Tokens have existed since the very first set in MTG, and ever since then, players have tried to build decks around making them work. The idea is certainly appealing. Seeing a huge board of tokens crash over your opponents for the win is hugely satisfying. That’s to say nothing of the many other applications a big army of small creatures can have in Magic. But what are the best ways of creating such an army? What are the best token generators in MTG? That’s the question I aim to answer here today.
In the interest of balance, I’ve included one card from each color, with an honorable mention for each as well. There are so many great token generators out there that I could probably make this list 10 times over and not run out of good picks. That said, I do believe these five to be the best of the best overall. With that out of the way, let’s get into the list proper!
White | Ocelot Pride
Honorable Mention: Adeline, Resplendent Cathar
Ocelot Pride is a great example of the absurd power creep we see in sets like Modern Horizons 3. A 1/1 with two keyword abilities that can easily make a 1/1 Cat every turn is already a great deal. Once you have the City’s Blessing, however, it also doubles the Cat and all your other tokens as well. Provided they entered that turn.
In a dedicated tokens deck, this is undeniably fantastic. The cost of one mana makes it very easy to play alongside another token generator, which will more than likely put you over the threshold for the City’s Blessing. Then, at the end of the turn, you’ll double all the tokens you just created. There are no restrictions here, either. You can get extra 4/4 Rhinos just as easily as you can get extra 1/1 Cats with this.
Ocelot Pride is currently tearing it up in Modern, but it’s also one of the best token generators for Commander. It’s a must-play for Cat decks, and its duplication ability is just so powerful and open that not running it is probably a mistake. This is a bit of a shame, given that said Modern play has pushed its price tag into the stratosphere.
Blue | Shark Typhoon
Honorable Mention: Talrand, Sky Summoner
Yes, this is a bizarre, memey reference to Sharknado. No, it’s not from an Un-set or Secret Lair, it’s from Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths. Look beyond the surface silliness, however, and you’ll find that Shark Typhoon is blue’s premier source of tokens. Especially in long games.
Being an enchantment, Typhoon is very difficult for a lot of decks to interact with. This means you’ll reliably be pumping out evasive Sharks every turn after it resolves. Since there’s no annoying ‘once per turn’ clause here, you can play your noncreature spells whenever you like, which allows you to hold up your mana until you need it most.
As if that wasn’t enough, Shark Typhoon also has a whole other mode you can use it in. In a pinch, when dropping a six mana enchantment just isn’t going to work for you, you can Cycle the Typhoon instead. You can even sink extra mana in to make a Shark if you’d like. This flexibility has earned the card a spot in many a Control and Combo deck in Pioneer, and it plays just as well in Commander.
Black | Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder
Honorable Mention: Bitterblossom
Here’s one for all the math fans out there. Endrek Sahr is an incredibly powerful card, and in the right hands it can be the cornerstone of an entire strategy. But it also requires careful planning and consideration, since hitting seven Thrulls will cause you to lose your Endrek Sahr right away.
For this reason, the card is most at home in an Aristocrats-style deck. Being able to sacrifice Thrulls at will can help you stay under the sacrifice threshold, while also netting you a ton of useful benefits. Aristocrats decks also typically play lots of cheap creatures, which can help you modulate things further.
You can play Endrek fairly, by rationing your mana out, or not so fairly, by exploiting cards like Grave Pact. Either way, it’s a very flexible card that can produce a lot of tokens very quickly. If you can get over the awful stats-to-mana-cost ratio, this is a gem that can find a home in many a black Commander deck.
Red | Dockside Extortionist
Honorable Mention: Krenko, Mob Boss
Not only is Dockside Extortionist the best red token generator in Magic, but it’s probably also the best red card in Magic full stop. That is the case in Commander, at least. With three opponents, all of whom are likely running mana rocks and cheap artifact tokens like Food or Treasure, this card will typically net you 6-10 Treasures when it enters. That’s an absurd amount of mana to work with, to say nothing of the additional synergies dropping a lot of artifacts at once enables.
The rest of this list has focused on creature token generators, but the noncreature tokens of MTG can be just as deadly. While you can’t attack your opponent with Treasures (Under most circumstances), you can use them to power out huge threats, or fuel artifact engines like Mirkwood Bats. The possibilities are endless.
Since Extortionist’s ability triggers when he enters play, you can very easily abuse it with reanimation and blink effects, too. Thought 10 was a lot of Treasures? How about 20 or 30? If you can’t win the game at that point, it’s likely your deck that’s the problem. Dockside Extortionist is high on many player’s radars as a card to be banned in Commander, but until that day it’s the best token generator in the format.
Green | Tendershoot Dryad
Honorable Mention: Scute Swarm
Green is probably one of the colors with the most access to token generators in MTG, so the best card in this category carries a lot of weight. I’ve gone for Tendershoot Dryad, and I think a lot of players would agree. In standard 1v1 games, it’s a bit on the slow side. In Commander, however, where there are two more upkeeps each turn cycle, it gets out of hand very, very fast.
Just dropping the Dryad with five lands on turn five, no other permanents, will get you the City’s Blessing by your next turn. Assuming your opponents don’t remove any of your creatures. In that case, you’ll enter turn six with four 3/3 Saproling tokens in play, three of which can attack immediately. That’s a ton of value and pressure, and it only ramps up from there.
Perhaps the best thing you can say about Tendershoot Dryad is that by itself, with no other token support cards, Saproling synergies, etc., it’s still a super-dangerous, must-remove threat. That makes it a great card in a vacuum, and even better in a dedicated tokens deck. There are few MTG cards that can claim that, and even fewer token generators.
Read More: Elite MTG Bloomburrow Class Gives Rise to Surging Synergistic Token Strategy
