The History of Tokens, Part 2

Last week, I began walking through the history of token design. I made it up to the year 2000, so today, I'll be picking up from there.

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Invasion

Pure Reflection built upon the design technology of Spirit Mirror. It only creates one creature token at a time (also a Reflection token like Spirit Mirror). This card's token-creating ability can be triggered by any player. Pure Reflection, unlike Spirit Mirror, creates tokens of various sizes based upon a criterion (the mana value of the spell cast). Saproling Infestation is the first creature token trigger based on the use of a mechanic (in this case, kicker).

Artifact Mutation and Aura Mutation play in the space created by Carrion, although in this case they create creature tokens for you while destroying your opponent's artifacts and enchantments, respectively. (Technically, you're allowed to destroy your own permanent.) Rith, the Awakener was the first saboteur creature token-maker; that is, it makes tokens for dealing combat damage to the opponent. Yes, Rith makes you then pay mana, but it introduced a design vein we revisit often, usually without the mana payment.

The Battery half of the split card Assault // Battery creates a creature token. Split cards, by definition, can only be instants or sorceries as the rules don't want half a split card on the battlefield. So, creating a creature token gives half of the card a creature-like effect.

Planeshift

Following in the footsteps of Mogg Infestation, March of Souls turns all the creatures it destroys into a specific creature token. Unlike Mogg Infestation, March of Souls hits all players.

Apocalypse

Penumbra, while unnamed, was the first mechanic to use creature tokens as the core of the mechanic. Whenever one of these Penumbra creatures die, you create a black creature token that's the same creature type, power, and toughness as the dead creature. The flavor is the creature creates a shadow version of itself upon dying, meaning the creature has to be killed twice.

Odyssey

Dogged Hunter was the first card to interact with creature tokens (it can destroy them) rather than create them. This caused some stress on the Creative team, because creatively there's no difference between a creature on a card and one on a token, so the card concept avoids trying to explain what a "creature token" means from a flavor sense.

Kirtar's Wrath was the first spell capable of destroying all creatures and granting the caster tokens. The biggest innovation with tokens was on the flashback mechanic in the set. Because flashback could only go on instants and sorceries, many of the green cards in the set with flashback generate creature tokens, creating something akin to creature spells with flashback.

Onslaught

Onslaught introduced another creature token mechanic, again unnamed and in green, with Symbiotic cards. Whenever a Symbiotic creature dies, it creates a number of 1/1 green Insect creature tokens equal to its power and toughness (which are always the same).

Scourge

Siege-Gang Commander built upon Jungle Patrol, creating tokens that it can then use for a secondary purpose. The important difference is that Siege-Gang Commander creates the tokens as part of its enters effect rather than forcing you to spend mana to create them. This leads to a more dynamic design that can be used on the turn its played, making it better in Constructed formats. This is another design structure we will return to often.

Eighth Edition

Eighth Edition changed up the card frame for all cards, which included a new look for the token frame. The word token now appeared in the type line. It never became an official card type (and for some reason was not printed on the cards from 2007 to 2014).

Mirrodin

Living Hive was the first creature to turn each point of combat damage done to a player into a creature token. Soul Foundry expanded upon Volrath's Laboratory, allowing you more input into what creature token you're making (giving you more choices than just the token's color and creature type).

Darksteel

Æther Snap was the first card to specifically destroy all tokens, using mass-bounce effects to accomplish that task. Wand of the Elements was the first token-maker to make two different creature tokens. It's something we purposefully don't do very often. Wirefly Hive is a "push your luck" creature token-maker, meaning that each new Wirefly creature token comes with the risk of losing all the Wirefly creature tokens you've made up to that point.

Fifth Dawn

Helm of Kaldra is part of a three-card Equipment mega-cycle, with one card in each set of original Mirrodin block. If you get all three artifacts onto the battlefield, you create a legendary creature token—the first time we did that—and attach all three Equipment to it, making a giant, daunting creature.

Champions of Kamigawa

Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker was the first card to create a temporary creature token that is a copy of something.

Ravnica: City of Guilds

Hunted creatures create creature tokens and give them to target opponent to offset the caster getting a better rate creature. Twilight Drover was the first card to trigger off a token leaving play. Doubling Season was the first card to double the number of tokens you create. The card was a huge hit and would go onto become a design vein we revisit rather frequently. Selesnya Guildmage was the first hybrid card to create creature tokens.

Dissension

Sprouting Phytohydra was the first creature to have a repeatable condition through which the creature can copy itself using a token (in this case, when it takes damage). We revisit this theme using different inputs to allow a creature to multiply.

Coldsnap

Dark Depths is an interesting design where we created a much-requested character, Marit Lage, but not as a card; rather as a legendary creature token. At 20/20, it has the largest printed power and toughness on a creature token we've ever made.

Time Spiral

Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder Sarpadian Empires, Vol. VII

Endrek Sahr uses tokens as a timing mechanism. Each creature you cast creates a number of 1/1 black Thrull tokens equal to the creature's mana value, and when you get seven or more, you have to sacrifice Endrek Sahr. This creates a neat dynamic where you have to be careful not to destroy Endrek Sahr as you create tokens. Sarpadian Empires, Vol. VII was the first token-maker to allow you to choose between five sets of colors and creature types on a 1/1 creature token. Cards like Volrath's Laboratory also give you choices to make but are more open-ended. Sarpadian Empires, Vol. VII restricts your choices to create flavor, as these are the five main creature species from Fallen Empires.

Future Sight

Future Sight has a bonus sheet of "futureshifted" cards that show potential designs from the future. On it is a cycle of creatures that all make specific tokens that reference existing cards from the past. For example, Llanowar Mentor makes Llanowar Elves tokens. The one outlier is Goldmeadow Lookout, which makes Goldmeadow Harrier creature tokens. Goldmeadow Harrier didn't exist yet but would be printed in Lorwyn later in the year.

Imperial Mask was the first card ever to make a token that wasn't a creature token. If you ever want to win a Magic trivia bet, ask someone what the first card type to be made into a noncreature token was. Everyone will guess artifacts, but it was actually an enchantment token. When Imperial Mask enters, it creates enchantment tokens that are copies of itself that it gives to each player.

Tenth Edition

Tenth Edition introduced ad cards to boosters. This is important to the history of tokens because the Brand team let R&D choose what went on the back side of the ads. Seeing this as an opportunity to aid play, R&D chose for a number of the ads to have tokens on the back. We recognized that we'd be making more tokens as time went on and knew tokens were popular in Unglued and Magic Player Reward programs, so we added them to boosters. They were, of course, a big hit.

Lorwyn

Lorwyn introduced the planeswalker card type, and from its beginning, creating tokens was a core part of their design. Both Ajani Goldmane and Garruk Wildspeaker create tokens. The reason tokens have proven so valuable for planeswalkers is that tokens let you block attackers that would go after the planeswalkers. Heat Shimmer picks up a theme started by Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker by making temporary tokens that are copies of a creature. This is the first time that effect was used on a noncreature spell.

Morningtide

There have been many creature cards that create multiple creature tokens, such as Sengir Autocrat, and noncreature cards that make a single creature token like Sarcomancy. There are even a few creature cards that create a single creature token and give it to the opponent, like Hunted Lammasu. Interestingly, Ambassador Oak was the first card to act as two vanilla creatures with one card; one being a normal vanilla creature and the other a vanilla creature token. I had been trying to get this card into a set for years because I saw tokens as a means to create two permanents with one card. I felt we should be able to use that as a simpler tool. My playtest version of the card was called Moose and Squirrel (a 3/3 that made a 1/1 creature token) and it was in at least five different files before it was cut. It ended up here, not because I put it in the file, but because Mike Turian (the lead developer for this set) was looking for a card that would support two creature types. He remembered seeing Moose and Squirrel and put it in the Lorwyn file.

Shadowmoor

While tokens that are copies of another card date back to The Dark with Dance of Many, Rhys the Redeemed was the first card to copy tokens. The idea that tokens are a core part of Magic design led to the design of more token interactions. This would later lead to a whole mechanic.

Shards of Alara

Puppet Conjurer was us playing in interesting new design space. The card creates a 0/1 artifact creature token that you sacrifice at the beginning of your upkeep. You can use it to block or figure out how it can be a resource. Its design highlights the growing use of creature tokens as a fodder for other cards. Ooze Garden is another quirky design. It allows you to turn any non-Ooze creature into a vanilla X/X creature based on the sacrificed creature's power. Both Puppet Conjurer and Ooze Garden are using tokens more creatively, forcing the player to figure out what exactly they can do with this functionality. Sarkhan Vol is another planeswalker that makes creature tokens, but for the first time as its "ultimate," the -6 ability on the card. If you can get Sarkhan up to six loyalty, you can create five 4/4 flying Dragons.

Worldwake

Bestial Menace was the first card to create three different creature tokens. This is another card that I tried to get into sets for a while (with a playtest name Cone of Creatures, inspired by the spell Cone of Flame) without any success. The card was independently designed by Kelly Digges, who had no idea that I'd been trying to make this card for years. I found this out when I wrote an article talking about the design for Bestial Menace, which I assumed had followed a similar path to Moose and Squirrel, only to learn from Kelly that he had designed the card.

Rise of the Eldrazi

Rise of the Eldrazi was the first set to use a creature token as a core mechanical component. That is, something repeated across many cards that helps make the set function. The creature tokens in question were Eldrazi Spawn. They were 0/1 colorless creature tokens with the ability "Sacrifice this creature: Add ." Rise of the Eldrazi was all about getting giant Eldrazi creatures onto the battlefield, so the set needed help with mana. Eldrazi Spawn helped us achieve this.

This was a pretty big advancement for creature tokens because it meant they were being used not just in individual card design, but in large set structure design. R&D had figured out that they're a useful tool and explored how useful they can be. The answer was pretty useful. This was the beginning of tokens playing a much larger role in the structural design of sets.

Mirrodin Besieged

Living weapon was the first named mechanic where tokens were a core part of the mechanic. A challenge of designing Equipment cards involves fitting them into the noncreature slots of the deck, so living weapon was a way to allow the cards to go into a creature slot. Looking back, 0/0 Germs made design a bit tricky, as all Equipment had to provide a toughness boost, but it started a trend of design that would spawn many more mechanics.

New Phyrexia

The Splicers are an unnamed mechanic that showed up on six cards. They are all 1/1 creatures that create a colorless 3/3 Golem artifact token when they enter. Each then grant an ability to all Golems you control. Just as we started to use creature tokens structurally, we also became more comfortable with creature tokens being a core part of mechanics.

Innistrad

Innistrad was our first modern top-down block and explored the Gothic horror genre. One of our goals for Zombies was to let players create hordes of Zombies. We accomplished this by designing a couple cards that really pushed the boundaries of how many creature tokens a single card could make. Parallel Lives showed us recognizing the popularity of Doubling Season and breaking out token doubling as its own ability, something we revisit quite a bit. Spider Spawning showed us using creature tokens to build niche drafting strategies. Sets would have their normal archetypes, but we started exploring the idea of creating individual cards that can inspire their own deck archetype if you draft one early. Like the Zombie token theme, Spider Spawning showed us leaning into creating a giant horde of creature tokens.

Dark Ascension

Following in the footsteps of cards like Ooze Garden, Séance continued our trend of using creature tokens in design as a means of making cards that challenge the players to figure out how best to use them.

Avacyn Restored

Avacyn Restored had a special Helvault-themed promotion with Prerelease events. In it were the very first double-faced tokens with an Angel on one side and a Demon on the back. Future sets would start to use this double-faced token technology.

Return to Ravnica

Populate was the second named mechanic where tokens are a core part of the mechanic. It was inspired by proliferate from Scars of Mirrodin, which allowed you to put extra counters on cards that already had them. The original version of populate had you copy each individual unique token you controlled, but that ended up being too powerful, so we changed it to just copy a single token of your choice.

The inclusion of populate required devoting a significant portion of the set to a variety of token types, as the coolest part of the mechanic is that its functionality changes based on what tokens you have on the battlefield. I don't think we would have committed to such a heavy token infrastructure if token cards hadn't become the norm in booster packs.

Populate and cards like Phantom General demonstrated that we were becoming more comfortable with tokens being an evergreen part of the game; they became something we could specifically reference and mechanically care about.

Theros

I just wanted to point out the design of two cards that show the ongoing novelty that tokens continued to provide. When designing Master of Waves, the goal was to make a creature that summons wave creatures that went away when their summoner left the battlefield. In the past, we would accomplish this by having to write out that the tokens left alongside the creature that made them. There wasn't space to do that, though. The elegant solution was to have Master of Waves create 1/0 creature tokens, then have the Master of Waves give them +1/+1.

Akroan Horse was a top-down design of Trojan Horse. We knew, for flavor reasons, we had to give the card to the opponent, but we were stumped for a while about how exactly that helped you. The idea that it created a constant stream of creature tokens as long as it stayed on the battlefield proved to be an answer that was both flavorful and played well.

Born of the Gods

Gild was the first card to create a noncreature artifact token. It's very close to what would eventually become Treasure with the one exception that it didn't have to tap when you sacrificed it. This would prove to be important as I'll explain in the next installment of this series.

Journey into Nyx

King Macar, a top-down design based on King Midas, would be the second use of the Gold artifact token. At the time, we intended for Gold to be a new tool in our arsenal. It shows that we were starting to explore what else tokens could do besides being creatures. I'll get into how those ideas were expanded upon in part three of this series.

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Token Gesture

That's all the time we have for today. There will be a part three, but not for two weeks, because next week is our preview week for Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel's Spider-Man. As always, I'm eager for any feedback, be it on this article, the role of tokens at large, or any of the specific examples I talked about. You can email me or contact me through social media (Bluesky, Tumblr, Instagram, TikTok, and X)

Join me next week for a preview from Magic: The Gathering | Marvel's Spider-Man.

Until then, may you find the token that best serves your needs.