Archive for February, 2026

All About Tokens

What is a Token?

At its simplest, a token is merely an item that represents something the game prescribes. In fact, you’ve probably already utilized this concept without even knowing it! For example, when champions in Rush of Ikorr are attacked, their health is reduced by attack stat of the attacking champion. However, since we can’t literally change the number that is printed on the card, players may use dice or cardboard damage counters. These items are tokens which represent damage! In Luminary Strike, we take this idea one step further with the addition of champion tokens!

Anatomy of a Champion Token

Let’s take a look at some examples of champion tokens that you might find in Luminary Strike.

Product depicted for demonstration purposes only and is subject to change without notice.

© 2026 The Upper Deck Company. AGES 14+

Let’s say hello to the Pus Demon! He probably looks a lot like the champions you are used to seeing. You can see his card type: token champion, loyalty: Maya, and trait: Demon. His attack: 2, health: 2, and raid: 1 are all listed on the bottom of the card. He even has a keyword: Swift. You can see that different champion tokens have different stats, abilities, and types. But there’s one key difference from normal champions: They have no influence cost listed. This is because champion tokens are not included in your deck.

But if you can’t put them in your deck and pay influence for them directly, then how do they get on the battlefield? You’re probably wondering…

Where do Champion Tokens Come From?

As tokens are merely a representation of what the game prescribes, champion tokens are not included in your 40-card deck. Rather, a player may include cards in their deck that create champion tokens during the course of play. Let’s take a look at an example of one such card.

Product depicted for demonstration purposes only and is subject to change without notice.

© 2026 The Upper Deck Company. AGES 14+

Ahalpuh, The Sinswell reads “DEATH — Summon two 2/2/1 aspectless Demon champion tokens with Swift named “Pus Demon”.

So, when your Ahalpuh, The Sinswell dies, you would put it into your graveyard and resolve its effect, putting two “Pus Demon” champion tokens with 2 attack, 2 health, 1 raid, and Swift onto the battlefield. Just as you have dice or damage counters waiting off to the side, ready for when you need them, you now can have a stack of champion tokens also ready to go! Just grab them and put them onto the battlefield whenever a card tells you to do so!

Where Can I Collect These Tokens?

Champion tokens can be found randomly inserted into Luminary Strike booster packs, replacing the influence card you would normally get from the pack. These tokens are great because they have standardized art and all the correct stats printed on the card. This helps to minimize confusion between players and keep track of the board state.

What if I Don’t Have Them?

Didn’t open any of the tokens you need? Not to worry! The good news is, anything can be a token, as long you communicate to all players what your item of choice is representing. You could use coins as tokens. You could use dice as tokens. You could use meatballs as tokens! (Ew.) You could even draw your very own! If you do, tag us at “@upperdeckent”! We would love to see what you came up with!

Rulings on Champion Tokens

Champion tokens do count towards your 6 champion limit total on the battlefield. If you would create one or more token champions when all six champions slots are occupied, no champion tokens will be created.

If an effect would have you create more champion tokens than you have available champion slots on the battlefield, instead create as many champion tokens as you have space for. For example, if an effect would have you create four champion tokens, but you only have 2 champions slots available on your battlefield, instead create 2 champion tokens.

Champion tokens can killed, retreated, or shuffled back into the deck. However, champion tokens cannot exist in a player’s graveyard, hand, or deck. Therefore, as soon as they would be placed in one of these zones, they are removed from the game instead. Effects that trigger on champion death, retreat, or being put into the deck will still trigger as normal, but champion tokens can only exist on the battlefield.

A champion token’s influence cost is always treated as 0 (zero).

In Summary

We hope that you now not only understand exactly how champion tokens will work in Rush of Ikorr but are excited to start creating decks that utilize them! The addition of champion tokens introduces a variety of new strategies to the game. Will you try to flood your board with an expendable army? Out value your opponents? We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Stay up to date on all things Rush of Ikorr!

Get first looks of upcoming releases by following Upper Deck on Facebook @upperdeckent, Instagram @upperdeckent, X @upperdeckent, and YouTube @UDvids.

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UPPER DECK ANNOUNCES COLLABORATION WITH THE GRATEFUL DEAD, FIRST TRADING CARD SET

Carlsbad, CA (Feb. 26, 2026) — Upper Deck, the worldwide leader in sports and entertainment collectibles, today announced a collaboration with one of the most popular bands in music history – the Grateful Dead. A legendary group that has spanned generations, the Grateful Dead has inspired some of the most passionate fans of all time. Now, Dead Heads and music fans around the world can interact with the band through collectibles from Upper Deck, highlighted initially by a newly released trading card set that celebrates the band’s 60th Anniversary. 

“We’re incredibly excited to collaborate with one of the most celebrated bands to ever take the stage, and give music fans another way to connect with the Grateful Dead,” said Travis Rhea, Director of Entertainment Brands at Upper Deck. “In addition to amazing, iconic music, the Grateful Dead are known for vibrant colors and incredible visuals, perfect for music trading cards. They also have one of the most dedicated fanbases the industry has ever seen, so we can’t wait for Dead Heads to get their hands on our Grateful Dead collectibles.” 

‘The Grateful Dead – 60 Years So Far… A Visual Trip’ trading card set spans the band’s rich 60-year history. Each box includes a full 50-card base set collection of Grateful Dead iconography, classic characters, and show posters, with an additional five cards that could be serial-numbered hits, themed inserts, or an autograph card. Fans can look forward to familiar Grateful Dead symbols, including the famous Dancing Bears and Uncle Sam. Visuals featured on 1-of-1 High Potency Purple variants and Dancing Parallels will be recognizable to long-time Dead Heads. And for band historians, ‘Transmissions from Dave’s Desk’ illustrates the work of official archivist, producer, and legacy manager David Lemieux. It features artwork, set lists, and show-facts from the first 50 ‘Dave’s Picks’ albums. Collectors also have the chance to pull parallel cards autographed by Lemieux himself – each numbered to five. 

“I’ve dedicated much of my life to showcasing the joy that the Grateful Dead spread through their music, so working with Upper Deck to translate that journey into trading cards has been really special,” said Lemieux. “From characters that have become synonymous with the band to tour posters that are a trip through time, there is so much for Dead Heads to enjoy in this set.” 

The Grateful Dead 60th Anniversary trading card set is available now – and this is just the beginning of the collaboration between Upper Deck and the Grateful Dead. Fans can look forward to many ways to collect the Grateful Dead – including future trading card sets with different card technologies and original art, as well as gallery prints, and more. For more information, visit www.UpperDeck.com. 

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About the Grateful Dead 

The Grateful Dead is a social and musical phenomenon that grew into a genuine American treasure. In 1965, an entire generation was linked together by common ideals, gathering by the hundreds and thousands. This movement created a seamless connection between the band and its fans. As the band toured, Dead Heads would follow. Not because it was a part of popular culture but because it is a true counterculture that exists to this very day-one that earnestly believes in the value of its beliefs. By 1995, the Grateful Dead had attracted the most concertgoers in the history of the music business, and today remains one of the all-time leaders in concert ticket sales. Eventually, the caravan evolved into a community with various artists, craftsmen and entrepreneurs supplying a growing demand for merchandise that connected them to the music with their final tally being 2,318 total concerts. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and received a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, commemorated in the 47th class of the Kennedy Center Honorees, as well as the 2025 MusiCares Persons of the Year honored at the 67th Annual GRAMMY® Awards. The Grateful Dead celebrated their 66th Top 40 album on the Billboard chart —a feat no other artist has achieved —claiming the Guinness World Records title for the most Top 40 albums charted on the US Billboard 200. 

About Upper Deck 

Upper Deck is a global entertainment company creating trading cards, memorabilia, collectibles, games, and online platforms that deliver the experiences collectors crave. Upper Deck has set the unmatched industry standard for quality, authenticity, and innovation and continues to bring generations of fans closer to their favorite athletes and characters with unique and authentic sports and entertainment product offerings, as well as its digital trading ecosystem. The company prides itself on creating collectibles that produce invaluable experiences for sports and entertainment’s most dedicated and loyal fans, with a goal to deliver excellence to the community across the most coveted properties as a means to develop memorable moments for collectors of all kinds. 

Find more information at www.upperdeck.com or follow us on Facebook (UpperDeck), Instagram (UpperDeckSports, UpperDeckEnt), and X (@UpperDeckSports), and YouTube (UDvids). 

Media Contact: 
Nicole Brief-Curro, nicole@carvecomms.com

The post UPPER DECK ANNOUNCES COLLABORATION WITH THE GRATEFUL DEAD, FIRST TRADING CARD SET appeared first on Upper Deck.

TOP-RANKED GOLFER NELLY KORDA SIGNS AS UPPER DECK EXCLUSIVE ATHLETE

Carlsbad, CA (Feb. 17, 2026) – Upper Deck, the worldwide leader in sports and entertainment collectibles, is expanding its commitment to golf by announcing that top talent Nelly Korda has joined the Upper Deck roster as an exclusive athlete. She joins an already impressive roster led by Tiger Woods, and including Collin Morikawa, Rose Zhang, and Lydia Ko. As the company celebrates 25 years of producing high-quality and innovative golf collectibles, collectors will have a chance to chase Korda’s coveted Young Guns trading card and other unique inserts as part of 2026 Upper Deck Golf. Additionally, an all-new, thoughtfully curated Upper Deck Authenticated (UDA) memorabilia collection highlights her successful and groundbreaking career. 

“Upper Deck has a long history of working with world-class athletes like Nelly who transcend their sport and become cultural icons,” said Jason Masherah, President of Upper Deck. “She can bring new collectors to the hobby, and in turn we’ll deliver the Upper Deck standard: premium trading cards and memorabilia that reflect Nelly as a one-of-a-kind athlete.” 

Since she turned pro at the age of 17 and won her first professional event that same year, Korda has perennially ranked near the top of the Women’s World Golf Rankings, where she has collectively spent more than 100 weeks as number one. Among her 21 professional titles, she won two major championships in 2021 and 2024, along with a gold medal representing the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Korda’s 2024 season was historic, as she won seven times on the LPGA Tour, including five tournaments in a row culminating in a major title at the 2024 Chevron Championship. It’s moments like these that will be captured in Upper Deck products, including Upper Deck Golf and Goodwin Champions trading cards, as well as UDA signed memorabilia. Korda’s first collection is available now, offering fans and collectors a curated selection of items to commemorate her achievements. The release features signed polos and visors, as well as original designed prints celebrating her career, with select pieces highlighting her standout 2024 season. 

“I’ve seen firsthand the passion and joy that collecting brings to so many people, and the way that Upper Deck honors that passion and creates memorable experiences for collectors and fans. I’m excited to collaborate with Upper Deck and engage with the community,” said Korda. “It isn’t just about creating collectibles; it’s about working with a company that knows how to best represent your brand and help connect with fans all over the world – which Upper Deck has done for years with the most notable athletes of all time.” 

Alongside Korda’s UDA collection, 2026 Upper Deck Golf will be available at Certified Diamond Dealers worldwide, mass retailers, as well as Upper Deck’s e-Pack platform. Fans can stay up to date on future trading card sets and memorabilia featuring Korda at UpperDeck.com. 

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About Upper Deck 

Upper Deck is a global entertainment company creating trading cards, memorabilia, collectibles, games, and online platforms that deliver the experiences collectors crave. Upper Deck has set the unmatched industry standard for quality, authenticity, and innovation, and continues to bring generations of fans closer to their favorite athletes and characters with unique and authentic sports and entertainment product offerings, as well as its digital trading ecosystem. The company prides itself on creating collectibles that produce invaluable experiences for sports and entertainment’s most dedicated and loyal fans, with a goal to deliver excellence to the community across the most coveted properties as a means to develop memorable moments for collectors of all kinds. 

Find more information at www.upperdeck.com or follow us on Facebook (/UpperDeck), Instagram (UpperDeckSports), X (formerly known as Twitter) (UpperDeckSports), and YouTube (UDvids).  

Media Contact: 

Matt Burkey, matt@carvecomms.com 

The post TOP-RANKED GOLFER NELLY KORDA SIGNS AS UPPER DECK EXCLUSIVE ATHLETE appeared first on Upper Deck.