Counter

Counters are abstract numbers that are associated with face-up cards on the battlefield. They are typically represented by putting a die (or a collection of beads or markers) with the desired number on top of the card, color-coded to the type of counter.

There are two main types of counters:

• Damage Counters, that represents damage (combat or effect) sustained by a creature during the game and can lead to its destruction
• Mana Counters, that represent the current amount of mana a card possesses that can be spent by its controller (usually acquired when the card is summoned)

All counters are persistent, meaning the stay on the card as it moves around, but cease to exist if the card is no longer face-up on the battlefield. Counters cannot exist on cards not on the battlefield.

Persistent conditions can also be represented as counters, for example, Manalocked or Prone cards can have a counter on them to symbolize their persistent state. Typically contingent conditions (such as Blessed from continuous effects) are not represented, though they can be for clarity.

There are no generic "counters matter" effects, so it doesn't really matter what kinds of things are defined as counters (this term is just to facilitate game understanding).