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Widely known as MTG's most interactive way to play, Commander just got a festive makeover perfect for the festive season. As part of a recent episode, hosts from a popular channel played a multiplayer game titled "Holiday Countdown."

The Mechanics of the Holiday Variant Works

The basic idea is a simple layer superimposed on a standard Commander match. One special marker moves to each player. Once it arrives at the active player's turn, the game briefly pauses. Each participant secretly chooses whether they're being Naughty or Nice via two cards.

Everyone turn over their card together. After that, they resolve the effect linked to their decision, starting with the person who has the token. The token is subsequently handed to the right. The countdown moves forward by one step, and normal gameplay resumes.

These decisions become more significant with each passing round go on, feeling finely tuned.

Increasing Effects

At the start offered small, table-wide boons for being Nice, including life gain or investigation clues. In contrast, The Naughty choices typically offered more specific benefits, usually to the detriment of someone else. One round let players choosing Naughty create a powerful airborne Reindeer token. Players that selected Nice created a small artifact creature token for everyone.

Santa's Big Showdown

When the last phase, Saint Nick himself showed up, changing the experience. Depending on how often a participant selected Naughty versus Nice, Santa gave out wrapped prizes. They appeared to be deck boxes, but contained Magic booster packs worth different amounts.

• The most benevolent player was awarded a top-tier special pack.
• Another friendly player received a slightly less valuable Collector Booster.
• One player got a older booster pack.
• The very naughty player drew the short straw: a historically poor booster pack which is basically a punchline.

Each card from these packs could then be playable for the duration, played from outside the game with mana treating it as any color. Players who were nice participants, their boon wound up being a significant power spike. Whereas, the naughty players basically received coal in their stocking.

Recreating the Game Yourself

While the original showcase featured significant custom components, it's one that any group can easily try at home. Participants uses their standard EDH deck, and all you'd need would be four different booster packs from different sets.

A possible drawback could be that if everyone know ahead of time the prize for being Nice, then everyone try to get the best booster pack. You could mix it up in different ways, like doing a mini-draft together or letting players pull cards from their collection from outside the game.

Judging by the successful demonstration, Countdown to XT-Mas proves to be a joyous way to add holiday cheer when playing with friends. It adds a layer to the social interplay at the table in a fun and manner, creating a special experience for Magic fans everywhere.