<p>From the Magic Rules:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>100.2. To play, each player needs his or her own deck of traditional Magic cards, small items to represent any tokens and counters, and some way to clearly track life totals.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>and</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>121.1. A counter is a marker placed on an object or player that modifies its characteristics and/or
  interacts with a rule, ability, or effect. Counters are not objects and have no characteristics. Notably,
  a counter is not a token, and a token is not a counter. Counters with the same name or description
  are interchangeable.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Any object will do to mark counters on a card. I tend to use D6s, although there are rare occasions when I have to use D10s or D20s, depending on the card. I find it easier to keep track of the number of counters on a card if I am using dice to mark them.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-12T20:02:14.417Z
A big part of that for me is that I have a ton of random dice laying around that I've collected over the years. This seems like the best use for them.
SocioMatt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-13T16:45:37.320Z
You should just start with the d20s; be optimistic that you might put more than ten +1/+1 counters on that creature!
Cascabel
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-12T19:54:07.707Z
2013-03-12T19:54:07.707Z
SocioMatt
<p>I always use dice, which makes it real easy to keep track even if you have a lot of counter.
i got something like <a href="http://www.awesomedice.com/dice-sets/36d6-dice-sets" rel="nofollow">this</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-13T08:24:56.977Z
2013-03-13T08:24:56.977Z
SirDuckduck
<p>Yes, counters should be represented by physical objects.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>122.1. A counter is a marker placed on an object or player that modifies its characteristics and/or interacts with a rule, ability, or effect. [...]</p>
</blockquote>

<p>There has been official products for use as counters. <a href="https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Punch_card" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Punch cards</a> including -1/-1 counters and brick counters were provided alongside the Amonkhet block (Apr 2017). To help support the keyword counters it introduced, the Ikoria set (Apr 2020) provided punch cards with +1/+1 counters and keyword counters.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/HlT93.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/YKwSJ.png" alt="Ikoria Counters"></a></p>

<p>You aren't required to use these. The objects used as counter can be anything. Dice and flat-bottomed glass beads meant to be used in flower vases are popular. You can get the latter at Michaels or Jo-Ann, among others. Some gaming stores carry them as well.</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/g7PV0.jpg" alt="Beads"></p>

<p>I've seen people use pennies, but they will scratch your cards if the cards aren't protected. (Anything could, but beads and dice have rounder edges.)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-12T19:52:15.413Z
Using dice works as well, especially if you begin to get multiple counters.
Discord
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-12T19:52:30.950Z
@Discord - As long as you don't knock the dice over.
ire_and_curses
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-12T19:54:10.950Z
At a desperate pinch, when absolutely nothing else has been available, I have even used other cards (face down and offset stacked) as counters. Unwieldy, inelegant and annoying, but better than nothing.
ire_and_curses
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-12T20:21:35.710Z
Note that using other cards is forbidden in the context of a sanctioned event :)
Affe
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-12T22:52:50.427Z
For what it's worth, Wizard's internal R&D uses beads.
corsiKa
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-12T23:15:16.617Z
I like tiny d6s; people often have them for minis wargames and RPGs (it's nice to have two different colors). For planeswalkers I'll use a bigger die with numbers on it because I find it easier to think about the cost of their abilities that way.
Alex P
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-19T11:23:11.450Z
A good alternative is a set of Go stones. Cheap ones can come very cheap (fancy ones can get very expensive, being hand carved from shells or precious stones) and at 180 per colour in a set you're highly unlikely to run out :)
jwenting
CC BY-SA 4.0
2013-03-12T19:50:02.313Z
2020-04-28T11:33:02.647Z
2020-04-28T11:33:02.647Z
ikegami
<p>Card example: <a href="http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=366461">Beckon Apparition (Gatecrash)</a></p>

<p>There are a lot of cards that use counter as a noun. I did some Googling but I'm just not clear on what I need to use for counters.  Are they physical things I can buy and if so, what is a good online resource?  Can I just make do with coins or something?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-12T22:46:15.000Z
Incidentally, Beckon Apparition isn't actually an example of what you're asking about because it creates a token, not a counter. A token represents a permanent of its own, whereas counters have to be placed _on_ a permanent. You can use the same physical objects to represent counters and tokens, but there are also actual token cards you can get that come out of booster packs.
David Z
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-12T23:34:15.330Z
Thanks.  Are you talking cards like Angel that have 4/4 and then the ad on the back?
Gregg
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-03-12T23:51:48.777Z
Yeah, those would be Angel tokens. (Of course the part on the back doesn't matter)
David Z
<magic-the-gathering>
Are counters (noun) physical things?
Gregg
# Are counters (noun) physical things?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-03-12)

Card example: [Beckon Apparition (Gatecrash)](http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=366461)

There are a lot of cards that use counter as a noun. I did some Googling but I'm just not clear on what I need to use for counters. Are they physical things I can buy and if so, what is a good online resource? Can I just make do with coins or something?

**Tags:** magic-the-gathering

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Incidentally, Beckon Apparition isn't actually an example of what you're asking about because it creates a token, not a counter. A token represents a permanent of its own, whereas counters have to be placed _on_ a permanent. You can use the same physical objects to represent counters and tokens, but there are also actual token cards you can get that come out of booster packs.  
> **username_0**: Thanks.  Are you talking cards like Angel that have 4/4 and then the ad on the back?  
> **username_1**: Yeah, those would be Angel tokens. (Of course the part on the back doesn't matter)  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2013-03-12. Score: 12 | Accepted answer

Yes, counters should be represented by physical objects.

> 122.1. A counter is a marker placed on an object or player that modifies its characteristics and/or interacts with a rule, ability, or effect. [...]

There has been official products for use as counters. [Punch cards](https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Punch_card) including -1/-1 counters and brick counters were provided alongside the Amonkhet block (Apr 2017). To help support the keyword counters it introduced, the Ikoria set (Apr 2020) provided punch cards with +1/+1 counters and keyword counters.

[![Ikoria Counters](https://i.sstatic.net/YKwSJ.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/HlT93.png)

You aren't required to use these. The objects used as counter can be anything. Dice and flat-bottomed glass beads meant to be used in flower vases are popular. You can get the latter at Michaels or Jo-Ann, among others. Some gaming stores carry them as well.

![Beads](https://i.sstatic.net/g7PV0.jpg)

I've seen people use pennies, but they will scratch your cards if the cards aren't protected. (Anything could, but beads and dice have rounder edges.)

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: Using dice works as well, especially if you begin to get multiple counters.  
> **username_7**: @username_6 - As long as you don't knock the dice over.  
> **username_7**: At a desperate pinch, when absolutely nothing else has been available, I have even used other cards (face down and offset stacked) as counters. Unwieldy, inelegant and annoying, but better than nothing.  
> **username_8**: Note that using other cards is forbidden in the context of a sanctioned event :)  
> **username_9**: For what it's worth, Wizard's internal R&D uses beads.  
> **username_10**: I like tiny d6s; people often have them for minis wargames and RPGs (it's nice to have two different colors). For planeswalkers I'll use a bigger die with numbers on it because I find it easier to think about the cost of their abilities that way.  
> **username_11**: A good alternative is a set of Go stones. Cheap ones can come very cheap (fancy ones can get very expensive, being hand carved from shells or precious stones) and at 180 per colour in a set you're highly unlikely to run out :)  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-03-12. Score: 6

From the Magic Rules:

> 100.2. To play, each player needs his or her own deck of traditional Magic cards, small items to represent any tokens and counters, and some way to clearly track life totals.

and

> 121.1. A counter is a marker placed on an object or player that modifies its characteristics and/or
> interacts with a rule, ability, or effect. Counters are not objects and have no characteristics. Notably,
> a counter is not a token, and a token is not a counter. Counters with the same name or description
> are interchangeable.

Any object will do to mark counters on a card. I tend to use D6s, although there are rare occasions when I have to use D10s or D20s, depending on the card. I find it easier to keep track of the number of counters on a card if I am using dice to mark them.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: A big part of that for me is that I have a ton of random dice laying around that I've collected over the years. This seems like the best use for them.  
> **username_3**: You should just start with the d20s; be optimistic that you might put more than ten +1/+1 counters on that creature!  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2013-03-13. Score: 1

I always use dice, which makes it real easy to keep track even if you have a lot of counter.
i got something like [this](http://www.awesomedice.com/dice-sets/36d6-dice-sets).


---

