In Magic: The Gathering, a counter is a rules-defined marker placed on a player or permanent; what it does depends on its kind. A +1/+1 counter modifies a creature’s power and toughness, a loyalty counter tracks a planeswalker’s loyalty, and a poison counter is placed on a player. “Counter a spell,” however, means stop a spell or ability from resolving—it is a different use of the word.
What counts as a counter in Magic?
A counter is a marker of a particular kind that a spell, ability, or rule puts on a player or permanent. The kind and the relevant game text determine its effect. Counters can change a permanent’s characteristics, grant it an ability, or track a resource or game condition.
Common examples include +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters, loyalty counters, and counters associated with mechanics such as poison, energy, experience, time, charge, lore, and stun. Keyword counters are another type: they give the permanent the keyword associated with that counter. Wizards’ Common Keywords glossary describes a counter on a permanent as marking a change that lasts while the permanent remains on the battlefield with that counter.
Where can counters be placed?
Counters can be placed on players as well as permanents. Poison counters are kept by players; +1/+1 counters are commonly placed on creatures, and loyalty counters on planeswalkers. Other counters, including energy or experience counters, may also be associated with players, while permanents can carry counters such as lore, charge, or stun counters. The instructions of the relevant card or rule determine where a counter goes.
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Poison counters are on players
A player with ten or more poison counters loses the game under the rule described in Wizards’ Phyrexia: All Will Be One release notes. Those notes also explain that toxic can give a player poison counters as an additional effect of combat damage.
What do different counter kinds do?
| Counter kind | Where it may appear | What it does or tracks |
|---|---|---|
| +1/+1 or -1/-1 | A permanent, often a creature | Modifies power and toughness according to the counter’s kind. |
| Loyalty | A planeswalker | Tracks loyalty; loyalty abilities add or remove these counters, and a planeswalker with zero loyalty is put into its owner’s graveyard. |
| Poison | A player | Tracks poison; ten or more poison counters cause that player to lose the game, as stated in Wizards’ 2023 release notes. |
| Keyword | A permanent | Grants the permanent the keyword associated with the counter. |
| Energy or experience | A player | Tracks a resource or value used by game effects; the specific card text determines how it is used. |
| Time, charge, lore, or stun | A permanent, as directed by the relevant effect | Has the function specified by the applicable card or rule. |
This table gives common examples, not an exhaustive list of counter types or card interactions. A counter’s name alone does not replace the instructions on the card that uses it.
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Are counters the same as tokens, dice, or damage?
Counters and tokens are different
A token is a game object. A counter is a marker placed on a player or permanent. They may both be represented physically on the table, but they are not the same kind of game object.
Dice and beads are just physical markers
You do not need a special object to represent a counter. Wizards’ glossary says players can use anything they want, and notes that glass beads and dice are common choices. The object on the table represents the counter; its material or brand does not determine the rules effect. Keep the marker clear enough that its kind and number are unambiguous.
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Damage is not a counter
Damage dealt to a creature is tracked for the turn; +1/+1 and -1/-1 counters are a different rules category and persist as counters on the permanent. Do not treat damage as though it were a counter, or assume that removing a counter removes damage.
What happens to counters when a permanent leaves the battlefield?
Counters on a permanent are tied to that battlefield object. If it leaves the battlefield, its counters ordinarily cease to exist. An effect can still use the former kinds and amounts when instructing you to put matching counters on another permanent. In that situation, the game creates new counters on the destination; it does not move counters that no longer exist. Wizards explains this distinction in its rules-change explanation.
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How does proliferate interact with counters?
Proliferate lets you choose players and permanents that already have counters and add counters to them. Wizards’ War of the Spark mechanics article lists examples including +1/+1, loyalty, time, charge, energy, experience, and poison counters. If a chosen player or permanent has more than one kind of counter, proliferate adds one of each kind already there, as the relevant rules explanations clarify.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Does “counter a spell” mean putting a counter on it?
No. As a verb, to counter a spell or ability is to remove it from the stack or otherwise prevent it from taking effect, depending on the rules context. It does not place a counter marker on a player or permanent. Lands are not spells, so they cannot be countered as spells.
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Where can you check a specific interaction?
Card text and rules details can matter for edge cases, including replacement effects, removing counters, or an effect that refers to multiple counter kinds. Wizards’ Rules page directs players to the current Comprehensive Rules. Wizards’ Reality Fracture release notes, dated September 18, 2026, also point readers to that page for the current rules. Check the live rules and the relevant card ruling when a particular interaction is unclear.
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