Beast

The Beast token, numbered 14 in the Commander 2016 set, was released by Wizards of the Coast in November 2016 to support the mechanics of the Commander 2016 preconstructed decks. These decks introduced the 'partner' mechanic and four-color commanders, necessitating a variety of tokens to represent creatures generated by cards like 'Artifact Mutation' or various green spells. The tokens were designed to be functional, utilitarian aids that maintained visual consistency with the Magic: The Gathering art style of the era, ensuring players could easily track the battlefield state during complex multiplayer games.

The artwork for this specific token was executed by Greg Staples, a long-time contributor to the Magic: The Gathering visual identity. Staples chose a visceral, muscular aesthetic for the Beast, emphasizing its raw power and imposing presence to align with the typical aggressive nature of green-aligned creatures in the game. It was received as a standard, reliable token card, serving its purpose as a high-quality, mass-produced accompaniment to the deck-building product rather than as a sought-after collectible in its own right.