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Already considered MTG's most interactive format, the Elder Dragon Highlander format has received a festive makeover perfect for the end of the year. During a recent episode, creators from a popular channel showcased a multiplayer match titled "Holiday Countdown."

How the Holiday Variant Works

Fundamentally is a simple mechanic superimposed on a regular EDH game. One special indicator moves around the table. Upon reaching the current player's upkeep, the action halts for a moment. Every player makes a hidden choice whether they're being Naughty or Nice by using indicator cards.

The participants turn over their choice simultaneously. After that, they carry out the consequence tied to their own choice, beginning with the player holding the marker. The token is subsequently handed clockwise. A special tracker advances one notch, and regular Commander carries on.

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

Increasing Choices

At the start provided small, table-wide advantages for choosing Nice, such as life gain or Clue tokens. In contrast, The Naughty paths often gave more targeted advantages, usually targeting an opponent. As an example let those who picked Naughty get a 4/4 flying Reindeer token. Anyone who picked Nice generated a 1/1 Toy token creature for everyone.

The Climactic Finale

When the last phase, Saint Nick personally arrived, transforming the experience. Depending on the frequency with which a participant was Nice versus Naughty, Santa gave out wrapped prizes. These looked like small containers, but contained Magic booster packs with different rarities.

• The nicest player got a premium Collector Booster.
• The next kindest player opened a another type of Collector Booster.
• A special guest received a less powerful set.
• The very naughty player drew the short straw: a historically poor set that's essentially a joke.

All cards from these packs immediately became playable for the remainder of the match, played from outside the game by spending mana considered to be all colors. For the nicer players, their gift proved to be a huge advantage. However, mischievous participants basically received a punitive gift.

Recreating the Game with Friends

Although the original showcase included a lot of custom components, the format is something anybody can easily try at home. Participants would bring their usual EDH deck, and all you'd need are several booster packs from different sets.

The main drawback could be that if everyone know ahead of time the best pack's identity, then everyone might aim for the most valuable gift. You could change this in different ways, for example selecting cards from a shared pool or letting players use cards they own from their binders.

From the successful demonstration, Countdown to XT-Mas stands as a joyous way to create laughter during festive gatherings. It changes the strategy in the game in a fun and way, resulting in a special experience among Magic enthusiasts in their playgroups.