Pointed Discussion

juzám djinn USED to be the single best creature in magic.. still is good though

spoonish is right about that one, and the artwork did him help to become just as iconic as he this.

Mark Tedin did an awesome job here, i mean look at it, already a glance on that card makes you awestruck!
He's got the most awful grin you could imagine, two sinisterly glowing eyes and a pair of giant horns.
The incidence of the light and the stony red background underline the dark atmosphere,
while he is holding a struggling man without the bat of an eyelid AT THE FREAKING TIPS OF HIS FINGERS!
Those are some sick proportions! I'm surprised this guy is even generous enough to let you only take one damage each turn.

Another unsuspected thing was that this card got a remake. A slightly inferior one, though.

this guy is being sold for $120 at my local comic store.

crazy,
but definitely a great card,
wish there were more like it

Aside from it being an iconic card, I don't see why Juzam Djinn is so good--Plague Sliver is nearly identical with the added benefit of hosing sliver decks

Ah the ravages of time.
He used to be so good.
Now we have so many mostly or even strictly better contemporaries:
Phyrexian Scuta
Plague Sliver

Still very impressive, overall though.
The fact that they could still reprint it today with a straight face is a testament to its staying power.

I love how a lot of the old cards have that blank colored background. Very Nostalgic, haha it reminds me of the old backgrounds on windows 95. Good times!

Aside from the (almost useless nowadays) utility of hosing Sliver decks, the Plague Sliver is worse. If you get more than one of them into play, the damage done to you will multiply. So if you have two Plague Slivers, you'll take 4 damage per turn, whereas with two Juzams you'd only take two. Juzam is also better than Phyrexian Scuta for the first three turns that he's out (and honestly by then you should already be winning), and if your opponent removes him right away you didn't just waste 3 life on nothing. Long story short, this guy is still awesome.
Of course, there's no way I can argue that he's better than Rumbling Slum.

Plague Sliver is better, but this one is still a classic.

lol, I thought he cost BB at first :P

You need to evaluate the card based on when the card was being played.
He was the most efficient creature of the time, in a color with Dark Ritual!
This guy came out first turn frequently, sometimes with a friend.
My brothers deck during the first game of the first round of a NYC tournament cast a Juzam and a Juggernaut first turn.
The poor guy he was playing gathered up his cards, put them in his briefcase, got up and left.

besides, the art is sooo good. Just looking at that guy makes your oppponent feel the impending doom.

the only problem with juzam djinn back in the day, was his propensity for getting two-in-one'd. For example: My first turn: swamp, dark ritual, sol ring, juzam djinn. done. His first turn: plains, cast swords to plowshares. done. :P

the God Father to all big black creatures Great art

Such a classic, sadly just not that great anymore. Check out Spellbreaker Behemoth

Many years ago, there was one at my local card store. The "2" in his mana cost was nigh-invisible; and I thought "Yes, he really is good."

Even seeing as he's four mana, he's still a powerful and efficient beatstick. Not only that, but he's iconic, too.

Excellent card and stil a solid creature for Black.

Of course, nowdays he'd be a Mythic Rare and have Deathtouch or some silliness on him for free...

I am sorry for a rood comment people who complain really got to me and I am not proud of it.

I use to use 4 in my suicide deck, 2 of them were very beat up and i wrote the word "you" with an arrow pointing at the guy in the dijinn's hand.

I'm honestly surprised this hasn't gotten a REAL reprint. This is actually slightly below the power level of most of the weaker mythic rares today. This could run as a rare in M12 without anybody batting an eye.

Why Juzam Djinn would be a staple in Standard today:
1. Look at its contemperaries. In Black at that cost, there's Thought Gorger (weak, and serious card Disadvantage with Condemn, Journey to Nowhere, and Vampire Hexmage), and Abyssal Persecutor (WAY too restrictive, vampires decks with 12 ways to kill it are still scared to run it). In Artifacts, we have Molten-Tail Masticore, which has a more serious drawback and is easier to kill.
The current format is one dominated by Titans and other large creatures. In Vampire aggro decks, games are often won on the strength of a powerful topdeck. Juzam Djinn is immune to a whole pile of removal, isn't too painful under a Dark Tutelage, and can swing a game around immediately. It can come down before a Titan and crush the opponent. The drawback is almost negligible, and can be completely ignored against a lot of decks. It's immune to Pyroclasm and Slagstorm.
In Control, this would provide a huge threat early, that could kill of a turn-4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor. you could drop this after an opponent plays Day of Judgment and just keep swinging. It can force a Sword of Feast and Famine onto defense, because if the player doesn't leave a pro-black creature to block, they would be open to huge life swings from an unblocked Djinn in the red zone. It could come down 2 turns before most titans, and demands easy removal. It would probably wipe out Valakut, which really can't deal with a 5/5 on turn 3 or 4, barring a crazy Titan draw, and would be a great addition to DarkBlade, because its sheer size would make it an excellent finisher in a fast tap-out control deck.
Wizards, please reprint this as a rare. It will diversify Standard without becoming a dominant creature.

@ Phantom_of_the_FNM
Unfortunately most of your good points about comparisons to current black creatures are about to be blown out of the water with the imminent arrival of New Phyrexia and the insanity that is Phyrexian Obliterator.

A 5/5 trample for , and whenever your opponent damages it they have to sacrifice that many permanents.

Thats it. No drawback with the exception of the color intensive mana cost. It is the new and improved juzam, particularly for mono-black.

I could barely see that it cost 4, not 2, but still, one of the classic badass black creatures of magic

This guy's value is as much nostalgia as power now, honestly. Thundering Tanadon, Phyrexian Scuta (think about PROLIFERATE with that one), and Abyssal Persecutor are all, IMO, superior and aren't on the no-reprint list. Hell, Vampire Outcasts will (in the right deck) only give up 1/1 to him, gain (instead of cost) you life, and can synergize with proliferate. And don't even get me started about Phyrexian Obliterator.

Not that this guy is bad (he isn't in the least bit bad), but just not the uber board presence he once was. 3.5/5 if he was printed as a rare or mythic today.

@Phantom_of_the_FNM
Ever heard of something called the Reserve List?

@Shadoflaam
Go up against one, you'll find it's still an incredibly viable black card even today. Not only is it very powerful but it hits the board turn 1 with Dark Rituals. Sure, Phyrexian Obliterator will do that for you just fine, but this works better in 2-color decks, not just monoblack. It might be expensive, but that's a.) it's age and b.) the fact that when you play it, you get your money's worth out of it. So the Obliterator's better, how do you make up for it? Run both in monoblack Legacy. This card too expensive for you to buy? Try its cheaper cousin, Grinning Demon. Worried about the life loss? Learn to play the game.

I got into the game too late to truly enjoy this card, but I still appreciate and respect both its history and its power. 5/5

my friend played with this card in my other friend's all proxy cube draft. he basically won the whole thing with this, thinking it only cost {B}{B}...

This card would fit just fine in today's standard. Maybe even as an uncommon. It's a shame the reserved list will never let this card see the light of day again. Would be great for nostalgia.

I first read the cost and saw BB and I was like Ò_ó

still it is very good for 4, it's just that obliterator now kicks his butt imo...

Plague Sliver in a non-sliver deck

Aw crap I thought he was ! I saw one for 100$ and that was why it made sense! Now you tell me it's and a 'collector's card'? No. Just no. Bad nowadays, and with no evasion, worse than Serra Angel.
EDIT: I'm sorry world I am a dumbass. I hadn't realized its potential in casual or block decks. It is still a VERY good card, and I apologize for my idiocy. Sadly, to quote Stephen King, the world has moved on, and this is no longer as amazing as it once was. Still, 5/5

Sure, this guy has been outclassed by Tombstalker and Phyrexian Obliterator, but JD was the coolest m*********er in town for years.

And if you can afford the Djinn, 4 JD + 4 T + 4 PO forms the finisher core of a really cool roguish Mono-Black Control deck in Legacy. Run some Dark Confidant and Hymn to Tourach for card advantage, and you're good to go.

Wished we return to rabiah

One of very few cards I would give 5/5 to for ANYTHING other than strength/playability. I remember in '94 seeing a player at my LGS running 4 of these w 4 Hippies, 4 Hymns, 4 Racks and the like... I fell in love. I sold my last one last year during an experience w an ex gf. Regrettably so... Juzam, I will possess you again. You will ALWAYS be the baddest m**********r on the block. See you soon.

@Revelation666
Consider the colors...

That is almost invisible. Still for 5/5 is decent today.

For the same CMC nowadays you get Obliterator, which has trample and an amazing sac ability without the life drawback. And this guy is still really good. Just goes to show you how far power creep has gone...

Use it with Spirit Link and get a 5/5 that doesn't really deal damage to you. Not the best combo I'm sure, but why not try it.

@HairlessThoctar
Two years too late, but neither of your examples are strictly better.
Plague Sliver is better verses slivers, but only if you have just one on the table.
And the Scuta is actually strictly worse. It's one of the best two for one magnets out there.
unless maybe your playing two color ZOMBIES...
hrmmmmm

Debatable power aside, 5/5 for Flavor, Art, and Nostalgia.

Goes in my accent deck.

Wait.. 5/5 for 2 mana?!?!??!? Oh... never mind.

This card should be reprinted using the alternate card back that was originally intended to be used for Arabian Nights:

https://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/arcana/153

Guardian Beast's brother in "looking undercosted because of the damn black background".

hands down the best creature in magic for the first 6 or 8 years. I mean, is it even close?
still very playable today
is easy to get on the first or second turn in a vintage deck, and his drawback isnt really much
lots of people have suggested lots of creatures that they consider to be better then Juzam, most of those creatures seem like much worse choices to me. The only 2 that were interesting enough to me to go out and buy were Plague Sliver and Phyrexian Obliterator.
The Sliver is nice, except that having 2 or 3 of him on the table is a problem, rather then super exciting like it is with Juzam. The 'bonus' of having the Sliver hose Sliver decks is marginal in my eyes. In the 20 years ive been playing magic MAYBE half of 1% of the games Ive played have been against Sliver decks. Even still I stuck 1 of them in my deck and kind of consider him my 5th Juzam. (yes like the 5th beatle)
The Obliterator is an awesome looking card. I briefly replaced all of my Juzams with Obliterators. Briefly. I play a black and blue deck, and it's really much harder to get then it is to get . MUCH harder. Almost all of my lands produce and , but even still it was taking me much longer to put the Obliterator down then it was to get the Juzam out. Most of my artifact mana, my Mana Drains, and all those awesome lands that provide colorless mana are useless in getting out the Obliterator. Even in a vintage mono black deck, is much harder to get then . At the very least there's going to be 4 moxes and the Sol Ring that dont produce and probably some lands as well. Library of Alexandria, Stripmine, Wasteland just to name a few.
Some other cards that people have suggested to replace Juzam, and my reasons why they're wrong:
Tombstalker: it costs more. Unless I have a bunch of cards in my graveyard that I dont want to access later, and Im always hoping to play my Juzams on the first few turns. There just arent usually enough cards in my graveyard that early in the game. Flying is nice though.
Phyrexian Scuta: It's costing me 3 life just to get him on the table as strong as Juzam. By the time Juzam has cost me 3 life Ive had the chance to attack with him 3 times. The only upside is swapping a to a .
Abyssal Persecutor: cool card, no doubt. But not really a replacement for the Juzam. Obviously you'd need to have a deck built around the idea of sacrificing your own creatures. Lord of the Pit or something similar. In that type of deck, the Persecutor is a great card, but in any other kind of deck you simply can't win the game. Juzam works in any black deck.
Vampire Outcasts: Under a specific condition it's a 4/4 for the same casting cost. Lifelink is great. But once again, thinking about playing my creature on the first or second turn, it's most likely my first creature and my opponent has most likely not taken damage that turn. So he's most likely a 2/2. And if im going to play a creature that can get killed by a Lightning Bolt it might as well be the Hypnotic Specter for one less mana and flying and random discard.
Grinning Demon He's a 6/6 instead of a 5/5 but he costs you 2 life per turn instead of 1. Maybe Im just not understanding the Morph ability, but it seems practically useless to me to turn my 6/6 creature into a 2/2 creature just to lower the casting cost by 1. Then I still have to pay his full casting cost to really make use of him.
And thats why I still play with 4 Juzams in my deck 21 years after he was printed.