Tokens are permanents created by spells and abilities. Unlike most other permanents, though, they're not cast from any zone and cease existing when they leave the battlefield.

While tokens can technically be any sort of permanent, they're most commonly creatures. In a typical game of Commander, you might see a 3/3 ElephantElephant creature token created by Generous GiftGenerous Gift, two TreasureTreasure artifact tokens created by An Offer You Can't RefuseAn Offer You Can't Refuse, or maybe even a 1/1 FishFish creature token created by Into the Flood MawInto the Flood Maw.

But not all tokens are attached to interactive spells. There's also a whole host of cards that can make creature tokens appear on our side of the board, often in large numbers. Resolute ReinforcementsResolute Reinforcements, for example, enters the battlefield with a friend! Other cards, like BitterblossomBitterblossom may make us multiple creature tokens over the course of a game, while Clone LegionClone Legion may create a huge army of tokens all in one go.

While every color makes tokens, some colors can use them better than others. and tend to be best at maximizing the power of tokens. , , and can do some interesting things with tokens too, but don't stack up quite as well.

White

White has a lot of effects that allow us to double the amount of tokens we create, like Anointed ProcessionAnointed Procession and Ocelot PrideOcelot Pride.

This color also provides card advantage (Caretaker's TalentCaretaker's Talent) and other benefits (Rosie Cotton of South LaneRosie Cotton of South Lane) when we make tokens.

All told, cards play extremely well with this strategy.

Green

Green can also double the number of tokens we put onto the battlefield, with cards like Doubling SeasonDoubling Season and Second HarvestSecond Harvest. But, unlike white, green lets us make a ton of mana with our creature tokens. Jaheira, Friend of the ForestJaheira, Friend of the Forest turns each of our tokens into a Moss DiamondMoss Diamond, accelerating us to huge plays turn after turn.

Same goes for Enduring VitalityEnduring Vitality, assuming that we're mostly making use of creature tokens.

Red

Red has more unique payoffs for creature tokens. Determined IterationDetermined Iteration and Echoing AssaultEchoing Assault can make one particularly scary creature token per turn.

There's a few other interesting cards that gives access to, like Battle HymnBattle Hymn and Stadium HeadlinerStadium Headliner that become stronger with a board full of creature tokens.

Blue

Much like , there's a small number of cards that do some powerful things with tokens. My favorites are Worldwalker HelmWorldwalker Helm for Artifact decks and Poppet StitcherPoppet Stitcher for Spellslinger decks.

Junk WinderJunk Winder is a nice all-purpose tool, too.

Black

Most of the token-related cards that gives access to are focused on causing our opponents to lose life. Mirkwood BatsMirkwood Bats and Nadier's NightbladeNadier's Nightblade are fantastic examples, and can easily end games if they're left unchecked.

There isn't much else going on for tokens in this color, but creature tokens can make nice fodder for a Blood ArtistBlood Artist-style effect.

Now that we know what each color can do with tokens, let's choose a deck to build. This should serve as a good example of what a mid-power, Bracket 2 tokens deck could look like (leaving out Game Changers and most tutors).

There's no single correct way to build a deck for this theme, and my goal with this guide is to show off as many cool cards for a creature token-centric build as possible.

With that said, let's choose a commander. We've established that and are the best colors for tokens, but we know that there's some fun stuff happening with other colors too. I want our commander to provide consistent value, while also driving our game plan forward once we've saturated the board with an army of small creatures.

I've settled on Rin and Seri, InseparableRin and Seri, Inseparable, a Naya () commander that wants to combine the powers of Cats and Dogs! This legendary creature is as cute as it is powerful, and I think it'll be a fantastic leader for our list.

What Does Rin and Seri, InseparableRin and Seri, Inseparable Do?

For , Rin and Seri is a 4/4 Dog Cat. When we cast a Dog spell, they make us a 1/1 Cat creature token. Similarly, when we cast a Cat spell, they make us a 1/1 Dog creature token.

Then, for and , we get to hit any target for an amount of damage equal to the number of Dogs we control while gaining life equal to the number of Cats we control.

All token decks need, as you might guess, a way to fill the board with temporary game pieces. For a Krenko, Mob BossKrenko, Mob Boss deck, we may need to tap our commander a few times. For an Edgar MarkovEdgar Markov deck, we may need to cast Vampires. But, for our Rin and Seri deck, we need to cast Cats and Dogs. And lots of them.

Over Magic's 30+ year history we've seen a lot of powerful household pets, so we're certainly not starved for options.

Among the best cards in this deck are changelings, creatures that count as every creature type at all points in the game. When we cast these spells, we get to make both a Cat token and a Dog token. They also count for both parts of our commander's activated ability!

Mutable ExplorerMutable Explorer is a new card from Lorwyn Eclipsed, a changeling that makes us a token version of MutavaultMutavault when it hits the board. Two changelings for the price of one would already be good, but this Shapeshifter also puts us ahead by one mana!

I'm also a big fan of RealmwalkerRealmwalker, as it gives us access to 20+ creatures from the top of our library if we choose Cats as it enters the battlefield.

Various cheap changelings, like Universal AutomatonUniversal Automaton round out our Cat-Dog cadre.

With all the creature tokens we'll be making, anthems (cards that buff up all of our creatures' power and toughness or give them abilities) are particularly strong. I'm a big fan of Skyhunter Strike ForceSkyhunter Strike Force, which routinely gives each of our creatures +3/+3 every single combat. For just , it's hard to ask for more from a Cat.

For just more, we can cast Jazal GoldmaneJazal Goldmane. Once we've got enough mana to activate this feline's ability, we can turn a board of mid-size creatures into a board of game-ending threats. Jazal becomes effective with as few as five creatures on board, but can easily become lethal with 10 or more creatures out.

I spoke earlier about token doublers, and how powerful they are. While making twice as many tokens as we usually would is pretty strong, most cards in this category don't provide much utility beyond simply making extra tokens. That's why I love Ocelot PrideOcelot Pride and Elspeth, Storm SlayerElspeth, Storm Slayer in this list: they provide value beyond doubling.

If we gain life, Ocelot Pride can make us a 1/1 Cat token. We can do that easily with our commander's activated ability! On the other hand, Elspeth acts as repeatable removal and can provide our creature tokens with a power boost and some evasiveness to punch through and end games effectively.

While I've still found space for Parallel LivesParallel Lives and the like, I'd certainly reach for the Cat and the planeswalker first.

Our focus on Cats and Dogs has led us to cards that other token decks may not play. These cards really shine in a Rin and Seri deck, so I wanted to spotlight them before showing off our deck list.

Prowling SerpopardProwling Serpopard is a funny looking creature that protects all of our creature spells on the stack. For a Bracket 2 deck like this, warding off counterspells may not come up super often. But, occasionally, this Cat Snake will really help us dodge those pesky blue players' counterspells.

Speaking of protection, Ainok Strike LeaderAinok Strike Leader just so happens to be a Dog (that appears to be riding a cat). This creature makes extra 1/1 Goblin tokens and can save all of our creature tokens from a board wipe. The Cats and Dogs that Rin and Seri make are extremely valuable, due to our commander's ability to turn them into direct damage, so preserving them is a high priority.

There's also Prava of the Steel LegionPrava of the Steel Legion, an anthem that makes our creature tokens survive combat more easily. A +1/+4 boost to toughness is unique, and quite neat. Her activated ability is a nice way to spend excess mana, too.

Some more specific typal synergies bolster this deck's 99, too. Feline SovereignFeline Sovereign can easily dispatch any problematic artifacts or enchantments, just like Qasali SlingersQasali Slingers.

And if we want a super-powered planeswalker, we can turn to Ajani, Nacatl PariahAjani, Nacatl Pariah's transformed side. He provides an anthem, direct damage to any target, and even a one-sided board wipe!

Finally, I wanted to shout out Court of EmberethCourt of Embereth. This card does so much for just !

First, it introduces the monarchy. This is a super fun mechanic for low- and mid-power Commander, encouraging all players to hit each other and speed up the game.

With the number of creature t0kens that we'll be creating, we've got a decent likelihood of holding onto the crown for at least one turn cycle. If we do so, we get to take a big chunk out of each opponents' life total. Even if we don't hold onto the monarchy, we're still happy to see the game move a bit faster than it normally would.

This deck is low to the ground, and we want to start killing other players as soon as possible.

There are some fantastic ways to get value from tokens in other colors, though. Anhelo, the PainterAnhelo, the Painter takes 's ability to sacrifice creatures for value, and combines it with 's ability to cast instants and sorceries efficiently.

This Vampire Assassin comes to us from the Maestros Massacre preconstructed deck from Streets of New Capenna, and has been on my to-brew list for a while. He gets to play some super cool new cards like Timeline CullerTimeline Culler alongside classics like Mizzix's MasteryMizzix's Mastery, creating an awesome play experience.

I also want to shout out Peregrin TookPeregrin Took, a mono- commander that goes infinite with a few other cards.

His color identity gives us access to some of the best creature token synergies available to Commander players, and I think Pippin deserves to lead more of his own decks. He sees a good bit of play as a combo piece in other token-focused decks, but I want this Halfling Citizen to have his own time in the spotlight.

Other FoodFood synergies like Syr Ginger, the Meal EnderSyr Ginger, the Meal Ender and The Cabbage MerchantThe Cabbage Merchant can round out a solid 99.