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Widely regarded as Magic: The Gathering's friendliest format, Commander is getting a seasonal twist perfect for the festive season. During a holiday-themed show, hosts from a popular channel demonstrated a multiplayer match dubbed "Holiday Countdown."

The Mechanics of the Festive Format Function

At its core is a simple layer added on top of a normal EDH game. A rotating marker travels to each player. Upon reaching the current player's turn, the game halts for a moment. Each participant makes a hidden choice whether they're being Nice or Naughty via indicator cards.

Everyone turn over their choice at the same time. Next, they carry out the consequence tied to their own choice, beginning with the person who has the marker. The token is subsequently handed to the right. A special tracker advances a single increment, and standard Commander continues.

These decisions do escalate as the rounds continue, seeming finely tuned.

Growing Effects

The initial phases granted small, table-wide boons for the Nice path, like gaining life or investigation clues. In contrast, The Naughty paths typically offered personal advantages, often at the expense of someone else. As an example let players choosing Naughty receive a 4/4 flying creature. Anyone who selected Nice made a 1/1 Toy token creature for each player.

Santa's Big Showdown

When the final round, Saint Nick himself showed up, transforming the game. Depending on how often a participant was Nice versus Naughty, Santa handed out mystery presents. These looked like deck boxes, but inside were MTG booster packs of varying value.

• The most benevolent player was awarded a top-tier Collector Booster.
• The next kindest player got a another type of Collector Booster.
• Another participant ended up with a older set.
• The very naughty player essentially received coal: a famously bad set which is basically a punchline.

Each card opened instantly were used for the rest of the game, used as a bonus by spending mana considered to be colorless. The kinder participants, their gift became a significant power spike. Meanwhile, those who chose Naughty essentially got a punitive gift.

Recreating the Variant with Friends

Although the original showcase featured considerable production value, this is a concept that players can adapt in their own playgroup. Each player plays with their regular Commander deck, and the additional materials needed are several booster packs of varying value.

The main challenge could be that if players are aware beforehand the prize for being Nice, they all try to get the best booster pack. Groups can mix it up in different ways, such as doing a mini-draft from a communal pile or enabling gamers to use specific cards from outside the game.

From the entertaining match, this holiday variant proves to be a joyous method to spread some joy during festive gatherings. It changes the dynamics at the table in a joyous manner, making it a special way to play among MTG enthusiasts everywhere.