When using official components for tournament lists, do the little cardboard tokens for things like the at-st general, the royal guard commander, etc. count or do we actually have to wait for the figures to be released?

No they dont count but locally I dont think anyone will really care since you kind of need them till the packs are released.

This is all covered in the tournament rules and FAQ.

https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/products/star-wars-imperial-assault/?section=support