Can Tokens Be Blinked? A Comprehensive Guide to Flickering the Ephemeral
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Yes, tokens can indeed be blinked. In Magic: The Gathering, “blinking” refers to the act of exiling a permanent and then immediately returning it to the battlefield. This process is typically achieved through spells or abilities that use the “exile, then return” mechanic. While the nature of tokens is a bit unique, they fully participate in the blinking process, though with certain limitations and nuances. Let’s delve into the specifics of blinking tokens and explore some related FAQs to better understand this interaction.
Understanding the Basics of Blinking
What Does “Blinking” Mean in MTG?
Blinking, also sometimes called flickering, is a term used to describe a specific type of effect found in Magic: The Gathering. It involves exiling a permanent and then returning it to the battlefield immediately. This action is often triggered by cards such as Momentary Blink, Eerie Interlude, or Cloudshift. Blinking can be used for various strategic purposes, including resetting counters, avoiding removal spells, and triggering “enters the battlefield” abilities.
How Does Blinking Affect Creatures?
When a creature is blinked, it leaves the battlefield and then re-enters. This is crucial because a creature entering the battlefield is a brand new instance, and it triggers any enters-the-battlefield (ETB) abilities it might have. Blinking also removes any auras or equipment attached to the creature and removes any counters, as it effectively becomes a new game object when it returns to the battlefield.
The Token Conundrum
What Are Tokens?
In Magic: The Gathering, tokens are permanent cards that aren’t really cards. They’re representations of permanents created by spells or abilities. Tokens typically appear as creatures with various power and toughness, but they can also be enchantments, artifacts, or even planeswalkers in certain rare cases. The crucial difference with a regular card is that tokens exist only on the battlefield; if they leave that zone, they immediately cease to exist.
How Do Tokens Interact with Blink Effects?
Despite their unique nature, tokens interact with blink effects in the same manner as regular cards. When a blink effect is used on a token, the token is exiled, and then, in most cases, it returns to the battlefield immediately. This is key: tokens can be exiled. The primary caveat is that a token that leaves the battlefield for any other zone (such as the hand, the library or the graveyard) cannot come back.
The Momentary Blink Exception
There’s one major difference in how token “blinking” operates compared to a card being blinked. Let’s take Momentary Blink as the key example here. Momentary Blink reads: “Exile target creature you control, then return it to the battlefield under its owner’s control.” Now, because tokens only exist on the battlefield, a token that is exiled by Momentary Blink will indeed be exiled, but when the second half of the spell attempts to return it to the battlefield, it fails because the token no longer exists outside of the battlefield (so it can not be moved from a place it does not exist). In practice, Momentary Blink and effects like it will permanently exile a token. This is different from most other blink effects, which do return the token to play.
FAQs: Deep Diving into Tokens and Blinking
Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify how tokens and blinking interact in Magic: The Gathering:
1. If a token is exiled and returned by an ability, does it trigger ETB effects again?
Yes. Whenever a token is exiled and then returned to the battlefield, it’s considered a new object entering the battlefield. Therefore, it will trigger any enters-the-battlefield (ETB) abilities it may have.
2. Do tokens have summoning sickness after being blinked?
Yes. If a creature token is blinked on the turn it entered the battlefield, it will have summoning sickness again upon re-entering.
3. Can tokens be exiled with spells that target non-tokens?
Yes, tokens can be targeted by and exiled by spells and abilities that target non-token permanents (unless explicitly stated otherwise), such as removal spells.
4. What happens to counters on a token when it’s blinked?
When a token is blinked, it leaves the battlefield and returns as a new object. Any counters on the token will be removed when it leaves. It will come back with no counters (unless the blinking effect specifically mentions keeping them or adding new ones).
5. Can a token phase out?
Yes. Tokens can phase out like any other permanent. When phased out, a token continues to exist on the battlefield, and it returns to the battlefield at the beginning of the controller’s untap step. Counters and stickers on the phased-out token remain.
6. Do blink effects remove auras attached to a token?
Yes. When a token is blinked, any auras attached to it will go to the graveyard. When the token returns, the auras remain in the graveyard.
7. Does blinking a token count as dying for triggered abilities?
No. Blinking is not dying. The token leaving the battlefield does not trigger abilities like “when a creature dies”, or other graveyard triggers.
8. If a token with Undying dies, does it return?
No. Although Undying will trigger, the token can’t return to the battlefield from the graveyard and will cease to exist.
9. If a token is shuffled into the library, does it stay there?
No, if a token is shuffled into the library, it will cease to exist in the library, as it can only exist on the battlefield.
10. Can you mutate a token creature?
Yes. You can mutate a token creature. The rules for mutation apply the same way to tokens as they do to non-token permanents.
11. Can tokens be returned to hand?
No, tokens can not be returned to hand. They can only exist on the battlefield, so if you return one to hand it is removed from play.
12. Do tokens trigger “enter the battlefield” abilities?
Yes. Tokens trigger “enter the battlefield” abilities when they enter play or are brought back from exile using a blink effect other than Momentary Blink.
13. Can a token get undying?
Yes, a token can get undying, but because tokens cease to exist outside of the battlefield, they won’t return when they “die”.
14. Do tokens trigger Bloodchief Ascension?
No, tokens do not trigger Bloodchief Ascension. Bloodchief Ascension only triggers when a nontoken creature dies, because nontoken creatures are represented by cards.
15. Does the legend rule apply to tokens?
No, the legend rule does not apply to tokens, even if they are legendary. If you control multiple tokens with the same legendary name, they can all remain on the battlefield.
Conclusion
Blinking tokens is a powerful tool that can be used in many ways, as long as you understand that most blink spells, other than ones with wording similar to Momentary Blink, will indeed return a token from exile to the battlefield. Understanding how tokens interact with blink effects can help players refine strategies and play more strategically. By carefully considering these interactions and nuances, you can fully utilize tokens and blinking effects to their maximum potential in your games.