Garth One-Eye is an unusual Commander: a five-color Wizard whose activated ability lets you cast copies of six famous early Magic cards. That creates a peculiar shopping problem. Players look for "Garth One-Eye tokens," but what they often need is a six-card reference set showing the spells Garth can copy—and two physical markers for the permanent copies that may remain on the battlefield.
The cleanest setup: use a real Garth or a clearly identified casual playtest version, keep a six-card spellbook outside your deck, and track which choices Garth has already used. The six cards are Disenchant, Braingeyser, Terror, Shivan Dragon, Regrowth, and Black Lotus. Not all six are tokens when Garth uses them.
What Garth actually creates
Garth’s ability taps him and asks you to choose one of six not-yet-chosen card names. He creates a copy of the card with that name, and you may cast that copy. You still pay its costs. That language is the key to understanding the entire accessory setup.
| Garth choice | Kind of effect | What you want on the table |
|---|---|---|
| Disenchant | Instant that destroys an artifact or enchantment | Readable spell reference |
| Braingeyser | X-cost card-draw sorcery | Readable spell reference with X-cost reminder |
| Terror | Targeted creature removal with restrictions | Readable Oracle-text reference |
| Regrowth | Sorcery returning a card from graveyard to hand | Readable spell reference |
| Shivan Dragon | Creature spell whose copied permanent becomes a token | Battlefield token/marker plus spell reference |
| Black Lotus | Zero-mana artifact spell whose copied permanent becomes a token | Battlefield token/marker plus spell reference |
Wizards’ Modern Horizons 2 release notes explicitly state that copies of permanent spells become tokens when they resolve. Those tokens are not considered "created" for abilities that trigger when tokens are created. That’s a rules nuance a generic "create a token" description misses.
A copy of Disenchant or Regrowth usually resolves like an instant or sorcery and leaves no lasting token on the battlefield. A copy of Shivan Dragon or Black Lotus, after being cast and resolving, can leave a token permanent you need to represent accurately.
Why you should keep the spellbook outside your deck
The cards Garth references aren’t automatically cards in your Commander deck. Garth can make a Black Lotus copy because the rules text instructs him to do so; that does not let you put an actual Black Lotus into a deck where it is banned. Treating the reference as an extra shuffled card would be a serious rules error.
For a normal casual Garth deck, keep the six spellbook cards next to the command zone or playmat. When you activate Garth, announce the name, put the reference on the table for everyone to read, and mark that option as used. If the copy resolves as a permanent, move the corresponding token marker onto the battlefield.
The best accessories reduce confusion, not introduce an extra pile of hidden deck cards.
How to choose a Garth One-Eye token or reference set
There are three reasonable ways to build the kit.
1. A six-card printed reference set
For most players, this is the sweet spot. Use six clearly labeled cards with the official card names and accurate Oracle text. They can have matching artwork, but legibility is more important than a dramatic frame. Put a small "used" marker on each reference after choosing that name.
The physical cards are reminders, not additional deck cards. Keep them out of the main deck and outside your sideboard. A matching reference set looks polished on a playmat and makes it easier for opponents to evaluate the spell Garth is offering.
2. Tokens for only the permanents
If you want a minimal set, print battlefield markers for Shivan Dragon and Black Lotus. Those are the two choices that produce token permanents when the copied spells resolve. Use a digital Oracle reference or ordinary printed note for the other four spells.
Do not label the Black Lotus marker "Treasure." Those are different artifacts with different rules. A Lotus copy taps and sacrifices to add three mana of one color, whereas an ordinary Treasure has a different ability and mana production. A clear visual distinction matters in a complex turn.
3. Dry-erase spellbook cards
A reusable set of blank cards works if you want to test alternate layouts or avoid acquiring dedicated pieces. Write the six names, note the essential ability, and keep the full Oracle text available. This is less attractive over webcam, where small handwriting can be hard to read.
A full-art custom card with tiny or missing rules text is not always a better gaming accessory than a plain, readable reference card. Fancy accessories that make opponents ask you to recite card text are not an upgrade.
The rules that make Garth different
You still pay for the chosen spell
Garth does not say "cast it without paying its mana cost." If you choose Shivan Dragon, you must pay the normal cost or otherwise use a legal cost modification. Black Lotus happens to have mana cost zero, which makes it a convenient first option, but that’s not the same as the ability making every card free.
You cast the copy during the resolution of Garth’s activated ability, even if you normally couldn’t cast that type of spell at that time. That doesn’t remove the requirement to pay its costs.
You cannot reuse the same name on one Garth object
A single Garth tracks which names have already been chosen. Untapping him lets you activate again, but it doesn’t reset those names. Once you’ve used Black Lotus with that object, your next activation must choose a different unused name.
Blinking Garth—making him leave the battlefield and return—creates a new object without that history. That is one reason flicker effects are so attractive in Garth decks. A second Garth also tracks its own list of choices. Wizards confirms both points in the Modern Horizons 2 official rulings.
The name is used even if you don’t cast the copy
When the ability resolves you choose the name. If you elect not to cast that copy, the name is still considered chosen by that Garth. Don’t leave an uncaught "unused" Black Lotus marker on the spellbook after skipping it.
Tokens from copied permanent spells behave differently from ordinary token creation
A copied Shivan Dragon permanent spell becomes a token as it resolves. It is not the same event as a spell or ability saying "create a token." If your deck cares about token-creation triggers, check the wording before claiming the trigger fires.
Best support cards for a Garth One-Eye Commander deck
Garth costs one mana of each of the five colors, then must tap to use his ability. The strongest support cards address those two restrictions: getting him onto the battlefield with usable mana and getting meaningful activations.
| Role | Examples | What they solve |
|---|---|---|
| Five-color fixing | Arcane Signet, Chromatic Lantern, appropriate lands | Pay W U B R G and the costs of chosen copies |
| Haste or early activation | Lightning Greaves, Thousand-Year Elixir | Let Garth use a tap ability sooner |
| Untap effects | Seedborn Muse, Magewright’s Stone, Thousand-Year Elixir | More activations without recasting Garth |
| Blink and reset | Cloudshift, Ephemerate, Conjurer’s Closet, Brago, King Eternal | Reset the six-name choice history |
| Protection | Swiftfoot Boots, relevant counterspells | Keep the five-color engine alive |
| Activated-ability copying | Rings of Brighthearth | Get extra effects, following normal choice rules |
Important: untapping Garth by itself doesn’t permit choosing Black Lotus twice. You still need a fresh object, such as one created by blinking him, to reset that specific choice.
A sample turn that illustrates the appeal
Suppose you have Garth with a way to give him haste. You activate and choose Black Lotus, then cast the zero-mana copy. It resolves as a token artifact. You sacrifice it for three mana of one color and use that mana as part of a bigger play. If you untap Garth later, you can choose Regrowth or Disenchant instead—but not Black Lotus again until Garth becomes a new object.
The interesting part isn’t that you physically own a Black Lotus reference card. It’s that the deck can generate options at the right moment and combine them with mana fixing, timing, and protection.
How many Garth reference cards should you print?
For one Garth player, one six-card spellbook is enough. If you plan to copy Garth’s activated ability multiple times or blink him repeatedly, you still don’t need a dozen separate reference sets; just track choices clearly and bring a few extra Shivan Dragon and Black Lotus permanent markers in case several coexist.
If you run other token generators, store their markers in a separate stack. A Dragon copy with a particular counter or Aura needs to remain distinguishable from another Dragon copy in a different state.
For casual games, ProxyKing’s MTG card catalog can help you assemble readable reference or playtest pieces. Our guide to physical MTG tokens covers dice, counters, and token tracking. A printed casual playtest set is not the same thing as owning official versions of the six cards.
Which Garth support cards should you test before buying?
I’d test mana fixing, haste, untapping, and blink in that order. A five-color commander that never lands on curve won’t care how clever your token package looks.
Try 10 opening hands with 36–38 lands as a starting experiment, enough fixing for all five colors, and a modest package of cheap ramp. Record whether you can cast Garth by the turn your deck expects, then whether you can actually activate him safely. If he dies on sight every game, spend slots on protection and redundant ways to use him rather than extra ornamental spellbook cards.
Be realistic about your playgroup. A flashy Garth engine can be excellent for relaxed five-color value and less efficient when opponents have fast, highly optimized wins. Proxy-test the package in casual games where your group allows it; don’t assume printed cards qualify for sanctioned competition. See Wizards’ proxy-policy explanation for that distinction.
Frequently asked questions
Does Garth One-Eye create Black Lotus tokens?
His ability creates a copy of the Black Lotus card that you may cast. If the copied artifact spell resolves, the resulting permanent is a token. That is more precise than saying his activation simply creates a Lotus token.
Is Black Lotus allowed in a Garth Commander deck?
The card itself is not legal to include if the format bans Black Lotus. Garth’s ability can still create and cast a copy because the effect specifically instructs you to choose that named card. Check the current format ban list for actual deck construction.
Are Garth’s other four spells tokens?
Disenchant, Braingeyser, Terror, and Regrowth are copied and cast as spells. They normally resolve without becoming permanent tokens. Shivan Dragon and Black Lotus can become token permanents.
Do you have to cast the copy after choosing it?
No. You may decline, but the name still counts as used by that Garth object.
How do you reset Garth’s choices?
Make Garth leave the battlefield and return, such as with an appropriate blink effect. Untapping does not reset the chosen names.
The takeaway
A Garth One-Eye kit doesn’t need expensive or misleading collectibles. It needs six readable reference cards, accurate tracking, and proper markers for the two permanent copies. Build the Commander deck around fixing five colors and activating Garth repeatedly, then choose accessories that make those unusual interactions easy for everyone to follow.