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Already regarded as Magic: The Gathering's most interactive way to play, Commander is getting a festive update perfect for the holidays. In a special video, creators from a popular channel played a multiplayer game dubbed "Holiday Countdown."

How the Holiday Variant Function

The basic idea is a simple layer added on top of a normal EDH game. A rotating indicator moves between players. When it the active player's upkeep, the action halts for a moment. Each participant secretly chooses whether they're being Nice or Naughty by using two cards.

All players flip their choice together. Next, they apply the consequence linked to their selection, beginning with the player who has the token. The token then gets passed clockwise. A special tracker ticks up one notch, and standard gameplay resumes.

The Naughty/Nice options intensify as the rounds go on, feeling finely tuned.

Growing Choices

At the start offered small, table-wide benefits for being Nice, like gaining life or Clue tokens. On the other hand, The Naughty paths usually provided more specific benefits, usually to the detriment of an opponent. For instance allowed players choosing Naughty get a powerful airborne Reindeer token. Players that selected Nice made a 1/1 Toy creature token for each player.

The Grand Arrival

On the final round, Santa Claus himself showed up, transforming the match. Based on how often each player was Nice versus Naughty, Santa handed out mystery presents. They appeared to be small containers, but contained Magic booster packs with different rarities.

• The kindest player got a premium special pack.
• The next kindest player received a slightly less valuable Collector Booster.
• One player got a mid-range booster pack.
• The very naughty player essentially received coal: a notoriously weak booster pack that's essentially a joke.

Each card from these packs could then be playable for the remainder of the match, used as a bonus by spending mana as though it were colorless. Players who were nice participants, their gift wound up being a significant advantage. Meanwhile, the naughty players were given a punitive gift.

Playing the Format with Friends

Although the video had a lot of production value, this is a concept that any group can easily try at home. Participants plays with their usual EDH deck, and the only extra items required would be several booster packs from different sets.

One potential challenge lies in the fact that if everyone know the rewards in advance the best pack's identity, then everyone try to get the top prize. Groups can mix it up in different ways, such as doing a mini-draft from a shared pool or allowing participants to include cards from their collection not in their deck.

From the entertaining match, Countdown to XT-Mas is definitely a festive way to add holiday cheer when playing with friends. It adds a layer to the strategy at the table in a joyous way, making it a unique experience among MTG players this season.