Djinn

Djinn
Soulblade Djinn
Creature Type
(Subtype for creature/kindred cards)
Introduced	Arabian Nights
Last used	Tarkir: Dragonstorm
Beeble Scale	4
Scryfall Statistics
cards
token creation cards
artworks

Djinn is a creature type used for cards that depict certain spirits of air or fire, commonly forced into slavery by mortal beings to utilize their immense magical powers, usually in the form of a "wish;" as well as the infernal spirits with a fiery appearance known as "efreets."

Description

Although some djinn will grant wishes, sorcerers or sahirs usually bind djinn to have them in servitude for a longer time, not just until their wishes are granted. A djinn must be bound to a magical object such as a ring, lamp, cauldron, or bottle, and must be weaker than its master. A djinn will seize any opportunity to attack the Sahir if it senses that it has an advantage. Also, some djinn are so powerful that they can break free after a certain number of days in slavery. They are highly intelligent and will remember the masters that treated them kindly and those that did otherwise. Many djinn smell vaguely of smoke.

Note that Efreets used to be considered separate creature types in Magic, while they in historical sources sometimes are considered a subclass of djinns. The first djinns and Efreeti were featured in the Arabian Nights set. While they were printed over all colors except white with a lean towards blue, after Judgment all new Djinns were blue-aligned (barring the zombie Silumgar Butcher and the Mirage call-back red Emberwilde Captain). Beginning with Modern Horizons 3, Efreet was retired as a creature type and combined with Djinn.

Djinn replaced sphinxes as blue's iconic species on Dominaria. They also appeared in Khans of Tarkir block as the resident blue race of the Jeskai Way, again replacing Sphinxes.

Storyline

A typical Djinn

Arcavios

The Djinn of Arcavios are blue-skinned, slim, and with pointy ears. They don't need to sleep. Those who go to Strixhaven are affiliated with Prismari.

Dominaria

A Kookus from Dominaria

The Djinn of Dominaria are fickle tricksters whom foolhardy mortals seek to imprison and bind to their will.

Aku djinns

The Aku Djinns were fierce and flesh-hungry but used by the people of Zhalfir as protectors of the city-tomb Aku. Although the flavor text of the card could be interpreted otherwise; the Aku Djinn never joined Kaervek and were instrumental to his defeat.

Benthic djinns

An exceedingly rare example of a djinn who dwells in the deep waters of Dominaria near the merfolk kingdom of Etlan Shiis.

Coalition djinns

At the time of the phyrexian Invasion, several djinns joined the fight on the side of the coalition: Ruham Djinn, Zanam Djinn, Goham Djinn, Halam Djinn, Sulam Djinn.

Kookus

Kookus is a type of djinn from the Jamuraan mountains. The local goblins have taken the job unto themselves of containing them. These goblins are also responsible for their very goblin-ish name, which is pronounced Cook-Us.

Mahamoti Djinns

The Mahamoti djinns are the most regal of all air spirits, considering themselves to be royalty among djinns. The Mahamoti devote all their magical power toward making themselves as grandiose as possible, both in terms of size and manner. They love confusing those around them with intimidation, wordplay, and misdirection. They can often be found in gambling halls, where they use their power and quick wits to increase their stature and wealth at the expense of others. The Mahamoti don't try to trick or hurt the mages who summon them, largely because to do so would be to admit that someone else has power over them. Once captured, they will brood, but they will serve quietly and without complaint, secure in the knowledge that everything else is literally beneath them.

Marid

The first to arrive on Dominaria from Rabiah.

Gobakhan

On Gobakhan small fire djinns or air djinns sometimes emerge from the Western Cloud or the Eastern Cloud respectively. If a djinn is caught, for example within geometry, it has to grant a wish for its release.

Ravnica

An Izzet Djinn

Pure Ravnican Djinns are tremendously powerful and in fact deemed too dangerous to exist according to the Guildpact. Around the time of the Decamillennial the few pure Ravnican Djinn still alive have become forced laborers in the polar regions. Human/djinn hybrids with far lesser powers are employed by the Izzet.

Tarkir

Jeskai Way Djinn

Djinn and efreet are commonplace on Tarkir, participating in civic life alongside other humanoids. In Tarkir's original timeline, they mostly adhered to the Jeskai Way. In the new timeline, Jeskai lands were conquered by the dragonlord Ojutai and his brood, and many djinn submitted to his teachings of dragon worship. However, after the Stormnexus Ritual and the fall of the dragonlords, the people of Tarkir became free to live where they chose, and many left the Way for other clans. One example is the djinn Nur, an emissary of the Abzan Houses.

Tarkiri djinn are corporeal beings, as evidenced by the fact that they can be turned into zombies after they die. They have white skin, no hair, and short, curved horns which can grow in various shapes. All djinn have one pair of horns which grow from the sides of their skull, but male djinn always have two additional pairs which grow from their jaw, while some female djinn have a second pair that grows out from the back of their skull.

Wildfire

The Emberwilde Djinns are ruled by the Emberwilde Caliph and are themselves the rulers of the fire-based plane of Wildfire. They also have much influence on and in the Jamuraan nation of Suq'Ata, since there are natural portals between the two of them.

Rabiah

Suleiman's Legacy, art by Kaja Foglio

A variety of djinn are native to Rabiah, including Erhnam djinn, Juzám djinn, Marid, Mijae djinn, Serendib djinn, and a variety of efreeti. King Suleiman was known for his enmity of the djinn.

Erhnam djinn

The Erhnam Djinn are typically found prowling in forested areas, hunting lesser beings for amusement. Their love of the hunt is so great that they often use their magic to make their prey better able to flee through the forests and therefore provide more of a challenge for the djinn. Their fondness for doing this often causes problems for a mage controlling an Erhnam Djinn, as the creatures it has empowered can use their newfound skills to attack the djinn's master. This often provides extra amusement for the djinn, who find entertainment in the suffering of people claiming to be their superior. A few Erhnam Djinns somehow made it to Otaria.

Marid

The only Marid ever printed. Art by Susan van Camp

The marids are the oldest tribe of djinn and the most respected. They were the first to travel to Dominaria. Marid is an Arabic word meaning "rebellious", used to refer to a type of devil. In the Grand Creature Type Update, the subtype Marid, used only on Old Man of the Sea (Arabian Nights), was incorporated into the Djinn type.

Serendib djinn

The Serendib Djinn are closely related to Serendib Efreets, but are even more dangerous. They curse any who dare to summon them, although they seem far more interested in creating ever vaster areas of wasteland in the already arid realms they inhabit.

Behind the scenes

Many of the djinn and efreeti in Arabian Nights were named after friends and family of Richard Garfield. Ifh-Bíff was a childhood nickname for Garfield's sister, Elizabeth; Erhnam is an anagram of "Herman", Garfield's brother-in-law; and Mijae and Ydwen are anagrams of "Jamie" and "Wendy, respectively, two of his close friends at whose wedding he was the best man. Serendib is an archaic term for Sri Lanka, while Juzám is Arabic for leprosy and Junún is an adaptation of an Arabic term meaning "nasty".

Notable djinns

Arcavios

• Uvilda

Dominaria

• Inniaz
• Zahid
• Zalgadib

Tarkir

• Elsha
• Siani

Dungeons & Dragons

• Calim (Card)

Tokens

Token name	Color	Type line	P/T	Text box	Source	Printings
Djinn		Artifact Creature — Djinn	5/5	Flying	Bottle of Suleiman
Djinn Monk		Creature — Djinn Monk	2/2	Flying	Ojutai's Summons Skywise Teachings

Trivia

• A cycle of punny Djinns was designed for Unglued 2
• As part of the world evolution of Tarkir, the Abzan-aligned Severance Priest is the first Djinn to be green since the Invasion cycle of Djinn. It would also be the second non-red, non-blue Djinn since then, after the zombified Silumgar Butcher, also of Tarkir.