Token

A token is a permanent that is not represented by a regular card, and generally has no mana cost. They are created by the effects of many different spells and abilities, rather than being cast from a zone (such as the hand) like normal cards.
==Description==
Tokens are most often creatures, but artifacts have become increasingly common, and any permanent type is possible. Once on the battlefield, tokens operate just like any other permanent in almost all ways. Some abilities limit their effects to only tokens or only non-tokens. Beginners must be sure not to confuse tokens, which are permanents, with counters, which are placed on permanents or given to players.
Normally tokens can exist only on the battlefield. If a token leaves the battlefield and goes to another game zone, it can't change zones again, and it will be there only briefly before a state-based action makes it cease to exist. This concept no longer applies to phased out tokens - tokens phase out and back in just like other permanents. Similarly, tokens can have any status such as tapped or even face down.
Some creatures and artifacts subtypes only appear on tokens. Nine kinds of artifact tokens, one creature token, and eight enchantment tokens have predefined characteristics in the game rules so that cards can create them very concisely. These subtypes may exist on non-token cards, but when they do they act as a normal subtype. They do not have any special rules associated with them when not used to create a token.
===Color===
All colors can create creature tokens. White and green, as the two primary creature colors, do it most often. White tends to make smaller creature tokens; these usually are 1/1s, while green tends to make larger ones, from 3/3 and up. White often will make multiple tokens at once since they're smaller. Black most often makes 2/2 Zombies. Red most often makes 1/1 Goblins. Sometimes red's token creatures are a little bigger and get exiled at end of turn.
The effect to increase the number of tokens as they're being made, or making more after they've already been made, is also primary in blue and green (e.g. <c>Doubling Season</c>). White is secondary.
===Representation===
Tokens may be represented in the game by any physical object that's convenient to place on the playing surface and suitable for gameplay interactions, especially tapping. Official token cards are typically released with each set in the modern era, but these are not required; players can use other cards (often basic lands) with crossed-out text, scraps of paper, or even dice or figurines. Official tokens are mostly made of different cardstock than regular cards - they don't have the opaque layer in the middle.Eventide Token and Tips Exceptions are tokens included in preconstructed theme decks, which are printed on the same print sheet.
Because Magic Online needs to represent all the tokens in the game, art needs to be created for even the most insignificant tokens. And for some of that art, Magic Online is the only place it appears.
==History==
===The Hive===
Richard Garfield created tokens for Alpha, as opposed to counters, to make possible. Token terminology was not set in stone initially: the two cards which created tokens in Arabian Nights simply said a creature comes into play and to use a "counter" to represent it, while the single Antiquities token creator had the player move counters off the card to "become" token creatures. Legends settled the terminology, with five cards that created tokens using phrasing similar to current usage.
All these early tokens were creatures, although some were artifact creatures. Interestingly, all tokens before Legends had flying. They had a variety of colors, abilities and stats. created the first token that was a copy of something else.
===Official physical tokens===
There were so many cards in Fallen Empires that produced tokens (8 cards) and/or required counters (25 cards) that Wizards of the Coast issued a cardboard sheet of them in Duelist #4. Saprolings began their dominance among token creature types, with four cards producing them in this set.
Citadel Gaming released a series of "Magic Tokens" starting in 1995 made of a plastic material.
===The first token cards===
Special token cards were first printed for Unglued in 1998. Mark Rosewater has written that these cards were inspired by unofficial accessory cards used by Japanese players. Unglued's tokens proved so popular they spawned the new tokens given away in the Magic Player Rewards program.
Like for regular cards, the card frame for token cards was updated with Eighth Edition in 2003. "Token" now appeared in the type line, though it never became an official card type, and was not printed from 2007 to 2014. "Token" reappeared again with Magic 2015 tokens, which also began denoting token rarity with a T in the Information below the text box.
===Distribution in booster packs===
Since Tenth Edition (2007) token cards appear as marketing cards in booster packs. Unlike earlier versions, they don't have a regular card back, but feature advertisements instead.
For Battle for Zendikar (2015), the ratio between token cards and other marketing cards was shifted heavily in favor of tokens, with the new ratio approximately 9:10 for tokens. Tokens’ rarity is based upon the rarity of the cards that make them.Token Rarity in DOM, M19, GRN, BBD, UMA (Reddit) Tokens generated by common cards have to have a higher as-fan.
===Enchantment tokens===
The first non-creature token was the enchantment token copy of <c>Imperial Mask</c> that can be given to your teammates. This appeared in Future Sight in 2007.
 is the first card to make an aura enchantment token. Roles are the first mechanic to utilize aura tokens, and multiple different auras are generated through it.
Enchantment tokens returned in the Mystery Booster set in 2019, where the test card <c>Celestine Cave Witch</c> lets you sacrifice insects to create curse enchantment tokens, and <c>Domesticated Mammoth</c> arrives on the battlefield with an aura token of <c>Pacifism</c> on it.
2021's Kaldheim introduced the predefined Shard tokens, which are used exclusively for the abilities of .
The Role tokens of the 2023 set Wilds of Eldraine opened the door on a new resource - aura tokens.
===Double-sided token cards===
The first token card with a token shown on each side was released as a special FNM card during the Innistrad block on April 6, 2012 (which featured a full moon). It fittingly represented a 1/1 human on one side, and a 2/2 wolf on the other. The Avacyn Restored prerelease Helvault kit followed up with double-sided Angel/Demon tokens.
The next chance for double-sided token cards came when the developers of Commander 2014 didn't have to share the tokens in that set with the brand team, and the production constraints that mandated Magic backs on the Duel Decks' tokens didn't apply. They created double-sided token cards which featured a different, unrelated, token on each side of the card.
Double-sided token cards made another appearance in pre-release packs for Eldritch Moon. These tokens are a 2/2 Zombie on either face and are foil. From 2017 on, double-sided token cards were made available as prizes for the Magic League.Wizards of the Coast. (October 7, 2016.) "Playtest League and Earn Foil Tokens", Wizards Play Network.
The Bundle for Amonkhet contained a pack of double-sided token cards that comprise a complete set of every token in the expansion.
While these tokens have two faces, they are not double-faced cards and can't be transformed. Nor can turning the token face down cause the back side to be used. The first real double-faced token card, where the front face can transform into the back face, is the Incubator token introduced in March of the Machine.
===Artifact tokens===
Artifact tokens were introduced in 2013 (Theros block) with Gold. Since then, Food (Throne of Eldraine), Clues (Shadows over Innistrad), Treasure (Ixalan block), Blood (Innistrad: Crimson Vow), Powerstone (Dominaria United), Incubator (March of the Machine), Map (The Lost Caverns of Ixalan) and Junk (Fallout) tokens have been added. Of these, Treasure has had the most returns of noncreature tokens, and these artifacts led to several rules changes in the context of creating tokens (name and type baggage).
Gold tokens from the Theros block could be sacrificed without tapping, and this allowed a player to tap the artifact to pay other costs, such as Improvise, before sacrificing the Gold itself. Later artifact tokens added the tapping to prevent similar actions, most evident with Treasure being the same function of adding mana.
===Third party token products===
In March 2018, Ultra Pro begin producing a series of Magic: the Gathering tokens in durable hard plastic called Relic Tokens. These can double as life counters.
In September 2018, WizKids released a miniature line focusing on token creatures called Magic: The Gathering - Creature Forge.
===Predefined and full art tokens===
Throne of Eldraine (2019) introduced the concept of predefined tokens, redefining how Treasure tokens are referenced on cards and creating the new Food token type. In the next few rules updates, Gold and Clue tokens would be retroactively made predefined tokens as well.
Core Set 2020 introduced full-art token cards.
===Change in token naming===
With the release of Innistrad: Crimson Vow in 2021 came a change to how tokens are named. Prior to the change, a token's name, when not specified, was simply its subtype(s). Due to the game rules using the English name of cards, it was possible to name the "" half of <c>Flesh // Blood</c> with <c>Pithing Needle</c>'s ability and disable all Blood tokens.
From the change forward, if a spell or ability is creating a token without specifying its name, the name will be the same as its subtypes plus the word "Token." For example, a "Goblin Scout creature token" is named "Goblin Scout Token." Similarly, the name of a Blood token created in the game is "Blood Token" and choosing the name "Blood" (as in <c>Flesh // Blood</c>) for an effect will not cause that effect to apply to Blood tokens.
While this change occurred in the rules, the officially printed tokens produced by Wizards of the Coast continue to use just the token subtypes as the token name leaving off the "Token" part of the name.
===Double-faced token cards===
March of the Machine introduced double-faced tokens in 2023 in the form of Incubator tokens, a new predefined token type. Unlike previous double-sided tokens, the game rules treat these tokens as double-faced and allow them to transform, mimicking the behavior of transforming double-faced cards. Corresponding double-faced token cards were released with the set.
As a consequence of their introduction, the rules around creating token copies of permanents and spells were updated to allow the resulting token to be a true double-faced permanent. Tokens made this way can be transformed and function in the same manner as their original card version. This rule change does not apply to clones of permanents.
Double-faced tokens come with some production issues, so they're not something expected to be used all the time, but it's a design tool that sets have access to if needed.
===Tokens with mana cost===
Modern Horizons 3 tokens of existing cards created by <c>Tarmogoyf Nest</c> / () and () notably have the mana cost of the original card. They also do not articulate the abilities of the cards in question. This is in contrast to cards such as <c>Roxanne, Starfall Savant</c> (<c>Meteorite</c>), <c>Ajani, Strength of the Pride</c> (<c>Ajani's Pridemate</c>) or <c>Sparkspitter</c> (<c>Spark Elemental</c>), that all articulate their token's abilities but do not grant mana costs. Comparable is <c>Garth One-Eye</c>, which casts copies that are created and enter as tokens if the copy is of a permanent card.
The Oracle changes for that set added the following rule: "If an effect instructs a player to create a token by name, doesn’t define any other characteristics for that token, and the name is not one of the types in the list of predefined tokens above, that player uses the card with that name in the Oracle card reference to determine the characteristics of that token."
==Rules==
==Examples==
==Trivia==
*The second non-creature token was the artifact token produced by <c>Gild</c> from Born of the Gods and <c>King Macar, the Gold-Cursed</c> from Journey into Nyx.
*The third non-creature token are the artifact tokens produced by <c>Goblin Kaboomist</c> from Magic 2015 Core Set.
*<c>Intangible Virtue</c> is a Lord-type enchantment that gives +1/+1 and vigilance to creature tokens.
*Tokens were featured as rules card 4 of 9 in the Magic 2011 set.
*Treasure is the most easily created token. 264 unique cards are capable of creating them.
*Zombies are the creature type most easily created. 194 unique cards are capable of creating a Zombie token.
* 1/1 Saprolings are the creature token most easily created. 82 unique cards are capable of specifically creating them.
**<c>Saproling Burst</c> is the only card that can create Saproling tokens that are not 1/1s.
*The first non-copy token with non-keyword rules text was the Tetravite token produced by <c>Tetravus</c> from Antiquities.
*The first non-copy token with an activated ability was the Skeleton token produced by <c>Drudge Spell</c> from Homelands.
*The first non-copy token that could produce another token was the Ooze token produced by <c>Mitotic Slime</c> from Magic 2011 Core Set.
*<c>Prototype Portal</c> from Scars of Mirrodin and <c>Mirrorworks</c> from Mirrodin Besieged both make artifact tokens that do not have to be creatures, and were the first cards to do so. Technically the older <c>Soul Foundry</c> from Mirrodin could have done this, but as it copies a creature card, the first cards it could use to create noncreature tokens were the God cards from Theros block.
*The Halfling tokens of Lord of the Rings Commander have the type line "Tolkien Creature Halfling" as a tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien.
*An Unknown Event test card introduced token counters as a type of counter.
==Gallery==
File:UGL Squirrel token.jpg|Unglued token frame
File:MPR Elephant token 2001.jpg|Magic Player Reward 2001
File:MPR Rukh token 2003.jpg|Eighth Edition token frame (Magic Player Reward 2003)
File:Lor Kithkin Soldier.JPG|Tenth Edition token frame
File:M15 Zombie token 2014.png|Magic 2015 token frame
File:M20-treasure-token.jpg|Core Set 2020 token frame
File:30A Wasp Insect token.png|30th Anniversary Edition token utilizing art cropped from .
File:Role 2.jpg|The flip-style Role token frame
File:Etsy dry erase tokens.jpg|Dry erase tokens sold by InfiniTokens
==Notes==
==References==
==External links==
*
*Jared Yost. (February 2, 2015.) "The Strange World of Collectible Tokens", Blog.MTGPrice.com
Category:Release day maintenance
Category:Tokens