Counter (collectible card games)

A counter is a gameplay mechanic used in collectible card games (CCG) that physically represents an effect generated by a card. It is represented by any number of small objects, usually glass beads, coins, dice, or bingo chips. They are typically placed on the card generating the counter. This effect may be a count tally for keeping track of things like monitoring a life total, hit points, or a status of a card.
These counters should not be confused with effects that negate or stop a card or effect from being played, in other words a "counteractive" card.