Tokens
Zones & actions
Game objects created by effects that vanish once they leave the battlefield.
How it works
A token is a marker that represents a permanent created by a spell or ability, not a card. It exists on the battlefield like any other permanent while it's there.
As a state-based action, a token that has left the battlefield ceases to exist. It can briefly be in another zone — long enough for triggers — but then it's gone for good.
Common confusions
“A token dies — do death triggers still happen?”
Yes. The token goes to the graveyard and 'dies,' so 'when ~ dies' triggers fire. The token then disappears the next time state-based actions are checked, so you can't reanimate it.
“What's a token's mana value?”
0, unless an effect set its mana cost. Tokens have no mana cost of their own.
“Blinking a token (exile and return).”
Don't. A token that leaves the battlefield ceases to exist and won't come back — even 'exile, then return it' loses the token.