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Widely considered MTG's most social way to play, Commander just got a holiday twist perfect for the festive season. During a holiday-themed episode, creators from a popular channel demonstrated a four-player match dubbed "Holiday Countdown."

How the Holiday Format Function

The basic idea is a straightforward layer added on top of a regular EDH match. A designated token moves between players. Once it arrives at the current player's upkeep, the game halts for a moment. All gamers secretly chooses if they will be being Naughty or Nice with the help of two cards.

The participants flip their choice at the same time. After that, they resolve the bonus linked to their own choice, starting with the player holding the token. It is subsequently handed clockwise. A special tracker ticks up a single increment, and regular Commander carries on.

The Naughty/Nice options become more significant over time continue, feeling carefully crafted.

Escalating Choices

At the start provided small, table-wide benefits for the Nice path, including life gain or Clue tokens. On the other hand, The Naughty choices typically offered more targeted benefits, usually targeting an opponent. For instance let players choosing Naughty receive a 4/4 flying creature. Those who selected Nice made a 1/1 Toy creature token for each player.

The Climactic Showdown

During the final round, Saint Nick personally arrived, transforming the game. Depending on the frequency with which a participant chose Naughty versus Nice, Santa gave out wrapped prizes. These looked like deck boxes, but held MTG booster packs with different rarities.

• The nicest player was awarded a high-value Collector Booster.
• Another friendly player got a different premium pack.
• One player ended up with a less powerful set.
• The very naughty player essentially received coal: a famously bad booster pack which is basically a punchline.

Each card opened immediately became used for the duration, cast from exile with mana considered to be all colors. The kinder players, their present proved to be a significant advantage. Whereas, the naughty players basically received coal in their stocking.

Trying the Format at Home

While the video had a lot of polish and preparation, the format is something players could easily replicate at home. Participants uses their regular EDH deck, and all you'd need would be four different booster packs with different worth.

The main drawback lies in the fact that if players know the rewards in advance what being nice gets you, players might try to get the top prize. You could add variety in different ways, like drafting cards from a communal pile or allowing participants to include cards they own from their binders.

Based on the entertaining match, this holiday variant is definitely a joyous method to spread some joy this holiday season. It adds a layer to the dynamics between players in a uniquely festive way, resulting in a special way to play for Magic players everywhere.