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Already considered Magic: The Gathering's most social format, the Elder Dragon Highlander format is getting a seasonal twist just in time for the festive season. As part of a recent episode, creators from a popular channel showcased a four-player match called "Holiday Countdown."

The Mechanics of the Holiday Format Works

The basic idea is a simple layer added on top of a regular Commander game. One special indicator circulates between players. When it the active player's upkeep, the action briefly pauses. Each participant privately decides whether they're being Nice or Naughty with the help of choice cards.

The participants turn over their choice simultaneously. They then carry out the consequence associated with their own choice, beginning with the player holding the token. The token is then passed to the right. The countdown moves forward by one step, and standard Commander continues.

The Naughty/Nice options become more significant over time continue, feeling finely tuned.

Escalating Effects

The initial phases offered modest, shared advantages for the Nice path, including life gain or investigation clues. On the other hand, The Naughty options usually provided personal advantages, frequently targeting another player. One round let those who picked Naughty create a powerful airborne Reindeer token. Players that picked Nice created a 1/1 Toy token creature for each player.

The Climactic Arrival

On the last phase, Father Christmas personally made an appearance, changing the match. Depending on the tally of a participant was Naughty versus Nice, Santa gave out mystery presents. They appeared to be small containers, but inside were MTG booster packs with different rarities.

• The nicest player was awarded a high-value special pack.
• The next kindest player got a different Collector Booster.
• One player got a mid-range set.
• The least nice player got the worst prize: a historically poor set which is basically a gag.

All cards from these packs immediately became used for the duration, played from outside the game with mana treating it as any color. For the nicer players, their gift became a huge advantage. Meanwhile, the naughty players essentially got a disadvantage.

Trying the Variant Yourself

While the video included significant custom components, the format is something players can easily try in their own playgroup. Each player plays with their usual Commander deck, and all you'd need would be several MTG packs with different worth.

The main drawback could be that if everyone know ahead of time the prize for being Nice, players might strategize for the best booster pack. You could mix it up with alternatives, like selecting cards from a shared pool or allowing participants to pull cards from their collection from outside the game.

Based on how the format played out, Countdown to XT-Mas proves to be a joyous format to spread some joy this holiday season. It changes the strategy in the game in a fun and way, resulting in a special experience among MTG fans in their playgroups.