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BattlefieldPATCH 2026.10.18

Myriad Tokens and the Battlefield: What Enters and Which Triggers Work

By VGSources Team 7 min read

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Yes. A myriad token enters the battlefield as a creature token that is already tapped and attacking. It was not declared as an attacker, however. That single distinction determines which abilities trigger: enters-the-battlefield abilities work, while abilities that trigger when a creature attacks do not.

What happens when myriad resolves

Myriad is an ability that creates token copies of an attacking creature for the opponents other than the defending player. The copies enter the battlefield at the same time, tapped and attacking. “Entering attacking” describes the token’s status as it arrives; it does not mean the token went through the declare attackers action.

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The mechanic therefore has two separate parts: creating permanents on the battlefield and assigning those permanents an attacking designation. The first part is an enters-the-battlefield event. The second part does not count as declaring attackers for rules purposes.

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The number of tokens depends on the defending player

For each opponent other than the defending player, myriad can create one token copy. If the defending player is your only opponent, there are no other opponents and myriad creates no tokens. In a multiplayer game, the ability can create copies for each eligible opponent.

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The controller makes the attack destination choice for each token as that token is created. A token can attack the relevant opponent or a planeswalker that opponent controls, as applicable. The tokens do not all have to choose the same destination.

All copies arrive together

Tokens produced by one resolution of myriad enter the battlefield simultaneously. This matters for effects that look at permanents entering together: each token is entering during the same event, rather than one token arriving, finishing its triggers, and then the next token arriving.

Why “enters attacking” is not “was declared as an attacker”

Magic uses the declare attackers action to determine whether a creature was declared as an attacker. A myriad token skips that action. It appears on the battlefield already attacking, but no player declared it during the normal combat procedure.

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Ability or cost checks for… Does a myriad token satisfy it? Reason
A permanent entering the battlefield Yes The token changes zones into the battlefield.
“Whenever this creature attacks” No The token was never declared as an attacker.
“Whenever a creature attacks” No for the token’s arrival Entering attacking does not perform the declaration action.
A cost that applies when declaring a creature as an attacker No The token is not declared, so that declaration cost is not paid.
“As this permanent enters” or “this permanent enters with” Yes, when applicable These effects modify or replace the token’s entry event.

This is why the same token can cause one class of trigger and fail to cause another. Its arrival is real for zone-change purposes, but it is not an attack declaration.

Which abilities trigger from a myriad token?

Enters-the-battlefield abilities

Any enters-the-battlefield ability copied from the original creature triggers when each token enters. If the original creature says that it does something whenever it enters the battlefield, every newly created copy has that ability and each copy triggers as it arrives.

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The official Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur’s Gate release notes from 2022 state: “Any enters-the-battlefield abilities of the copied creature will trigger when the token enters the battlefield.” That ruling applies even though the token enters tapped and attacking.

“As this enters” and “enters with” instructions

Applicable abilities that operate as a permanent enters, or that make it enter with counters or another characteristic, also function for a myriad token. The token is still entering the battlefield, so those replacement effects and entry instructions get the opportunity to apply.

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Whether a particular effect applies depends on the exact wording and the token’s copied characteristics. The important rule is that entering attacking does not turn off an effect that cares about the entry event.

Attack-triggered abilities

Abilities that trigger whenever a creature attacks do not trigger merely because a myriad token enters attacking. This includes the token copy’s own myriad ability. The token may have myriad as part of the copied creature’s rules text, but it was not declared as an attacker, so that ability does not trigger from its arrival.

The same limitation applies to other abilities worded around attacking or declaring attackers. If an ability requires the creature to be declared as an attacker, the token’s preassigned attacking status is not enough.

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What exactly does each token copy?

Myriad copies the creature’s printed characteristics, as modified by other copy effects that are part of what is being copied. It does not copy the original creature’s tapped status, counters, attached Auras, attached Equipment, or other non-copy effects that changed the original’s characteristics.

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  • Printed characteristics: The token gets the original card’s name, mana cost, color, types, power, toughness, abilities and other printed information, subject to the normal copy rules.
  • Tapped status: The original’s current tapped or untapped status is not copied. Myriad separately makes the new token enter tapped and attacking.
  • Counters: A +1/+1 counter, loyalty counter or other counter on the original is not copied.
  • Auras and Equipment: Attachments on the original do not appear attached to the token.
  • Other non-copy modifications: Temporary effects and similar changes that are not copy effects are not part of the token’s copied characteristics.

Because each token copies the creature’s characteristics rather than its current physical state, a creature that is enlarged by a non-copy effect does not automatically produce enlarged tokens. Conversely, an ability printed on the creature is copied and can create its own enters-the-battlefield trigger.

How to determine each token’s attack

  1. Identify the defending player for the myriad ability’s combat.
  2. List every opponent other than that defending player. If the list is empty, no token is created.
  3. Create one copy for each eligible opponent, with all those tokens entering during the same event.
  4. For each token, choose whether it attacks that opponent or a planeswalker controlled by that opponent, where the rules allow that choice.
  5. Apply the copied creature’s relevant entry abilities and “as this enters” or “enters with” effects.
  6. Do not treat any token as having been declared during the declare attackers action; attack-triggered abilities therefore do not trigger from the token’s creation.

The controller makes the destination choice as each token is created. This is separate from deciding whether the original creature attacked the defending player or a planeswalker. A token created for another opponent cannot be redirected to an unrelated player or planeswalker.

A worked multiplayer example

Suppose a creature with myriad attacks one opponent in a four-player game. The attacking player has two other opponents besides the defending player. Myriad creates two token copies, one associated with each of those other opponents. Both tokens enter simultaneously, tapped and attacking. The controller chooses the legal opponent or planeswalker for each token.

If the copied creature has an enters-the-battlefield ability, that ability triggers for both tokens. If it has “whenever this creature attacks,” neither token triggers that ability, because neither token was declared as an attacker. If the copied creature itself has myriad, the tokens’ copies of myriad also do not trigger from entering attacking.

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If the same attack occurs when there is only one opponent, that opponent is the defending player and there are no other opponents. Myriad creates no token in that combat, so there are no token entry triggers and no token attack choices to make.

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Common rules mistakes

“The token is attacking, so attack triggers must work”

Attacking status and declaration are different concepts. The token is attacking for combat purposes, but it did not participate in the declare attackers action. Check whether the ability asks for an attack declaration or for a permanent to enter the battlefield.

“The token’s myriad creates more tokens”

A copied creature can have myriad, but the token copy itself enters attacking rather than being declared. Its myriad ability therefore does not trigger from that entry. Myriad does not recursively multiply through its own token copies in this way.

“The token copies the original’s counters and Equipment”

It does not. Counters, Auras, Equipment and other non-copy changes belong to the original permanent and are excluded from the copied characteristics. The token’s tapped-and-attacking status comes from myriad’s creation instruction, not from copying the original’s status.

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“All tokens attack the same player”

Each token is assigned an eligible opponent or planeswalker separately. In a multiplayer game, the controller can distribute the tokens among the opponents for whom myriad created them, subject to the legal choices for each token.

Card context: Blade of Selves

Blade of Selves is a physical Magic: The Gathering Equipment card that grants myriad to the equipped creature. It is a familiar way to encounter the mechanic, but owning or using the card is not required to apply the token-entry ruling. Whenever a creature gains myriad from an effect, the same distinction applies: its copies enter attacking, and the copied creature’s enters-the-battlefield abilities work while attack-declaration triggers do not.

Fast ruling checklist

  • Did a token change zones onto the battlefield? If yes, check its enters-the-battlefield abilities.
  • Was the token declared as an attacker during the declare attackers action? A myriad token was not.
  • Are you checking an “as this enters” or “enters with” instruction? Apply it if the copied characteristics make it relevant.
  • Are you counting tokens? Count opponents other than the defending player, not the total number of players.
  • Are you assigning attacks? Choose separately for each token: its eligible opponent or a planeswalker that opponent controls.
  • Are you checking copied characteristics? Exclude the original’s tapped status, counters, Auras, Equipment and other non-copy modifications.

The decisive question is always which event the ability watches. Myriad tokens do enter the battlefield, so entry-based abilities see them. They enter attacking without being declared, so abilities tied to declaring attackers do not.

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BattlefieldCombat rulesCommanderMagic: The GatheringMyriadTokens

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