Designing Custom Tokens: The Best Way to Bling Your Commander Deck

In Commander (EDH), your deck is an expression of yourself. You choose the Commander, you choose the strategy, and you choose the basic lands. But one area is often overlooked: Tokens.

Too many players spend hundreds on a deck only to represent a 1/1 Soldier with a dice, a scrap of paper, or a token from a completely different set. Designing custom tokens is the ultimate flex and the perfect way to tie your deck's theme together.

Why Custom Tokens?

1. Thematic Consistency

Playing a Lord of the Rings theme deck? Why are you using a generic Goblin token from Core Set 2021? Custom tokens let you find art that matches your specific universe. You could have Goblins that look like Orcs from Mordor, or Elves that match the Lothlórien aesthetic.

2. Joke's and Memes

Commander is often a social, casual format. Custom tokens are a great place for inside jokes.

• Does your playgroup always joke about your "bears"? Make tokens with pictures of your actual pet dog.
• Did you lose a bet? Make a "Treasure" token that features the embarrassing moment.

3. Clarity and Readability

Official tokens sometimes lack text. A custom token can include reminder text for abilities ("This creature has Trample and Haste") or even track storm count or other mechanics. You can design a token that explicitly states exactly what it does, saving time explaining board states.

Ideas for Custom Tokens

• Full Art: Since tokens don't need casting costs, layout rules are looser. Go for full-art frames to show off beautiful illustrations.
• Double-Sided: If your deck makes Servos and Thopters, why dig for two different cards? Print a double-sided token with a Servo on one side and a Thopter on the other.
• "Copy" Tokens: Creating a stack of generic "Copy" tokens (like the ones uses for Copes) with really cool, abstract art is super useful for any blue player.

How to Make Them

1. Find the Art: ArtStation, Pinterest, and DeviantArt are goldmines. Always credit the artist on the bottom of the card!
2. Use a Card Creator: Load up TCGCustom. Select "Token" as the type (if available) or just customize the frame to remove the mana cost.
3. Set the Stats: Don't forget P/T!
4. Print: Since tokens aren't shuffled into the deck, you don't even need to be as careful about thickness. You can print them on nice cardstock and just sleeve them in a different color.

Conclusion

Custom tokens are a low-stakes, high-reward project. They don't need to be tournament legal, they don't need to balance perfect mana costs, and they add a huge amount of flavor to your battlefield. Next time you build a Commander deck, don't stop at the 99—design the tokens that will lead you to victory!