To find the tokens and emblems used by an MTG set, use two passes. First, inspect the cards in the set to identify everything they can create. Second, check Wizards’ release-specific token coverage or Card Image Gallery to see which physical token cards were printed and where they appear. Those lists overlap, but they are not always identical.
The product matters as much as the set name. A main expansion, Commander release, Starter Collection and Collector Booster may have different token allocations even when they share the same release branding. Starting with the exact set code and product saves you from assembling a confident list of the wrong cardboard.
Start with the precise set and product
Open the MTG Sets index and locate the release you want. Record its set name, set code, release date and product type. The index separates main expansions from related Commander releases, promos, art series and supplemental products, which helps prevent similarly named products from being blended together.
If you are working from a card in hand, use its set symbol, code and collector number to confirm the printing. The set-code and collector-number workflow is faster than guessing from the artwork, especially when a card has reprints or alternate treatments.
Keep product boundaries visible throughout the search. Wizards’ Modern Horizons 3 overview, for example, separates entries associated with Play Boosters, Collector Boosters, Commander decks and Collector’s Edition Commander products. The official Modern Horizons 3 token overview groups 70 physical entries across the relevant products, including three emblems and an Energy Reserve helper card. That is a release-wide inventory, not one interchangeable booster list.
Search the cards that create game objects
Next, browse the set’s cards and search the rules text for creation language. Start with “create,” then inspect results for “token,” “emblem,” “Role” and “copy.” Also search for the names of set mechanics or predefined tokens mentioned in the release, such as Treasure, Food, Clue or Incubator.
For each result, record the creating card, the object created and any modifications. “Create a Treasure token” points to the default Treasure definition. “Create a tapped Treasure token” creates the same predefined kind with an added instruction. A custom creature token may instead receive its color, creature types, power, toughness and abilities entirely from the creating effect.
The Magic Comprehensive Rules define a token as a marker representing a permanent that is not represented by a card. The creating effect establishes its characteristics, including its copiable values. Tokens themselves are not cards, even when an official token card exists to represent one.
Keep tokens, emblems and tracking aids separate
Official product galleries sometimes place several rules categories under the convenient umbrella of “tokens.” Labeling them separately makes the final inventory more useful.
| Entry type | What it represents | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Token permanent | A noncard permanent created by an effect | Name, colors, types, power/toughness, abilities and modifications |
| Role token | An Aura enchantment token attached to a permanent | Specific Role name and the card that creates it |
| Emblem | An object in the command zone with abilities from its creating effect | Creating card and full emblem ability |
| Copy token | A token using another object’s copiable values | What can be copied and any exceptions added by the effect |
| Tracking aid | A reminder or status marker rather than a token permanent | Its purpose and the product containing the physical card |
An emblem is neither a card nor a permanent. It is a distinct object in the command zone, usually carrying only the abilities granted by the effect that created it. Search planeswalkers and any other cards that explicitly say a player gets an emblem; do not infer an emblem merely because an ability has a lasting effect.
Roles need their own line in the inventory. Cursed, Monster, Royal, Sorcerer, Virtuous, Wicked and Young Hero Roles are Aura enchantment tokens, not ordinary reminder cards. The rules also limit a permanent to one Role controlled by the same player: all but the Role with the newest timestamp are put into their owners’ graveyards.
Copy effects are another easy miss because there may be no single printed face that can represent every result. A token created as a copy uses the copied object’s copiable values, and a token copy of a double-faced object can itself be double-faced. Record the copy-producing card and its restrictions rather than pretending the set has one universal “Copy” token with fixed characteristics.
Finally, separate player designations and helper cards from rules objects. The monarch, the initiative and the city’s blessing are player designations, not tokens or emblems, even when a release supplies physical cards for tracking them. Energy Reserve cards and similar aids also belong under “tracking aid,” not “token permanent.”
Verify the official physical entries
Once the card-text inventory is complete, look for a Wizards token overview or the release’s Card Image Gallery. Compare the official entries against your list and note the product attached to each one. This pass identifies artwork variants, double-faced pairings, emblems and helper cards that a plain rules-text search may not organize clearly.
Release packaging can change the result substantially. March of the Machine’s official overview includes ordinary tokens, double-faced Incubator // Phyrexian entries, emblems, Treasure variants and status markers, while the associated Commander decks receive a separate allocation. Magic: The Gathering Foundations likewise separates 23 tokens and two emblems in Play and Collector Boosters from eight additional token kinds in the Starter Collection. Wizards’ Foundations token guide directs readers to the Card Image Gallery for the complete display.
Build a list that answers the actual question
Your finished sheet should include one row per distinct object or tracking aid, plus columns for the creating card, rules category, set code, physical printing status and product availability. Add a notes column for variants such as tapped creation, predefined-token modifications, double-faced pairings or copy restrictions.
- Confirm the exact release, set code and product.
- Search card text for create, token, emblem, Role, copy and named mechanics.
- Record every game object the cards can create.
- Classify each result as a token permanent, Role, emblem, copy token or tracking aid.
- Check Wizards’ token overview or Card Image Gallery for official physical entries.
- Attach each printed entry to the correct booster, deck, collection or supplemental product.
- Compare the two lists and flag objects without a dedicated physical token.
This workflow avoids the two common failures: treating every official marker as a token, and assuming one product’s token sheet covers an entire release family. Browse the cards to learn what the set can create; browse the official product material to learn what Wizards printed. Keeping those questions separate produces a token and emblem inventory you can actually use for deck preparation, collecting or Limited organization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need both the set code and product name?
Related boosters, Commander decks, collections and supplemental products can have different token allocations. Confirming both prevents you from mixing separate inventories.
Can an MTG set create tokens that do not have official token cards?
Yes. The card-text search identifies every object the set’s cards can create, while the official gallery shows which physical markers were printed for that release and product.
Is a printed token card an actual card under the rules?
No. A token is a marker representing a permanent that is not represented by a card. Printing an official token card does not make the token a card.
How do I find emblems in a set?
Search for cards that explicitly say a player gets an emblem, then record the creating card and the emblem’s full ability. An emblem is an object in the command zone, not a card or permanent.
Are Roles tokens or reminder cards?
Roles are Aura enchantment tokens. Record the specific Role and its creating card rather than classifying the physical marker as a generic reminder card.
How should I record copy tokens?
Record the copy-producing card, what it can copy and any exceptions added by the effect. Copy tokens use the copied object’s copiable values, so one fixed “Copy” entry may not describe every result.
Do the monarch, initiative and city’s blessing count as tokens?
No. They are player designations, even when a product includes physical cards to track them. Put those cards under tracking aids instead.
What should a finished token and emblem inventory include?
Use one row per distinct object or tracking aid, with the creating card, rules category, set code, physical printing status and product availability. Add notes for variants, modifications, double-faced pairings and copy restrictions.