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Already considered Magic: The Gathering's friendliest format, Commander is getting a seasonal makeover just in time for the festive season. During a special episode, creators from a popular channel demonstrated a multiplayer game titled "Countdown to XT-Mas."

How the Holiday Format Function

Fundamentally involves a straightforward layer superimposed on a normal EDH match. One special indicator moves around the table. Once it arrives at the current player's turn, the action halts for a moment. Every player secretly chooses if they will be being Nice or Naughty by using indicator cards.

The participants flip their choice together. They then apply the bonus associated with their own choice, starting with the player who has the token. This marker is subsequently handed to the right. The holiday round counter moves forward by one step, and normal gameplay carries on.

The Naughty/Nice options become more significant as the rounds continue, seeming carefully crafted.

Escalating Choices

The initial phases granted modest, shared advantages for choosing Nice, like life gain or Clue tokens. Conversely, Naughty options often gave more specific upsides, often at the expense of an opponent. As an example allowed players choosing Naughty create a 4/4 flying creature. Players that selected Nice made a 1/1 Toy token creature for each player.

The Climactic Showdown

On the last phase, Saint Nick himself made an appearance, turning the game. Based on the tally of a participant chose Nice versus Naughty, Santa handed out mystery presents. These looked like deck boxes, but contained MTG booster packs worth different amounts.

• The kindest player was awarded a high-value special pack.
• The next kindest player opened a slightly less valuable Collector Booster.
• One player got a older set.
• The very naughty player drew the short straw: a historically poor booster pack which is basically a punchline.

Each card unwrapped immediately became used for the remainder of the match, played from outside the game with mana considered to be any color. Players who were nice participants, their boon became a significant advantage. However, the naughty players essentially got coal in their stocking.

Playing the Game with Friends

Although the original showcase featured significant production value, the format is something players could easily replicate with friends. Each player would bring their standard EDH deck, and the only extra items required would be four different MTG packs with different worth.

A possible issue could be that if players know ahead of time what being nice gets you, then everyone might aim for the top prize. Groups can mix it up by using other methods, for example selecting cards from a shared pool or enabling gamers to use cards from their collection from their binders.

Based on the successful demonstration, this holiday variant stands as a joyous way to spread some joy when playing with friends. It complicates the strategy between players in a uniquely festive manner, making it a unique experience for MTG players everywhere.