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Widely considered Magic: The Gathering's most interactive format, Commander just got a holiday makeover perfect for the end of the year. During a recent episode, personalities from a popular channel demonstrated a four-player game dubbed "Countdown to XT-Mas."

The Mechanics of the Festive Variant Function

Fundamentally involves a straightforward layer superimposed on a normal EDH match. One special marker circulates around the table. When it the current player's turn, the action temporarily stops. Each participant privately decides if they will be being Nice or Naughty via indicator cards.

Everyone reveal their choice together. Next, they apply the effect associated with their decision, starting with the player who has the token. This marker then gets passed to the next player. The holiday round counter advances one notch, and normal gameplay carries on.

The Naughty/Nice options become more significant over time progress, seeming carefully crafted.

Increasing Choices

At the start offered small, table-wide benefits for choosing Nice, including gaining life or investigation clues. On the other hand, The Naughty choices usually provided more targeted benefits, often targeting someone else. For instance allowed players who picked Naughty receive a 4/4 flying creature. Those who picked Nice made a 1/1 Toy token creature for all participants.

The Grand Showdown

On the final round, Father Christmas himself arrived, changing the experience. Based on the frequency with which a participant chose Naughty versus Nice, Santa handed out sealed “gifts”. They appeared to be small containers, but inside were Magic booster packs worth different amounts.

• The most benevolent player received a premium special pack.
• Another friendly player received a slightly less valuable Collector Booster.
• Another participant ended up with a older booster pack.
• The very naughty player essentially received coal: a historically poor booster pack acting as a joke.

Every card from these packs could then be used for the duration, played from outside the game by spending mana as though it were colorless. The kinder participants, their gift became a huge power spike. Whereas, those who chose Naughty basically received a disadvantage.

Recreating the Format Yourself

Although the original showcase included significant custom components, the format is something any group can adapt with friends. Participants plays with their usual EDH deck, and the only extra items required are four different MTG packs with different worth.

One potential drawback lies in the fact that if everyone know ahead of time what being nice gets you, then everyone strategize for the most valuable gift. You could change this with alternatives, such as doing a mini-draft from a communal pile or enabling gamers to use cards from their collection not in their deck.

From the successful demonstration, this holiday variant proves to be a joyous method to create laughter during festive gatherings. It complicates the dynamics in the game in a uniquely festive way, resulting in a unique way to play for MTG fans everywhere.