Waterspout Djinn MTG Card
1997-02-03 - Number 50
2008-11-07 - Number 11
2014-12-05 - Number 11
| Card sets | Released in 3 setsSee all |
| Mana cost | |
| Converted mana cost | 4 |
| Rarity | Uncommon |
| Type | Creature — Djinn |
| Abilities | Flying |
| Power | 4 |
| Toughness | 4 |
Key Takeaways
- Its ability to return to hand offers flexibility and maintains card advantage for sustained pressure.
- Demands careful deck construction with a blue creature base and consistent mana for optimal use.
- Strategic bouncing enables enter-the-battlefield synergies and evasion from sorcery-speed removal.
Text of card
Flying During your upkeep, return an untapped island you control to owner's hand or bury Waterspout Djinn.
"Fly us higher, out of its storm." —Sisay, Captain of the *Weatherlight*
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Waterspout Djinn can swing the momentum of a game with its ability to return to your hand during your upkeep. This recurring potential keeps your options flexible and replenishes your hand, ensuring you don’t run out of steam mid-game.
Resource Acceleration: While not directly a source of resource acceleration, Waterspout Djinn’s four-power level makes it a formidable flying threat that requires an immediate answer. Its presence can deter opponents from committing resources elsewhere, indirectly influencing the pace of the game.
Instant Speed: Although Waterspout Djinn itself does not operate at instant speed, its return ability allows you to hold up mana for other instant-speed interactions. By bouncing back to your hand, you can keep mana available for counterspells, removal, or other tricks, while still presenting a recurring threat each turn it’s recast.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Waterspout Djinn demands that you return a blue creature you control to its owner’s hand at the beginning of your upkeep. This effect can effectively diminish your board presence and disrupt synergies, especially if you’re relying on that creature’s abilities or combat strength.
Specific Mana Cost: This card’s mana cost includes a double blue mana requirement, which means it fits primarily into mono-blue or heavily blue-focused decks. Players running a multicolored deck may find this a tough fit without a consistent mana base to support it.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a four mana value, including two specific blue mana, Waterspout Djinn might be on the higher end for players looking to efficiently curve out their plays. There are many other creatures and cards that could provide more significant impact or utility for the same or less mana investment.
Reasons to Include Waterspout Djinn in Your Collection
Versatility: Waterspout Djinn offers a unique blend of aerial power and utility. As a flying creature, it can be a consistent source of damage and can fit into decks that capitalize on evasive abilities. It’s also a viable option for blue-based control or midrange decks seeking a robust finisher.
Combo Potential: This Djinn can synergize with cards that play off of flying creatures or those that benefit from returning creatures to a player’s hand. The ability to bounce it back at the end of your turn opens up opportunities for enter-the-battlefield effects or saving it from removal.
Meta-Relevance: In environments where flying creatures dominate or where the ability to dodge sorcery-speed removal is crucial, Waterspout Djinn can carve out a niche. Especially in a tempo deck, this Djinn can be a thorn in the side of slower, ground-based strategies.
How to beat
Waterspout Djinn poses a flying threat on the battlefield, offering aerial dominance in the game of MTG. Beating this card centers on limiting its time in the air and mitigating its impact. To counter this formidable Djinn, Instant speed removal spells are particularly effective, allowing players to remove the threat on their opponent’s turn before it can swing for damage.
Incorporating spells like Murder or Fatal Push, which can handle a creature regardless of its size at a manageable cost, could be key in keeping the Djinn at bay. Enchantment-based removal such as Pacifism or Deep Freeze can also neutralize Waterspout Djinn without having to destroy it, effectively grounding the threat and rendering its flying ability useless.
Furthermore, utilizing creatures with reach or those with abilities that can block flying creatures offers a defensive approach to stave off Waterspout Djinn attacks. With these strategies, you can shift the tide, control the skies, and keep your opponent’s Djinns in check, giving you the upper hand in your MTG matches.
Cards like Waterspout Djinn
The Waterspout Djinn is an interesting creature card in MTG that brings to mind other flyers with additional effects. When you compare it to Mahamoti Djinn, a classic flyer in blue, the Waterspout Djinn stands out with its cheaper cost but comes with the downside of returning it to your hand during your upkeeps unless you pay an additional cost. This particular feature gives a tempo playstyle, cycling the creature in and out of play.
Looking at Air Elemental, another blue creature staple, the Waterspout Djinn offers a more complex tactical layer. Air Elemental simply provides a solid flying presence, but Waterspout Djinn’s recurring cost can be used strategically, albeit posing a threat of card disadvantage if not managed well. Surrakar Banisher is another card that shares some similarity, offering both a body and an additional effect upon entering the battlefield, but without the ongoing upkeep cost. It’s a trade-off between potential repeated utility and board presence stability.
To sum up, the Waterspout Djinn can be a versatile addition or alternative for MTG players who enjoy blue flyers, endowed with a distinctive ability that can be manipulated for both advantageous and challenging game scenarios.
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Waterspout Djinn MTG card by a specific set like Visions and Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra, 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 Waterspout Djinn and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- 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
See Magic products
Printings
The Waterspout Djinn Magic the Gathering card was released in 3 different sets between 1997-02-03 and 2014-12-05. Illustrated by Thomas Gianni.
| # | Release | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1997-02-03 | Visions | VIS | 50 | 1997 | normal | black | Thomas Gianni | |
| 2 | 2008-11-07 | Duel Decks: Jace vs. Chandra | DD2 | 11 | 2003 | normal | black | Thomas Gianni | |
| 3 | 2014-12-05 | Duel Decks Anthology: Jace vs. Chandra | JVC | 11 | 2015 | normal | black | Thomas Gianni |
Legalities
Magic the Gathering formats where Waterspout Djinn has restrictions
| Format | Legality |
|---|---|
| Commander | Legal |
| Legacy | Legal |
| Paupercommander | Restricted |
| Oathbreaker | Legal |
| Premodern | Legal |
| Vintage | Legal |
| Duel | Legal |
| Predh | Legal |
| Penny | Legal |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Waterspout Djinn 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 | You choose a land to return and return it during resolution of the upkeep triggered ability. This means if you have two Waterspout Djinns, they must each return different Islands. |
