Marker

In Magic: The Gathering, a marker is an object used to represent anything that isn't represented by a card.

The most common markers are tokens, emblems, and counters. Tokens, emblems and other helper cards are usually represented on the back side of marketing cards found in Magic boosters, while counters are often represented by marbles or dice. Any small object that can be placed on cards or the game surface can serve as a marker, as could notes jotted on paper, even if official markers are available.

Rules

From the Tournament Rules (May 13, 2024—Outlaws of Thunder Junction )

• 3.8 Game Markers
  Small items (e.g., glass beads) may be used as markers and placed on top of a player’s own library or graveyard as a reminder for in-game effects. These markers may not disguise the number of cards remaining in that zone nor completely obscure any card.
  

Designations

Designations are conceptual markers defined in the Comprehensive Rules that support many game mechanics and usually affect permanents or players. Those tied to permanents are associated with specific permanent types based on the mechanic, but technically can apply to any permanent. Like other status and effects of a permanent, permanent-specific designations are lost when they leave the battlefield, even if they return later.

Some designations are described as "to act as marker", meaning that other abilities may check for the marker but that it has no other mechanical impact.

• Monstrous — Monstrosity - Applies to creatures. The +1/+1 counters applied by the ability serve as a physical marker but are not the same thing as the designation itself.
• Renowned — Renown - Applies to creatures. Also uses +1/+1 counters in the same way as Monstrous.
• Saddled — Saddle - Applies to creatures. Typically this only lasts until the end of the turn.
• Solved — Cases - Applies to Case enchantment cards via their To solve and Solved abilities. Punch card "Case Solved" markers were included in relevant booster packs (Murders at Karlov Manor).
• Harnessed — Terminus - Applies to Infinity/Terminus Stones, enabling their abilities.
• City's Blessing — Ascend - Applies to players. A helper card was included in some relevant products (Rivals of Ixalan).

Other designations are not described as a marker by the rules. These have rules tied directly to the designation, although additional effects may also check for these designations in the same way they check the "marker" designations.

• Commander — Applies to cards chosen during deck construction, with many special rules core to the Commander format. These are announced before the game begins, remains the same throughout the game, and use no physical marker.
• Day / Night — Applies to the game as a whole, and changes automatically depending on spells cast each turn. A helper card was included in some relevant products (Innistrad: Midnight Hunt and Innistrad: Crimson Vow initially).
• Exerted — Applies to creatures which used an exert ability. These creatures don't untap normally on their next turn. (Punch card marker)
• Goaded — Applies to creatures, creating extra attack requirements for them. (Punch card marker)
• Level — Numerical designation which applies to Class enchantment cards, enabling their higher level abilities. Has no official marker.
• Locked / Unlocked — Applies to Room enchantment cards, disabling / enabling one the abilities on each side of the card. Punch card "locked" markers were included in relevant booster packs (Duskmourn: House of Horror).
  • A Room can have either left half unlocked, right half unlocked, both designations or neither.
• Ring-bearer — Applies to one creature per player, chosen when the Ring tempts you, granting it the benefits of The Ring.
• Suspected — Applies to creatures, granting them menace and "can't block". (Punch card marker)
• Initiative — Applies to one player at a time and can be stolen through combat damage. This player ventures into Undercity on their upkeep. Marker cards were included in relevant booster packs (Commander Legends: Battle for Baldur's Gate).
• Monarch — Applies to one player at a time and can be stolen through combat damage. This player draws a card on their upkeep. Marker cards were included in relevant booster packs (Conspiracy: Take the Crown).
• Protector — Applies to a player chosen to defend a battle, allowing their creatures to protect it by blocking.
• Speed / Max speed — Numerical designation which applies to each player who starts their engines!, increasing when an opponent loses life.

Prototype artifact creatures do not use designations according to the Comprehensive Rules, but do use a "secondary set of characteristics" when cast for their prototype cost, similar to Adventures and Omens. Unlike those mechanics, prototypes are permanents, requiring the prototype state to be tracked across multiple turns as many designations are. Punch card markers were therefore provided in relevant booster packs (The Brothers' War) to act as memory aids.

Player counters

When counters are placed on a player instead of an object it is often helpful to have a helper card to place these counters on.

• Acorn counter (Silver-bordered)
• Energy counter
• Experience counter
• Poison counter
• Rad counter
• Ticket counter (Silver-bordered)

Named markers

Turn marker

The Grand Melee variant places great emphasis on turn markers.

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (July 25, 2025—Edge of Eternities)

Turn Markers

Markers used to keep track of which players are taking turns in a Grand Melee game. See rule 807.4.

Venture marker

Venture markers were introduced in Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms. If you venture into the dungeon for the first time you put a dungeon of your choice into the command zone and put a venture marker on the first room, at the top. Your venture marker is a way for you to track which room you're in. A venture marker is something small that you can use to keep track of what room you are in, for example, a coin, a bead, a die or a miniature.

From the glossary of the Comprehensive Rules (July 25, 2025—Edge of Eternities)

Venture Marker

A marker used to track which room of a dungeon card a player is currently in. See rule 309, “Dungeons.”

Zone marker

Some marker cards were printed to highlight the placement of a card in a zone or other game area.

• On an Adventure (Exile) — Adventure
• Companion (Sideboard) — Companion
• Foretell (Exile) — Foretell
• Plot (Exile) — Plot

Gameplay trackers

On the Mystery Booster 2 test card Naturalize 2, some markers or marker-like play aids are defined as gameplay trackers. (When you destroy it, the associated object or designation is removed from the game.) One ruling specifically states the comprehensive list as of that set's release is "the Monarch, City's Blessing, Dungeons, Day, Night, and the Initiative" This seems to imply that only play aids represented by full cards rather than punch card markers are considered "gameplay trackers". If so, Start your engines!/Speed may qualify, printed later.

Rulings

• As of the release of Mystery Booster 2, the following gameplay trackers can be destroyed with Naturalize 2: The monarch, city's blessing, dungeons, day, night, and the initiative.