted land to fuel their own strategies.

Overall, beating Erhnam Djinn requires a mix of direct answers to remove it and savvy play, turning its downside into an unexpected boon, or at least a manageable hurdle in the grander scheme of the game.


Cards like Erhnam Djinn

The Erhnam Djinn has been a long-standing figure in the annals of Magic: The Gathering, especially among creatures that offer a significant amount of power for their mana cost. This Djinn, like other cards such as Serra Angel, stands out for its ability to affect the board with its considerable size. However, unlike the angel, the Djinn comes with a drawback, compelling you to permit an opponent to forestwalk.

Analogous to Erhnam Djinn is the iconic Shivan Dragon, which offers flexibility with its fire-breathing ability, allowing incremental increases in power. While the dragon doesn’t come with a forestwalk enabling drawback, it does come with a higher mana cost. There’s also the Juzam Djinn, known for its raw power and toughness with the downside of dealing damage to its controller every turn, much like the trade-off seen with Erhnam Djinn’s forestwalk condition.

In essence, when comparing these cards, Erhnam Djinn is recognized for its cost-effective natural power which can greatly influence the game’s dynamics, despite the potential strategic disadvantage its drawback might introduce.

Serra Angel - MTG Card versions
Shivan Dragon - MTG Card versions
Serra Angel - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)
Shivan Dragon - Limited Edition Alpha (LEA)

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Giant Spider - Tenth Edition (10E)
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Fungusaur - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Viridian Lorebearers - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Monkey Monkey Monkey - Unhinged (UNH)
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Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Erhnam Djinn MTG card by a specific set like Arabian Nights and Chronicles, 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 Erhnam Djinn and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Erhnam Djinn Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 1993-12-17 and 2014-06-16. Illustrated by 3 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-12-17Arabian NightsARN 481993normalblackKen Meyer, Jr.
21995-07-01ChroniclesCHR 641993normalwhiteKen Meyer, Jr.
31995-08-01RinascimentoRIN 1181993normalblackKen Meyer, Jr.
41996-05-02Pro Tour Collector SetPTC et641993normalgoldKen Meyer, Jr.
51996-05-02Pro Tour Collector SetPTC bl641993normalgoldKen Meyer, Jr.
61996-05-02Pro Tour Collector SetPTC pp641993normalgoldKen Meyer, Jr.
71996-05-02Pro Tour Collector SetPTC gb641993normalgoldKen Meyer, Jr.
82000-10-01Beatdown Box SetBTD 541997normalblackDave Dorman
92002-05-27JudgmentJUD 1131997normalblackGreg Staples
102014-06-16Vintage MastersVMA 2072015normalblackGreg Staples

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Erhnam Djinn has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Erhnam Djinn card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

DateText
2004-10-04 If there are no creatures your opponent controls to target at the beginning of your upkeep, ignore this ability.
2004-10-04 If you have more than one Djinn, you can have all of them target the same creature with their ability.
2004-10-04 In multiplayer games you can choose a different player’s creature each upkeep. You are forced to pick a creature that some opponent controls if there is at least one creature on the battlefield that is a legal target.

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