Djinn Illuminatus MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 7 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost7
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Djinn
Abilities Flying
Power 3
Toughness 5

Key Takeaways

  1. Djinn Illuminatus can double the effects of spells, offering a tactical edge over opponents.
  2. Its replicate ability is flexible, triggering at instant speed for strategic adaptability.
  3. Despite its strengths, Djinn Illuminatus’s high mana cost poses a serious deck-building challenge.

Text of card

({U/R} can be paid with either or .) Flying Each instant and sorcery spell you cast has replicate. The replicate cost is equal to its mana cost. (When you cast it, copy it for each time you paid its replicate cost. You may choose new targets for the copies.)


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Djinn Illuminatus grants you the ability to duplicate any instant or sorcery spell you cast as long as you have the mana, essentially doubling the outcome and potential impact on the game. This can quickly overwhelm opponents with numerous spells and create significant advantages.

Resource Acceleration: While the Djinn itself doesn’t produce mana, its replicate ability can be used strategically to copy spells that generate resources. This synergy can lead to explosive turns where you accelerate your resources well beyond your opponent’s capabilities.

Instant Speed: The Djinn’s replicate effect applies at any time you could cast the original spell, allowing for instant speed interactions. This flexibility lets you adapt to the changing game board and catch your opponents off guard, making it a versatile tool in any spell-heavy deck.


Card Cons

Specific Mana Cost: Djinn Illuminatus comes with a demanding mana requirement, necessitating both red and blue sources. This could pose deck-building restrictions, favoring only players who consistently invest in a two-color mana base or more.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Clocking in at seven mana, Djinn Illuminatus’s cost to cast is steep. This draws a stark comparison to other creatures or spells in its mana range, which could present themselves as more immediately impactful on the game state.

Discard Requirement: While not directly requiring a discard, Djinn Illuminatus emphasizes a heavy reliance on holding a hand filled with instants and sorceries to exploit its replicate ability. In instances where your hand is depleted, its effectiveness correspondingly diminishes.


Reasons to Include Djinn Illuminatus in Your Collection

Versatility: Djinn Illuminatus offers a unique flexibility to any deck that thrives on casting instants and sorceries. With its ability to replicate spells, this card can seamlessly adapt to a wide array of strategic plays, making it an asset in various deck builds.

Combo Potential: The prowess of Djinn Illuminatus in combination plays is remarkable. By leveraging its replicate ability, you can turn a single spell into a barrage, providing plentiful opportunities to synergize with cards that trigger upon casting spells or those looking to achieve a critical mass of instants and sorceries.

Meta-Relevance: Djinn Illuminatus’s worth in the current metagame cannot be understated, particularly in environments that encourage spell-heavy decks. As metas shift and spell-slinger strategies fluctuate in prevalence, the Djinn maintains its relevance by enhancing spell-based offenses and defenses, keeping your deck’s tactics both unpredictable and formidable.


How to Beat Djinn Illuminatus

Djinn Illuminatus can be a formidable card in MTG due to its replicate ability, allowing you to copy instant or sorcery spells for each time you’ve paid the replicate cost. It’s a game-changer in decks that favor casting numerous spells in a single turn. To effectively counter this, consider using instant-speed removal spells before the opponent can pay the replicate cost or amass enough mana to fully utilize the Djinn’s ability.

Cards like Path to Exile or Rapid Hybridization provide efficient solutions, as they can exile or destroy the Djinn before it becomes a major threat. Another strategy involves countering the original spell with cards like Counterspell or Mana Leak, which will prevent the replication process entirely. Lastly, employing graveyard disruption tactics with spells such as Tormod’s Crypt can hinder strategies that aim to bring the Djinn back for another round. Always remember, keeping the board clear and staying one step ahead of your opponent’s mana curve is key to triumph against Djinn Illuminatus.


Cards like Djinn Illuminatus

Djinn Illuminatus stands out in the MTG multiverse for its ability to replicate spells, a unique feature that inspirits many Izzet guild fans. This characteristic is eerily similar to cards like Echo Mage which also lets you duplicate spells, though it requires level up to augment its copying ability. Unlike Djinn Illuminatus, Echo Mage starts with lower initial impact but offers potential growth as the game progresses.

Melek, Izzet Paragon, presents a comparative analysis. It allows you to copy instant and sorcery spells if they’re played from the top of your library. While this does confer a strategic advantage, Djinn Illuminatus doesn’t require setup to begin copying spells, offering immediate and consistent value. On the other end of the spectrum lies Mirari, an artifact that, similar to Illuminatus, duplicates spells. However, it focuses on gleaming value from big, singular plays rather than a potential flurry of replicated spells with proliferate options from the Djinn.

Assessing the compendium of MTG replicating effects, Djinn Illuminatus fares well. It provides a blanket effect that is both immediate and unrestricted in terms of spell location, making it a card with limitless possibilities for those seeking to echo their way to victory.

Echo Mage - MTG Card versions
Melek, Izzet Paragon - MTG Card versions
Mirari - MTG Card versions
Echo Mage - Rise of the Eldrazi (ROE)
Melek, Izzet Paragon - Dragon's Maze Promos (PDGM)
Mirari - Odyssey (ODY)

Cards similar to Djinn Illuminatus by color, type and mana cost

Gut, Devious Fanatic - MTG Card versions
Ovika, Enigma Goliath - MTG Card versions
Frost Fair Lure Fish - MTG Card versions
Kylox, Visionary Inventor - MTG Card versions
Gut, Devious Fanatic - Alchemy Horizons: Baldur's Gate (HBG)
Ovika, Enigma Goliath - Phyrexia: All Will Be One (ONE)
Frost Fair Lure Fish - Doctor Who (WHO)
Kylox, Visionary Inventor - Murders at Karlov Manor Promos (PMKM)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Djinn Illuminatus MTG card by a specific set like Magic Online Promos and Guildpact Promos, 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 Djinn Illuminatus and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Djinn Illuminatus Magic the Gathering card was released in 7 different sets between 2006-02-03 and 2020-04-17. Illustrated by 2 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12002-06-24Magic Online PromosPRM 320292003normalblackMichael Sutfin
22006-02-03Guildpact PromosPGPT 142★2003normalblackMichael Sutfin
32006-02-03GuildpactGPT 1422003normalblackCarl Critchlow
42012-09-07Duel Decks: Izzet vs. GolgariDDJ 122003normalblackCarl Critchlow
52018-11-02GRN Guild KitGK1 362015normalblackCarl Critchlow
62020-04-17Commander 2020C20 2102015normalblackCarl Critchlow
72020-09-26The ListPLST GPT-2102003normalblackCarl Critchlow

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Djinn Illuminatus has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal
PennyLegal

Rules and information

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

DateText
2006-02-01 If you cast a spell that already has replicate while you have this creature on the battlefield, the spell will have two replicate abilities: one with a replicate cost as printed on it, and one with a replicate cost equal to its mana cost. (In this set, both costs are always the same.) You may use either ability, or both abilities, to replicate the spell.
2006-02-01 If you cast an instant or sorcery spell that has in its mana cost, the value of X in the spell’s replicate cost will be the same as the value of X you chose for its mana cost.

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