Bottle of Suleiman (Original Art)

Bottle of Suleiman is a four-mana artifact, originally printed in Arabian Nights (1993), inspired by Middle Eastern folklore. The design references the legendary tale of Suleiman and the captured Djinn – releasing a spirit from a magic bottle with unpredictable consequences. Mechanically, it’s one of the earliest “coin flip” cards, embodying the risk-reward theme that became a small but beloved part of Magic’s identity. “{1}, Sacrifice Bottle of Suleiman: Flip a coin. If you win the flip, create a 5/5 colorless Djinn artifact creature token with flying. If you lose the flip, Bottle of Suleiman deals 5 damage to you”. Players gamble one mana and the artifact itself for a 50% chance at a massive 5/5 flying creature or 5 damage to the face. This flavor-first, high-variance design captures early Magic’s wild experimental tone, where chance and storytelling mattered as much as balance. In cEDH/Commander it occasionally appears in coin-flip or chaos-themed decks, especially under commanders like Zndrsplt, Eye of Wisdom and Okaun, Eye of Chaos, which reward winning coin flips. In Old School (93/94) Magic, it’s a “fun-of” inclusion in decks running Disenchant, Swords to Plowshares, and other early white or artifact-centric cards. It’s used for flavor and as a nostalgia piece, not for competitiveness. This card is not on the Reserved List.