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Does Cyclonic Rift's overload affect tokens?

Short answer
Yes. When cast with overload, Cyclonic Rift returns ALL non-land permanents your opponents control to their owners' hands, including tokens.

Cyclonic Rift's overload version reads: 'Return all non-land permanents your opponents control to their owners' hands.' Tokens are permanents on the battlefield, so they are affected by this effect just like any other non-land permanent (CR 110.1, CR 111.1).

When a token is 'returned to its owner's hand,' it doesn't actually go to the hand — instead, it ceases to exist as a state-based action the moment it leaves the battlefield (CR 111.7). Effectively, the token is removed from the battlefield and simply disappears rather than physically going to any zone.

This is relevant because tokens vanishing this way are still removed from the battlefield, which is the desired effect. Overload (CR 702.96) replaces the target requirement of the spell so that it affects all valid permanents rather than a single target, and tokens fully qualify as non-land permanents.

Example: Your opponent controls a 1/1 Saproling token, a Llanowar Elves, and a Forest. You cast Cyclonic Rift with overload. Both the Saproling token and Llanowar Elves are removed from the battlefield (the token ceases to exist; Llanowar Elves goes to hand). The Forest is unaffected because it is a land.

HIGH confidence CR 110.1 CR 111.1 CR 111.7 CR 702.96
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