A Popular Gaming Channel Reveals a Holiday-Themed Commander Format Players Can Recreate with Friends.

Widely regarded as Magic: The Gathering's most social way to play, Commander is getting a festive twist perfect for the festive season. In a special episode, hosts Josh Lee Kwai and Jimmy Wong played a multiplayer match dubbed "Countdown to XT-Mas."

How the Festive Variant Works

Fundamentally is a simple mechanic superimposed on a normal Commander game. A designated token travels between players. When it the active player's turn, the game temporarily stops. All gamers makes a hidden choice if they will be being Naughty or Nice via two cards.

All players turn over their card simultaneously. They then resolve the consequence linked to their decision, first with the player who has the token. This marker is then passed clockwise. A special tracker advances one notch, and standard Commander resumes.

These decisions become more significant with each passing round go on, seeming carefully crafted.

Increasing Outcomes

The initial phases granted minor, collective boons for the Nice path, like life gain or Clue tokens. On the other hand, The Naughty options usually provided more specific upsides, often at the expense of another player. One round allowed those choosing Naughty get a powerful airborne Reindeer token. Players that selected Nice generated a 1/1 Toy creature token for each player.

Santa's Big Arrival

During the final round, Saint Nick himself arrived, turning the match. Depending on the frequency with which each player was Naughty versus Nice, Santa distributed wrapped prizes. Outwardly, these were small containers, but held MTG booster packs with different rarities.

• The nicest player received a top-tier special pack.
• The second-nicest player got a different Collector Booster.
• One player ended up with a mid-range set.
• The least nice player essentially received coal: a historically poor set that's essentially a punchline.

Every card opened immediately became used for the rest of the game, played from outside the game using mana treating it as any color. For the nicer participants, their boon proved to be a major advantage. Meanwhile, mischievous participants basically received a disadvantage.

Playing the Format at Home

While the video featured considerable polish and preparation, it's one that anybody can adapt at home. Each player would bring their regular EDH deck, and the additional materials needed would be four different MTG packs from different sets.

The main drawback could be that if players know the rewards in advance the best pack's identity, then everyone might aim for the most valuable gift. Groups can add variety in different ways, for example drafting cards from a shared pool or letting players pull cards from their collection from their binders.

Based on the entertaining match, Countdown to XT-Mas stands as a fun format to spread some joy during festive gatherings. It adds a layer to the strategy between players in a fun and manner, creating a memorable experience for Magic players this season.