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Widely known as MTG's most interactive format, Commander is getting a seasonal update perfect for the festive season. As part of a special episode, hosts Josh Lee Kwai and Jimmy Wong played a four-player game called "Holiday Countdown."

The Mechanics of the Festive Format Works

Fundamentally involves a straightforward mechanic superimposed on a normal EDH match. A rotating token moves to each player. Once it arrives at the active player's upkeep, the action halts for a moment. All gamers privately decides if they will be being Nice or Naughty by using two cards.

Everyone reveal their choice simultaneously. After that, they resolve the consequence associated with their own choice, beginning with the player who has the token. It is then passed to the next player. A special tracker advances one notch, and standard Commander resumes.

The Naughty/Nice options become more significant over time progress, designed to be carefully crafted.

Increasing Outcomes

The initial phases offered small, table-wide boons for being Nice, such as gaining life or Clue tokens. On the other hand, Naughty choices often gave more specific upsides, usually to the detriment of someone else. As an example let those choosing Naughty receive a powerful airborne Reindeer token. Anyone who selected Nice created a small artifact creature token for each player.

The Climactic Arrival

When the final round, Saint Nick himself arrived, turning the game. Depending on the tally of each player was Nice versus Naughty, Santa gave out sealed “gifts”. Outwardly, these were small containers, but inside were Magic booster packs with different rarities.

• The most benevolent player received a high-value special pack.
• Another friendly player got a another type of Collector Booster.
• One player received a older booster pack.
• The least nice player got the worst prize: a famously bad booster pack that's essentially a gag.

Each card from these packs could then be used for the rest of the game, cast from exile by spending mana considered to be all colors. For the nicer participants, their present wound up being a significant boost. Whereas, those who chose Naughty essentially got coal in their stocking.

Recreating the Format at Home

While the video included significant production value, the format is something players could easily replicate in their own playgroup. Everybody uses their standard Commander deck, and the additional materials needed would be a selection of booster packs with different worth.

A possible challenge is that if everyone know ahead of time the prize for being Nice, they all might aim for the best booster pack. One might change this with alternatives, like doing a mini-draft from a communal pile or enabling gamers to use specific cards from their binders.

Judging by the successful demonstration, this holiday variant stands as a joyous way to add holiday cheer this holiday season. It adds a layer to the social interplay in the game in a joyous manner, resulting in a special way to play among Magic enthusiasts this season.