🔗 Share this article

Already known as MTG's friendliest format, Commander has received a seasonal twist just in time for the end of the year. In a holiday-themed video, creators Josh Lee Kwai and Jimmy Wong showcased a four-player match called "Holiday Countdown."

How the Holiday Format Works

Fundamentally is a simple layer superimposed on a standard EDH game. A rotating token moves to each player. When it the active player's turn, the game briefly pauses. Each participant secretly chooses if they will be being Nice or Naughty via indicator cards.

The participants turn over their choice simultaneously. They then carry out the effect tied to their decision, beginning with the person holding the token. The token then gets passed to the next player. The countdown advances a single increment, and normal Commander resumes.

These decisions intensify over time go on, designed to be carefully crafted.

Increasing Choices

At the start provided small, table-wide benefits for the Nice path, including life gain or Clue tokens. In contrast, The Naughty choices often gave more targeted advantages, often targeting another player. For instance let players choosing Naughty receive a powerful airborne Reindeer token. Anyone who selected Nice generated a 1/1 Toy token creature for everyone.

Santa's Big Arrival

On the final round, Saint Nick himself arrived, turning the experience. Based on the tally of each player chose Nice versus Naughty, Santa distributed wrapped prizes. Outwardly, these were deck boxes, but contained Magic booster packs with different rarities.

• The most benevolent player was awarded a premium Collector Booster.
• Another friendly player received a different premium pack.
• A special guest ended up with a mid-range set.
• The very naughty player essentially received coal: a historically poor booster pack acting as a joke.

Each card from these packs instantly were used for the remainder of the match, played from outside the game by spending mana considered to be all colors. Players who were nice participants, their gift proved to be a huge boost. Whereas, those who chose Naughty basically received coal in their stocking.

Trying the Format with Friends

While the video included a lot of polish and preparation, this is a concept that any group can easily try at home. Everybody uses their usual Commander deck, and all you'd need would be a selection of booster packs of varying value.

A possible drawback is that if players know ahead of time the best pack's identity, they all try to get the most valuable gift. One might add variety in different ways, like doing a mini-draft from a shared pool or letting players use cards from their collection from their binders.

Judging by the successful demonstration, Countdown to XT-Mas proves to be a fun method to create laughter during festive gatherings. It complicates the strategy at the table in a fun and way, resulting in a memorable experience for Magic enthusiasts in their playgroups.