TLDR
You can get horror-themed tokens in MTG two ways: (1) play cards that actually create Horror, Nightmare, or Eldrazi Horror tokens, and (2) make custom tokens that match your deck’s vibe.
The fastest “custom” route is reskinning a real token using the PrintMTG MTG Card Creator Tool: keep the rules the same, swap the art, and print a tidy token pack.
If you want tokens that look good in sleeves, prioritize readability first and scary second. Yes, I know that’s not as metal.
You can absolutely run your horror deck with a pile of dice and a sticky note that says “3/2 ???”. And you can also eat cereal with a fork. Both are technically possible.
If you want your board to look like a cohesive horror movie set instead of a middle-school math project, horror-themed tokens in MTG are the easiest win. They’re cheap to print, they make gameplay smoother, and they let you go full haunted-house mode without rewriting your entire deck.
Step 1: Start with cards that already make Horror-style tokens
Before you design anything, figure out what tokens your deck actually produces. Here are some popular token makers that already scream “this table might be cursed.”
Horror tokens (and close enough)
Zellix, Sanity Flayer: Makes a 1/1 black Horror token when a player mills one or more creature cards. Great for mill, great for “my library is a trauma diary.”
Flesh Carver: When it dies, you get an X/X black Horror token where X is its power. The token is basically your consolation prize for losing your creature, except the prize is also horrifying.
Corpseweft: Exiles creature cards from your graveyard to create a tapped X/X black Zombie Horror token (X is twice the number of cards exiled). Big graveyard energy.
Nightmare tokens
Ashiok, Nightmare Muse: Creates a 2/3 blue-black Nightmare token with an attack/block trigger that exiles cards off opponents’ libraries. On theme and annoyingly effective.
Nightmare Shepherd: Turns your dying nontoken creatures into 1/1 token copies that are Nightmares in addition to their other types. Your creature dies, comes back smaller, and somehow more unsettling.
Chainer’s Torment: The final chapter creates an X/X black Nightmare Horror token where X is half your life total (rounded up), and then it deals X damage to you. It’s like summoning a nightmare and paying in blood. Very on-brand.
Eldrazi Horror tokens (for cosmic horror decks)
Extricator of Sin: Sacrifice a permanent on ETB to create a 3/2 colorless Eldrazi Horror token.
Desperate Sentry: When it dies, you create a 3/2 colorless Eldrazi Horror token.
Hanweir, the Writhing Township (the melded monstrosity): Attacking makes two 3/2 colorless Eldrazi Horror tokens that are tapped and attacking. This is what happens when a town loses the zoning board fight.
Shrill Howler (Howling Chorus): On combat damage to a player, you get a 3/2 colorless Eldrazi Horror token.
Bonus “horror vibe” tokens
Not everything scary has to literally say “Horror.”
Toxrill, the Corrosive makes 1/1 black Slug tokens when slimed creatures die. Slugs are gross. Gross is horror. The math checks out.
Step 2: Pick your token strategy (Good, Better, Best)
Let’s keep this simple, because your brain is already tracking six triggers and a graveyard with vibes.
Good: Use official tokens that already fit the theme
If you just want “I have the correct token and it looks spooky,” use official horror-adjacent tokens. Duskmourn: House of Horror is basically a token buffet for creepy aesthetics, and it includes full-art tokens, an emblem, and a helper card in boosters, plus more double-sided tokens in the Commander decks.
Pros: zero effort, consistent style.
Cons: you get what you get. Sometimes your deck makes Slugs and your token binder says “good luck.”
Better: Reskin a real token with custom art
This is the sweet spot for most people: keep the token’s rules text and stats the same, but give it horror art that matches your commander, your theme, or your personal brand of nightmare fuel.
Pros: still clean rules-wise, but now your board looks intentional.
Cons: you have to do five minutes of typing. I know.
Best: Build a “token pack” that matches your deck’s aesthetic
If your deck makes 6 different tokens, print 6 matching tokens in the same frame style. Same fonts, same border vibe, same art direction. It’s the little things that make your battlefield feel like a horror set, not a garage sale.
Pros: looks amazing, plays smooth, your friends stop asking “what does that token do again?”
Cons: you will become the person who has opinions about token typography.
How to create horror-themed tokens in MTG with the PrintMTG Card Creator Tool
If your goal is horror-themed tokens in MTG that look sharp and play cleanly, this is the workflow that avoids chaos.
1) Write down the token’s “mechanical identity”
Before you touch the tool, capture the stuff that matters for gameplay:
Token name
Type line (example: Token Creature - Horror)
Power/toughness (or variable X/X)
Any rules text the token needs to function
This is your guardrail. Art is optional. Rules clarity is not.
2) Build the token in the Card Creator Tool
In the PrintMTG MTG Card Creator Tool, you can:
choose a template/frame style,
fill in name, mana symbols (if you want, tokens usually do not need it),
set type line and rules text,
set power/toughness,
upload artwork,
drag to reposition and scroll to zoom for cropping,
preview live while you edit.
Practical tip: tokens read best when the rules box is not fighting the art for contrast. Horror art loves darkness. Rules text does not.
3) Use “token-friendly” text habits
A few habits make custom tokens actually usable:
Keep rules text short, and only include what the token itself needs.
If it’s a vanilla token, do not invent rules text just because the box feels empty. Empty is allowed. Silence can be spooky too.
If the token is variable (X/X), put the formula in the rules box exactly like the creating card does, so nobody has to guess.
4) Build a matching mini-set (your deck’s token pack)
If you’re doing the “Best” route, pick one consistent visual direction:
One frame style for the whole pack (modern, full art, etc.).
One art vibe (slasher, gothic, cosmic horror, VHS glitch, haunted dollhouse).
One naming pattern if you want extra polish (example: “Zellix’s Horror,” “Ashiok’s Nightmare,” etc.).
Then print them together so your deck always has the right pieces ready.
Token design recipes (copy/paste friendly)
Here are a few ready-to-build token “skeletons” you can drop into the Card Creator Tool and then swap art.
1/1 Horror token (Zellix style)
Name: Horror
Type line: Token Creature - Horror
Rules text: (blank)
P/T: 1/1
2/3 Nightmare token (Ashiok style)
Name: Nightmare
Type line: Token Creature - Nightmare
Rules text: Whenever this token attacks or blocks, each opponent exiles the top two cards of their library.
P/T: 2/3
3/2 Eldrazi Horror token (Eldritch Moon style)
Name: Eldrazi Horror
Type line: Token Creature - Eldrazi Horror
Rules text: (blank)
P/T: 3/2
X/X Zombie Horror token (Corpseweft style)
Name: Zombie Horror
Type line: Token Creature - Zombie Horror
Rules text: This token enters tapped. This token’s power and toughness are each equal to twice the number of cards exiled to create it.
P/T: X/X
Printing notes so your tokens don’t come out sad
If you’re printing tokens (especially full-art, dark horror tokens), a few things matter more than people want to admit:
Art resolution matters. Low-res art prints like low-res art. No amount of optimism will fix it.
Keep important text away from edges. Cuts drift. Borders get clipped. The universe is indifferent.
Do a tiny test print if you’re changing a lot. It’s cheaper than discovering your whole token pack is slightly too dark after the fact.
And yes, PrintMTG’s production workflow is built for this kind of thing. Premium press, UV coating for a clean finish, rotary die cutting for consistent sizing, and image enhancement so your art holds up on cardstock. Your tokens should feel like cards, not like receipts that learned necromancy.
FAQs
Can I just use any object as a token in MTG?
In casual play, people do it all the time. But “allowed” and “good experience” are different things. If your table keeps forgetting what your token is, a printed token fixes the problem immediately.
Do my custom tokens need to match official tokens exactly?
They just need to be clear and consistent. Same name, same stats, same relevant rules text. Your art can be as haunted as you want.
What if my deck makes a bunch of different tokens?
That’s exactly when a custom token pack shines. Build one set of matching tokens so you always have what you need without digging through a binder mid-game.
Are there official horror-themed tokens I can start from?
Yes. Duskmourn: House of Horror includes a big batch of spooky tokens, plus more double-sided tokens in the Commander decks. If you want official style with horror vibes, it’s a good reference point.
What size should I make custom tokens?
Most MTG tokens are standard card size, and designing them like a normal card keeps them sleeve-friendly and easy to shuffle into a token pile.