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Already regarded as MTG's most social way to play, Commander just got a holiday twist just in time for the end of the year. In a special video, hosts Josh Lee Kwai and Jimmy Wong showcased a four-player match dubbed "Countdown to XT-Mas."

The Mechanics of the Festive Format Function

Fundamentally involves a simple layer superimposed on a standard Commander game. A rotating marker travels between players. Upon reaching the current player's turn, the action briefly pauses. Each participant secretly chooses if they will be being Naughty or Nice with the help of indicator cards.

Everyone reveal their card at the same time. After that, they resolve the bonus associated with their own choice, starting with the person who has the marker. This marker is subsequently handed clockwise. The holiday round counter advances by one step, and normal Commander carries on.

The Naughty/Nice options intensify over time continue, feeling finely tuned.

Increasing Choices

Early rounds granted minor, collective benefits for being Nice, like life gain or investigation clues. On the other hand, Naughty options typically offered more targeted advantages, usually at the expense of an opponent. As an example let players who picked Naughty get a powerful airborne Reindeer token. Anyone who selected Nice made a small artifact creature token for each player.

The Grand Arrival

On the last phase, Santa Claus personally arrived, changing the match. Based on the frequency with which each player selected Nice versus Naughty, Santa gave out sealed “gifts”. They appeared to be deck boxes, but inside were MTG booster packs with different rarities.

• The most benevolent player was awarded a premium special pack.
• The next kindest player received a another type of Collector Booster.
• A special guest ended up with a less powerful booster pack.
• The very naughty player got the worst prize: a notoriously weak booster pack that's essentially a gag.

Each card unwrapped immediately became used for the duration, played from outside the game by spending mana considered to be colorless. Players who were nice players, their gift wound up being a major advantage. Whereas, mischievous participants were given a disadvantage.

Trying the Game at Home

Although the demonstration match featured considerable custom components, the format is something any group can easily try in their own playgroup. Everybody plays with their usual EDH deck, and the additional materials needed are a selection of MTG packs from different sets.

The main challenge is that if players know ahead of time the prize for being Nice, they all strategize for the top prize. Groups can change this in different ways, like doing a mini-draft together or allowing participants to include cards they own from outside the game.

From the entertaining match, Countdown to XT-Mas is definitely a festive format to add holiday cheer during festive gatherings. It changes the social interplay at the table in a joyous way, creating a unique experience among Magic players everywhere.