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Widely considered Magic: The Gathering's most interactive format, Commander just got a holiday update just in time for the holidays. In a recent show, creators Josh Lee Kwai and Jimmy Wong played a four-player game titled "Holiday Countdown."

The Mechanics of the Holiday Variant Function

The basic idea involves a simple layer superimposed on a standard EDH game. A rotating token moves to each player. Upon reaching the active player's turn, the game briefly pauses. All gamers secretly chooses if they will be being Naughty or Nice by using two cards.

All players flip their choice at the same time. After that, they resolve the effect linked to their decision, beginning with the player holding the marker. It is subsequently handed to the next player. The countdown moves forward by one step, and normal Commander carries on.

The choices do escalate over time continue, feeling carefully crafted.

Increasing Choices

Early rounds offered modest, shared benefits for being Nice, including life gain or investigation clues. On the other hand, The Naughty paths usually provided more targeted benefits, usually targeting another player. One round allowed those choosing Naughty receive a 4/4 flying Reindeer token. Anyone who selected Nice created a small artifact creature token for all participants.

The Grand Finale

When the final round, Santa Claus personally showed up, changing the experience. Depending on the frequency with which each player selected Naughty versus Nice, Santa distributed wrapped prizes. These looked like deck boxes, but contained MTG booster packs with different rarities.

• The nicest player got a high-value Collector Booster.
• Another friendly player received a slightly less valuable Collector Booster.
• One player ended up with a older booster pack.
• The least nice player got the worst prize: a famously bad set acting as a joke.

Each card unwrapped immediately became used for the rest of the game, used as a bonus using mana considered to be all colors. The kinder players, their boon wound up being a significant boost. Whereas, those who chose Naughty were given a punitive gift.

Playing the Variant at Home

While the video had considerable custom components, it's one that anybody can adapt in their own playgroup. Each player uses their standard EDH deck, and all you'd need are several MTG packs of varying value.

One potential drawback lies in the fact that if everyone know the rewards in advance the best pack's identity, players might strategize for the best booster pack. One might mix it up by using other methods, for example drafting cards from a shared pool or letting players use specific cards from outside the game.

Judging by the successful demonstration, this holiday variant is definitely a festive format to create laughter when playing with friends. It complicates the strategy between players in a fun and way, resulting in a memorable experience for MTG fans in their playgroups.