Tokens are an essential aspect of tabletop games like Magic: The Gathering. They can represent various objects, creatures, or effects in the game. But what exactly makes tokens so appealing to players?
One reason is their versatility. Tokens can be anything, from a simple card or coin to more creative items like miniature figurines or even household objects. This flexibility allows players to customize their gameplay experience and add a personal touch to their games. However, it is worth noting that using certain objects as tokens, like a cat as mentioned in some circles, can be impractical and even unwise.
What Are Token Generators?
While there is no official definition of a token generator, most players agree that any card that can create a token qualifies for this category. It doesn’t matter how the token is created; it could be through a recurring effect or by a creature.
Cards that explicitly say “create a token” or have a similar effect are considered token generators. This ability can be used once per turn, once every two turns, or just once (like the card Goblin Rally). These cards are highly sought after by players who want to create custom tokens in their games.
Token generators come in many forms, including creatures, spells, and enchantments. Some examples of popular token generators in Magic: The Gathering include Young Pyromancer, Lingering Souls, and Bitterblossom.
Building a Token Deck
A token-based strategy in Magic: The Gathering can be one of the most fun and powerful ways to play the game. Tokens are temporary creature tokens that are generated by other cards, and can range from small 1/1 soldiers to large, flying dragons.
One of the biggest advantages of a token deck is the sheer number of creatures you can put on the board. This can quickly overwhelm your opponents, especially if you have cards that create multiple tokens at once. Additionally, token creatures can often be sacrificed for other effects, such as dealing damage to your opponent or drawing cards, which can give you even more advantage.
Another advantage of a token deck is that it allows for a lot of flexibility in deck building. There are many different cards that create tokens, and they can be found in all colors of mana. This means that you can build a token deck that fits your preferred playstyle, whether that be aggro, control, or something in between.
If you want to take your token-based strategy to the next level, consider adding some token support cards to your deck. Here are a few options to consider:
Doubling Season
This classic card is a powerhouse when it comes to token generators and planeswalkers. It can lead to some crazy combos, but be careful not to let it backfire on you.
Primal Vigor
Similar to Doubling Season, Primal Vigor provides redundancy in your deck and can help you generate even more tokens.
Mondrak, Glory Dominus
This new card doubles tokens and also comes with the added benefit of being a 4/4 creature that can become indestructible.
Anointed Procession
Annointed Processions is a cheaper version of Doubling Season, making it a great option if you’re going all-in on tokens.
Parallel Lives
Parallel Lives is functionally the same as Annointed Procession, but in green. It’s an excellent token card.
Thalisse, Reverent Medium
This card rewards you for creating tokens by giving you extra 1/1 flying spirits for each token you make. It’s a great addition to any token-based strategy.
Adding these token support cards to your deck can help you generate even more tokens and make them even more powerful.
With that, let’s dive into the best token generators, by color.
The Best Blue Token Generators
Let’s start by diving into the best blue token generators in Magic.
Blade of Shared Souls
Coming in at number five is Blade of Shared Souls. This new “Clone” variant can be used on creatures you control like Glasspool Mimic. The repeatable Clone effect allows players to change the equipment user and have a different copy effect, making it a versatile option for any blue deck.
Jace, Cunning Castaway
In the second spot, we have Jace, Cunning Castaway’s ultimate ability. This ability creates copies of itself and can generate planeswalker tokens. When combined with Doubling Season, it can go infinite, making for a hilarious and powerful combo.
Shark Typhoon
At number four, we have Shark Typhoon. This versatile token generator allows players to create a token without going down in card advantage, making it every blue player’s dream. Its cycling ability also cannot be countered, making it a nightmare for opponents.
Rite of Replication
Rite of Replication takes the third spot on our list. This card is perfect for wreaking havoc in EDH games, allowing players to create an army out of nowhere even if their board is empty.
Urza, Lord High Artificer
Finally, Urza, Lord High Artificer takes the top spot as the best blue token generator in the game. Its Construct is a force to be reckoned with in the right deck, and Urza can generate extra mana and transform it into immediate value.
The Best White Token Generators
Entreat the Angels
At number eight, we have Entreat the Angels. This card can create five 4/4 fliers for just if cast for its miracle cost, making it a perfect payoff card in slow control decks running white.
Brimaz, King of Oreskos
Brimaz, King of Oreskos is a powerful addition to any green-white Commander deck, especially those focused on the cat tribe. With the recent support for cat cards, these feline armies have become a viable strategy in Magic: The Gathering.
Brimaz’s ability to generate cat tokens for free whenever he attacks or blocks makes him a force to be reckoned with. These tokens can quickly overwhelm opponents and can benefit from any cards that boost the entire cat army. This makes Brimaz a perfect fit for the Arahbo, Roar of the World Commander deck, where he can lead the charge and act as a vicious tiger on the battlefield.
Emeria Angel
Emeria Angel is a rare flying angel card that was released in 2009 as part of the Zendikar set. It has been successful in competitive play, with two Top 8 Pro Tour and six Top 8 Grand Prix finishes to its name.
The card costs only four mana, two white and two colorless, and its triggered landfall ability allows you to create a 1/1 flying bird token when a land enters the battlefield under your control. This makes Emeria Angel an excellent card for generating tokens from playing lands, making it one of the best cards for this purpose. When combined with other cards like Elspeth, a deck focused on landfall and tokens can quickly overwhelm your opponent and secure victory.
Monastery Mentor
Monastery Mentor is a white and blue creature card from the Fate Reforged set that quickly became a force to be reckoned with in many Magic: The Gathering formats, including Standard and Modern. With its prowess ability, it gets stronger every time you cast a noncreature spell, and with its other ability, you get to make a 1/1 Monk token with prowess every time you cast a noncreature spell.
This means that in a deck built around generating lots of cheap spells, Monastery Mentor can quickly create an army of powerful creatures that can take over the game. It’s a must-kill threat that can dominate the board if left unchecked, making it a popular choice in competitive play.
Wedding Announcement
Wedding Announcement is a great addition to token decks. It creates both cards and tokens, and also provides a +1/+1 effect that lasts even after the card is gone. It’s a versatile card that can help you quickly build up a formidable army of creatures.
Lingering Souls
Lingering Souls is a Modern powerhouse that makes two separate 1/1 flying creature tokens, and if you’ve got black mana, you can flash it back. Paying a total of 3WB for four 1/1 fliers is solid, and it’s advantageous to spread out that power, so a Lightning Bolt or Terminate won’t ruin your fun. This card is common in Abzan Midrange or Hatebears builds, and it works well against Liliana of the Veil, since it makes more than one body. However, be mindful of anti-graveyard cards such as Scavenging Ooze and play around them. Don’t be afraid to hit that flashback button right away to maximize the value.
While many of the cards on this list are best used in the Commander format, Lingering Souls is a versatile option that can be played in multiple formats. Overall, Lingering Souls is a strong card that can quickly create a formidable army of flying creatures.
Dawn of Hope
Dawn of Hope is a great card for generating tokens while also drawing cards in Magic: The Gathering. The ability to draw cards every time you gain even a single life can quickly become a problem for your opponents. What’s more, you can make little lifelink tokens with this enchantment to keep the engine running and gain even more life. Overall, it’s a versatile and valuable addition to any white Commander deck.
Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
Elspeth, Sun’s Champion is a legendary planeswalker from the Theros set that is highly regarded for its token generation capabilities. With eighty Top 8 Grand Prix and fifteen Top 8 Pro Tour finishes, it is one of the most successful token-generating cards in Magic: The Gathering. For six mana, it can add counters and generate tokens, wipe the board of creatures with power 4 or greater, and ultimately boost tokens with +2/+2 and give them flying, making them harder to deal with.
Skrelv’s Hive
Finally, Skrelv’s Hive is the top white token generator in the game, creating a mite token each turn and eventually giving them lifelink. Dubbed the white Bitterblossom, this card is a must-have for any white token-based deck.
The Best Black Token Generators
Liliana, the Last Hope
In the fourth spot, we have Liliana, the Last Hope. This powerful planeswalker offers consistent removal for annoying creatures, value generation, and one of the best planeswalker emblems in the game – generating board after board of zombie tokens that scream “zombie apocalypse.”
Bloodline Keeper
Vampires are a classic tribe in Magic: The Gathering, dominating in black mana and often splashing in red and white. Bloodline Keeper easily fits into any vampire Commander deck with black mana, which is basically all of them!
This 3/3 flier can tap to make some 2/2 vampires with flying, which is already pretty good. But wait, it gets better. You can transform Bloodline Keeper into a scary 5/5 flier that still creates tokens and gives all your vampires +2/+2! It’s a flying beater, a token generator, and an anthem effect all in one, making it a versatile and powerful card in any vampire deck. Edgar Markov is a fine commander choice, but Bloodline Keeper can also be a strong addition to other vampire Commander decks.
Bitterblossom
Bitterblossom, released in 2008 as part of the Morningtide set, quickly became a popular card among Magic: The Gathering players. This rare black enchantment has an impressive track record, with forty-two Top 8 Grand Prix and eleven Pro Tour Top 8 finishes to its name.
The card costs two mana, one black and one colorless, and has a triggered ability that creates a 1/1 black faerie rogue token with flying at the beginning of your upkeep. However, this comes at a cost, as you also lose one life.
Originally, Bitterblossom was primarily used in faerie decks due to its synergy with other faerie cards. However, the card’s power soon became apparent, and players discovered that it was effective in almost any black deck. As a result, it has become a staple in many decks across various formats.
Bridge From Below
Finally, the top black token generator in the game is Bridge from Below. This enchantment has always been busted and has often been the card to push graveyard strategies over the edge. Its effect doesn’t require mana and only works if it’s in your graveyard, making it a powerful addition to any black deck.
From pesky fliers to zombie hordes, each card brings something unique to the table and can help players gain an edge over their opponents.
The Top Red Token Generators in MTG
Dragonwing Glider
Dragonwing Glider is a creature card from the Core Set 2020 that has the ability to generate tokens when it attacks. This 3/3 flying creature costs four mana, two colorless and two white, and has the added benefit of granting any creature it enchants flying.
But what makes Dragonwing Glider stand out is its ability to create a 2/2 white Knight creature token with vigilance whenever it attacks. This can quickly create a powerful army of Knight tokens, overwhelming your opponents with an ever-growing swarm. With the ability to give other creatures flying and its own flying and attacking abilities, Dragonwing Glider is a valuable addition to any white-based token deck.
Young Pyromancer
Young Pyromancer, a recent reprint on Arena, is a popular card in Modern due to its ease of generating tokens. Although the tokens it creates are only 1/1 Elementals, its triggered ability from any instant or sorcery spell makes it effortless to amass a quick army using low-cost draw spells like Opt and burn spells like Shock.
To maximize its potential, it is recommended to have enough mana to play Young Pyromancer and immediately cast another spell for full value. Since this 2/1 Spellcaster is easy to kill, players should aim to generate at least one token from it to ensure they receive some value from the card.
Krenko, Mob Boss
Mob Boss is a red goblin that has the ability to create more and more goblins each time he’s activated. You can tap Krenko to create one 1/1 red Goblin token with just two mana. But that’s just the beginning.
If you have cards that can untap Krenko, or can grant him haste, you can keep activating his ability multiple times in a single turn, creating an exponentially growing army of goblins. In the right Commander deck, Krenko can easily create dozens of goblins per turn, overwhelming your opponents with sheer numbers. So, if you’re looking for a fun and explosive strategy that revolves around building up a massive army of tiny creatures, Krenko is definitely worth considering.
Splinter Twin
In the third spot, we have Splinter Twin, a combo card that can create infinite tokens with Deceiver Exarch.
Despite being banned in the Modern format, Splinter Twin remains a powerful card that can be used to great effect in Commander decks. When attached to a creature, it can create a fully-formed copy of that creature, allowing you to build up a force of disposable attackers quickly. Alternatively, you can use it to repeatedly trigger a creature’s powerful enter the battlefield effect.
If you’re looking to go for the win, Splinter Twin also has a number of infinite combo possibilities when combined with creatures like Pestermite, Sky Hussar, Zealous Conscripts, and other cards that can generate extra creatures or untap them. So, if you’re building a Commander deck and want to add a powerful combo piece, Splinter Twin is definitely worth considering.
Dragonmaster Outcast
Dragonmaster Outcast is an excellent choice for those looking for a reliable dragon token generator. Despite being a small and easily destroyed creature, it can produce 5/5 dragon tokens with just a small investment, which can quickly overwhelm your opponents. With the ability to create dragon tokens every turn, it’s a valuable addition to any dragon-themed Commander deck. Just be sure to protect it well or have ways to bring it back from the graveyard, as it’s a prime target for removal spells.
Empty the Warrens
Finally, the top red token generator in the game is Empty the Warrens. This powerful card is a staple in Storm decks, allowing players to create a dozen or so goblin tokens as early as turn 2 and overwhelm their opponents.
In conclusion, these top red token generators offer unique and diverse options for players to customize their decks and gain an edge over their opponents. Whether it’s overwhelming opponents with 1/1 creatures or creating a swarm of dragons or goblins, each card brings something unique to the table and can help players achieve victory in their games.
The Top Green Token Generators
Tireless Tracker
Remember, Clues also count as tokens. The great thing about Clues is that you don’t have to cash them in right away; you can ignore them for as long as you want (although that would make for a terrible detective story). Magic players hate being flooded with lands and Tireless Tracker removes that concern altogether, making it very appealing. The Tracker also works great with fetch lands.
Esika’s Chariot
Esika’s Chariot is a vehicle that makes two 2/2s by itself and copies a token every time it attacks. The Chariot works really well with cards that make huge tokens like Wrenn and Seven.
Nissa, Vastwood Seer
The card has seen significant success in tournaments, with forty-four Top 8 Grand Prix and ten Pro Tour Top 8 finishes to its name. Once transformed into Nissa, Sage Animist, the card’s second ability allows you to create a legendary 4/4 token and put it onto the battlefield.
Most players only use this ability once, as you can only have one legendary creature on the battlefield at any given time. Instead, they typically focus on exploiting the card’s first ability, which allows you to increase its counter and draw the top card of the deck. If the card is a land, it’s placed onto the battlefield, while other cards are placed into the player’s hand.
Wrenn and Seven
This planeswalker’s a bit of a new one from Midnight Hunt. The successor to the meta-warping Wrenn and Six, Wrenn and Seven is a tad bit more balanced but still powerful. Its – ability gives you a nice beefy creature to protect your planeswalker. Oh, and the token also has reach, a fact I learned the hard way. Don’t make the same mistake I did when playing against Wrenn and Seven.
Scute Swarm
Scute Mob from Zendikar Rising is a problematic insect in Standard due to its landfall ability. It produces a basic 1/1 Insect token if you have less than six lands, but it will create a copy of itself with the same Landfall ability if you have six or more. To maximize its potential, it’s best to cast it when you have a landfall trigger available or right before your sixth land drop to rapidly create an army of scuttling insects.
Colorless Token Generators
Thopter Foundry
Thopter Foundry has an ability that synergizes well with the Sword of the Meek. Whenever you spend mana, the Sword of the Meek creates a 1/1 flying creature token and gains you one life. This combo can quickly fill the board with tokens while providing a bit of life gain. The Thopter Foundry can also be activated multiple times per turn, making it useful even when you have excess mana.
Myr Battlesphere
The robot uprising is imminent with this powerful card from the Mirrodin Besieged set. Myr Battlesphere is one of the biggest myr creatures in Magic: The Gathering, boasting a beefy 4/7 body. On top of that, it also generates a quartet of 1/1 myr tokens when it enters the battlefield.
But that’s not all, as the Battlesphere can tap your myr tokens to boost its power and damage your opponent from afar. With the right Commander deck, this card’s potential is explosive, allowing you to create an army of myrs that would make even Karn proud. Use its enter the battlefield effect creatively to overwhelm your opponents and pave the way for the inevitable robot domination.
Thopter Assembly
Thopter Assembly may seem like an ordinary creature, but it has a powerful combo with an old artifact from the Alara Reborn set called Time Sieve. In a Commander deck that supports blue and black mana, you can use Thopter Assembly’s ability to bounce itself to your hand and create five 1/1 thopter tokens on your upkeep. Sacrifice those tokens to Time Sieve to take an extra turn, and then cast Thopter Assembly again to prepare for the next upkeep.
With this combo, you can take as many turns as you have thopter tokens to sacrifice, which can quickly snowball into a game-winning advantage. It’s important to note that this combo has been banned in some formats, so be sure to check with your playgroup before using it.
Retrofitter Foundry
Retrofitter Foundry is an affordable mana sink that can create tokens. It allows you to activate its ability multiple times per turn, which means you can use it to generate tokens even when you have a lot of excess mana. The ability to create multiple tokens makes it a valuable card for any deck that needs to flood the board with creatures quickly.
Blade of Selves
On this list of token generators, many are best suited for the Commander format. Blade of Selves is a prime example, as it was specifically designed with the format in mind. Equipping a creature with the Blade will cause token copies of that creature to be made and attack other players whenever the equipped creature attacks.
This ability is incredibly strong, especially for Commander decks that feature powerful commander creatures with trample or potent ETB effects. Without Blade of Selves, these creatures can only attack one player at a time. But with it, they can wreak havoc on multiple opponents simultaneously, potentially taking out several players in one fell swoop.
Batterskull
Batterskull is a powerful token generator because of its living weapon mechanic. Although it may not fit the traditional definition of a token generator, it’s still a highly versatile card that creates a token that can be equipped to any creature. Once Batterskull enters the battlefield, it immediately creates a 0/0 Germ token, which can be equipped with the card itself. It’s a must-have card for any Stoneforge Mystic deck, as it can come into play quickly and dominate the game.
Multicolored Token Generators
Dragon Broodmother
This dragon from the Alara Reborn set is appropriately named, as its ability is truly fearsome. Although paying all that mana for a 4/4 flyer may not seem like a great deal, its ability more than makes up for it.
The card’s ability allows you to create a 1/1 dragon token during each upkeep, not just your own. This means that in a four-player Commander game, you can quickly accumulate a whole swarm of dragon hatchlings, each with devour 2. These dragons can even consume each other to become bigger and stronger. With the potential to become 3/3, 5/5, or even 7/7, this dragon is a must-have for any Commander deck that supports its colors.
Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Sorin, Solemn Visitor is a multicolored card that includes white, released in the Khans of Tarkir set in 2014. The card has an impressive track record, with fifty-eight Grand Prix Top 8 and four Pro Tour Top 8 finishes to its name.
Sorin’s abilities are impressive, allowing you to generate tokens and increase the power of your creatures while giving them lifelink for a turn. The card has seen significant success in the infamous Abzan deck, with most of Sorin’s top finishes coming from that deck. The card’s token-generating ability requires you to remove two counters, but in doing so, you can place a 2/2 black vampire creature with flying onto the battlefield under your control. This ability makes Sorin a great choice for a token-generating deck and is legal in several formats, including Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage, and Commander.
Final Thoughts
Token-based decks can be a lot of fun and can bring some unique and powerful strategies to the table. With so many great token generators available, there’s always room to experiment and find new ways to dominate your opponents.
