Aladdin MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 4 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost4
RarityRare
TypeCreature — Human Rogue
Power 1
Toughness 1

Key Takeaways

  1. Aladdin can turn the tide by claiming important artifacts from opponents, providing a strategic advantage.
  2. Despite its power, Aladdin requires careful planning due to mana specificity and discard costs.
  3. Its unique artistry theft makes Aladdin a worthwhile addition for decks focusing on artifacts.

Text of card

o1o Ro R and tap to take control of an artifact from opponent. Artifact is returned when Aladdin is removed from play or when game ends.


Card Pros

Card Advantage: Aladdin offers a unique form of card advantage by allowing you to take control of artifacts your opponents have on the battlefield. This effectively diminishes your opponent’s resources while potentially increasing your own, giving you an edge as the game progresses.

Resource Acceleration: Through Aladdin, you gain the ability to wield your opponent’s artifacts as if they were your own. This can lead to significant resource acceleration if you manage to claim artifacts that produce mana or have cost-reducing effects.

Instant Speed: While Aladdin himself doesn’t operate at instant speed, the artifacts you may control as a result of his ability can be activated at instant speed provided their own abilities allow it. This opens up strategic options to disrupt your opponent’s plays during their turn or end step.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Aladdin requires players to discard a card which may not always be conducive to maintaining hand advantage, especially in tight game situations where card resources are crucial.

Specific Mana Cost: Aladdin’s casting cost demands both red and generic mana, hence players will need to tailor their mana base accordingly, potentially limiting the card’s inclusion in multi-colored or non-red-centric decks.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Allocating four mana to bring Aladdin into play can be taxing, particularly when other cards in the same cost bracket could potentially offer more immediate board presence or impact. This can make Aladdin a less appealing choice in metagames that favor quicker plays or lower mana curves.


Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Aladdin can seamlessly adapt to various deck types, its ability to steal artifacts making it particularly useful in environments where artifacts are prevalent.

Combo Potential: This card can be a key component in building synergies, especially in conjunction with artifacts that have tap or sacrifice abilities, opening the door to numerous combo opportunities.

Meta-Relevance: In metagames where artifacts play a pivotal role, Aladdin’s unique skill set becomes increasingly valuable, potentially disrupting your opponents’ strategies while fortifying your own.


How to beat

Aladdin, a unique card in Magic: The Gathering, brings a somewhat niche but potent ability to the table — the power to take control of your opponent’s artifacts. While Aladdin’s presence can shift the balance on the battlefield, there are several strategies you can employ to negate its impact. Artifacts that are immune to targeting effects, like those with hexproof, naturally bypass Aladdin’s grasping reach. Moreover, having instant-speed removal allows you to react before Aladdin can take advantage of the stolen goods, keeping the board in your favor. It’s also shrewd to manage your artifacts’ deployment when facing a deck that could potentially house Aladdin, ensuring not to overextend and present a treasure trove for your opponent to commandeer.

A well-timed counterspell or artifact sacrifice can also render Aladdin’s ability fruitless, the former preventing it from entering the battlefield and the latter removing your own artifact from the game in response, depriving Aladdin of its target. By keeping these measures at the ready and considering the capabilities of your opponent’s deck, you can maintain supremacy over your treasured artifacts and send Aladdin’s schemes up in smoke.


Cards like Aladdin

The allure of the Aladdin card in Magic: The Gathering stems from its unique ability to snatch artifacts away from opponents. This ability bears similarities to cards like Dack Fayden, who also has the power to gain control of enemy artifacts. The distinction lies in Aladdin’s requirement for a tap and mana investment to perpetuate the thievery, whereas Dack can embezzle immediately due to his planeswalker status.

Looking into the broader realm of red cards, we encounter Zealous Conscripts, which offers a temporary but broader theft ability. Unlike Aladdin, which fixates on artifacts, Zealous Conscripts can target any permanent, which includes creatures and even planeswalkers the turn it comes into play. This creates opportunities for more direct impact plays during a game.

Overall, while Aladdin might not provide the instant gratification or wide-reaching theft abilities of its counterparts, its recurrent use in purloining artifacts can be a strategic advantage in the long game. Therefore, Aladdin’s potency as an artifact control card ensures its place in the roster of MTG’s thievery-themed cards with a niche focus.

Dack Fayden - MTG Card versions
Zealous Conscripts - MTG Card versions
Dack Fayden - Conspiracy (CNS)
Zealous Conscripts - Avacyn Restored (AVR)

Cards similar to Aladdin by color, type and mana cost

Dragon Whelp - MTG Card versions
Keldon Warlord - MTG Card versions
Crimson Manticore - MTG Card versions
Márton Stromgald - MTG Card versions
Reckless Embermage - MTG Card versions
Wildfire Emissary - MTG Card versions
Flowstone Giant - MTG Card versions
Rathi Dragon - MTG Card versions
Mogg Bombers - MTG Card versions
Warmonger - MTG Card versions
Bloodfire Kavu - MTG Card versions
Whipkeeper - MTG Card versions
Anger - MTG Card versions
Nalathni Dragon - MTG Card versions
Everquill Phoenix - MTG Card versions
Goblin Goon - MTG Card versions
Lesser Gargadon - MTG Card versions
Krark-Clan Engineers - MTG Card versions
Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - MTG Card versions
Ogre Taskmaster - MTG Card versions
Dragon Whelp - Limited Edition Beta (LEB)
Keldon Warlord - Collectors' Edition (CED)
Crimson Manticore - Fourth Edition Foreign Black Border (4BB)
Márton Stromgald - Ice Age (ICE)
Reckless Embermage - Mirage (MIR)
Wildfire Emissary - Mirage (MIR)
Flowstone Giant - Tempest (TMP)
Rathi Dragon - Tempest (TMP)
Mogg Bombers - Stronghold (STH)
Warmonger - Mercadian Masques (MMQ)
Bloodfire Kavu - Apocalypse (APC)
Whipkeeper - Odyssey (ODY)
Anger - Judgment (JUD)
Nalathni Dragon - Magic Online Promos (PRM)
Everquill Phoenix - Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (IKO)
Goblin Goon - Legions (LGN)
Lesser Gargadon - Eighth Edition (8ED)
Krark-Clan Engineers - Fifth Dawn (5DN)
Shimatsu the Bloodcloaked - Champions of Kamigawa (CHK)
Ogre Taskmaster - Ninth Edition (9ED)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aladdin 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 Aladdin and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Aladdin Magic the Gathering card was released in 4 different sets between 1993-12-17 and 2011-01-10. Illustrated by Julie Baroh.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11993-12-17Arabian NightsARN 341993normalblackJulie Baroh
21995-07-01ChroniclesCHR 441993normalwhiteJulie Baroh
31995-08-01RinascimentoRIN 701993normalblackJulie Baroh
42011-01-10Masters Edition IVME4 1061997normalblackJulie Baroh

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aladdin has restrictions

FormatLegality
OldschoolLegal
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderRestricted
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Aladdin 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 Aladdin’s ability can take control of more than one artifact, although only one each time the ability is used.
2008-08-01 You do not lose control of the permanent if it stops being an artifact. The validity of the target is checked only on announcement and resolution of the ability.

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