Djinn of Wishes is one of those cards players keep asking about. Here is, in plain words, what its official text says, the rulings published by Wizards of the Coast, and the combos players actually run.
Official card text
Flying This creature enters with three wish counters on it., Remove a wish counter from this creature: Reveal the top card of your library. You may play that card without paying its mana cost. If you don't, exile it.
Complete guide
Djinn of Wishes is a powerful flier that grants you the ability to pull miracles straight from the top of your deck. By spending wish counters, you can bypass mana costs and cast spells or play lands for free, potentially swinging the game in your favor instantly. This blue creature is a staple for players who love unpredictable and high-impact plays.
Making a Wish
Djinn of Wishes enters the battlefield with three wish counters. By paying two blue and two generic mana and removing a counter, you reveal the top card of your library. You then have a choice: play the card immediately without paying its mana cost, or exile it forever. If you cast a spell this way, you ignore its normal timing restrictions, meaning you can cast a creature or sorcery during an opponent's turn, provided no other card text prevents it.
Resolution Step-by-Step
First, you activate the ability by paying the mana and removing a wish counter. When the ability resolves, you reveal the top card. If it is a spell, you decide whether to cast it now; you cannot wait until later in the turn. If you cast it, you don't pay the mana cost, but you must still pay mandatory additional costs. If the card is a land, you can only play it if it is your turn and you have a land drop available. If you choose not to play the card or cannot play it, it is moved to exile.
Common Pitfalls
One common mistake involves X-cost spells; if you reveal a spell with {X} in its cost, X must be zero. Additionally, you cannot use alternative costs (like Overload or Prototype) when casting for free, though you may pay optional additional costs like Kicker. Remember that timing restrictions on the card itself, such as 'Cast this spell only during combat,' still apply even if the Djinn allows you to bypass the normal sorcery-speed rules.
Strategic Timing
Because the Djinn allows you to cast spells at instant speed, it is often best to hold your mana open. You can activate the Djinn on your opponent's end step to see what you get, or in response to a threat to hope for an answer. Since you only have three counters, using them when you have a way to manipulate the top of your library ensures you don't waste a wish on a card you can't use.
Interaction examples
Solemn SimulacrumIf you activate Djinn of Wishes and reveal Solemn Simulacrum, you can cast it for free even on an opponent's turn. Once it enters the battlefield, its triggered ability lets you search for a basic land, giving you both a blocker and mana acceleration simultaneously.
Roaming ThroneIf you have Roaming Throne on the battlefield and chose 'Djinn' as the creature type, it won't affect the Djinn's activated ability. However, it would double the triggered ability that puts counters on the Djinn if it were a triggered ability. Note that since Djinn of Wishes uses a replacement effect ('enters with'), Roaming Throne does not grant it extra counters, but the Throne itself could be cast for free if revealed by the Djinn.
Imagine you reveal a land with the Djinn's ability during your opponent's turn. Because you can only play lands on your own turn, you are forced to exile that land. This highlights the risk of using the Djinn when you haven't scouted the top of your library.
Guide written with AI from the official text and rulings. Official English text prevails.
How it works : Djinn of Wishes
Original English text — Wizards of the Coast / Scryfall
- #1· Wizards of the Coast
If you wish to play the exiled card, you must play it while the last ability of Djinn of Wishes is resolving. You can't play it later in the turn. A spell cast this way may be cast at a time you normally wouldn't be able to cast a spell of that type, but other restrictions (such as "Cast this spell only during combat") are enforced.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #2· Wizards of the Coast
If the revealed card is a land, you can play it only if it's your turn and you haven't yet played a land this turn.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #3· Wizards of the Coast
If you cast a spell "without paying its mana cost," you can't choose to cast it for any alternative costs. You can, however, pay additional costs, such as kicker costs. If the card has any mandatory additional costs, such as that of Tormenting Voice, those must be paid to cast the card.
No other card is named in this ruling.
- #4· Wizards of the Coast
If a spell has
in its mana cost, you must choose 0 as the value of X when casting it without paying its mana cost.No other card is named in this ruling.
Legal formats
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Meta decks with Djinn of Wishes
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