Aku Djinn MTG Card

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	5
Rarity	Rare
Type	Creature — Djinn
Abilities	Trample
Released	1997-02-03
Set symbol
Set name	Visions
Set code	VIS
Power	5
Toughness	6
Number	51
Frame	1997
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Terese Nielsen

Key Takeaways

Aku Djinn shifts board control by impacting opponent creature counts, demanding immediate counterplay.
It can handicap your hand with upkeep discards, yet this can be leveraged in certain strategies.
Despite mana and cost considerations, Aku Djinn remains a versatile addition to many decks.

Text of card

Trample During your upkeep, each opponent puts a +1/+1 counter on each creature he or she controls.

"Your arrogance amazes me, Kaervek. Did you not know the price you would pay?" —Mangara

Card Pros

Card Advantage: In the context of Aku Djinn, this mighty creature doesn’t just bring its considerable power to the battlefield; it affects each opponent’s creature count right away. In essence, the card’s disadvantage for opponents can be leveraged as a strategic advantage for the Aku Djinn controller, leading to a potential increase in board control.

Resource Acceleration: While Aku Djinn itself doesn’t directly contribute to resource acceleration, its dominant presence on the board demands immediate answers from adversaries. This can expedite the depletion of opponents’ resources, giving the player an indirect upper hand in managing the pace and flow of the game.

Instant Speed: Although Aku Djinn operates at sorcery speed, the timing of its deployment is critical. By understanding the state of the game and choosing the opportune moment to cast it, players can maximize its impact. This requires a tactical assessment of the game’s progression, aligning the summoning of Aku Djinn with a window that minimizes the opponent’s capacity for instant-speed responses.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Aku Djinn necessitates a drawback of forcing you to forfeit valuable card advantage. Each upkeep demands a discard, potentially depleting your hand just to maintain its presence on the battlefield. This can be a significant disadvantage when trying to keep up with your opponent’s plays.

Specific Mana Cost: With a heavy color weight in its mana cost, requiring three black mana, Aku Djinn may strain mana resources in multi-color decks. This specificity limits deck-building flexibility and can slow down your game if black mana sources are scarce.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Aku Djinn’s summoning cost of five mana is considerable. Considering this, you may find that there are other creatures or spells that could provide equal or greater impact for the same or lesser mana investment, especially in a pace-intensive game where every turn counts.

Reasons to Include Aku Djinn in Your Collection

Versatility: Aku Djinn’s strength lies in its ability to impact the board significantly as soon as it hits the battlefield. Its ability to distribute +1/+1 counters makes it a versatile option for decks that capitalize on counter manipulation or need a strong presence on the field.

Combo Potential: This card has great synergy with effects that benefit from creatures getting bigger or with mechanics that involve +1/+1 counters. Aku Djinn can serve as a powerful engine in a combo-centric deck, opening up avenues for explosive plays.

Meta-Relevance: Given that Aku Djinn can fit well into a variety of meta environments, especially those that lean towards aggro or mid-range tactics, having it in your arsenal means you’re well-equipped to adapt to shifting trends in competitive play. Its inherent power level can often match or overtake the commonly faced threats in many game situations.

How to beat

Aku Djinn is a formidable creature in the MTG universe with a twist that can be both a strategic advantage and a potential setback. As a 5/6 creature that automatically grants +1/+1 counters to your opponent’s creatures upon entry, it demands a tactical approach to overcome. Tackling the Aku Djinn requires a focus on removal spells or abilities that bypass the counter distribution, like targeting it directly with a “Murder” or mitigating its impact with a “Pacifism”-like enchantment.

It’s crucial to control the battlefield by utilizing spells that can exile it, such as “Path to Exile”, preventing the Djinn’s static ability from influencing the game further. Alternatively, transforming this disadvantage into your favor with a “Massacre Wurm” could turn its power against your opponent. Remember, it’s essential to either answer the Djinn quickly or strategically set the stage for your advantage before its effects can tip the scales against you.

Devising a plan to weather the initial storm and control the counter distribution can convert the Aku Djinn from a threat into an asset, illustrating the depth and complexity found in MTG’s card interactions and the strategic gameplay it promotes.

Cards like Aku Djinn

Aku Djinn is an intriguing creature card in the Magic: The Gathering arena. Its attributes can be likened to those of Juzam Djinn, one of the famous powerhouse cards from the earlier sets. Both share the concept of black creatures offering high power and toughness for a relatively low mana cost. However, Aku Djinn comes with a twist, giving your opponents a +1/+1 counter on a creature they control at the beginning of your upkeep, adding a layer of strategy to the gameplay.

Moving towards modern equivalents, Desecration Demon stands out as a similar threat. Like Aku Djinn, it boasts significant power and can dominate the battlefield. Though, rather than buffing opponent’s creatures, it provides them the option to sacrifice a creature to tap Desecration Demon and put a +1/+1 counter on it, presenting a different type of challenge for your opponents. Both cards create a precarious balance between leveraging a strong board presence and enabling opponent strategies.

In the context of game impact and creature capabilities, Aku Djinn offers a unique tactical edge through its double-edged ability, appealing to players who enjoy complex and high-risk strategies while building board states. It showcases how older cards can still provide compelling options in deck-building by contrasting with newer but similar creature designs.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Aku Djinn MTG card by a specific set like Visions, 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 Aku Djinn and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Aku Djinn has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Premodern	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Predh	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

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

Date	Text
2006-02-01	Only puts counters on creatures your opponents control, so in the Two-Headed Giant format, won’t put counters on your teammate’s creatures.