🔗 Share this article

Widely regarded as MTG's most interactive way to play, Commander is getting a festive twist just in time for the festive season. As part of a holiday-themed video, personalities from a popular channel demonstrated a four-player game titled "Holiday Countdown."

How the Festive Format Function

The basic idea involves a straightforward mechanic superimposed on a standard Commander match. One special indicator travels between players. When it the active player's turn, the action temporarily stops. Each participant privately decides whether they're being Nice or Naughty via indicator cards.

All players reveal their card at the same time. They then resolve the consequence linked to their decision, starting with the player holding the marker. The token is then passed clockwise. A special tracker ticks up one notch, and standard Commander continues.

The Naughty/Nice options intensify as the rounds go on, designed to be finely tuned.

Growing Choices

Early rounds provided small, table-wide advantages for choosing Nice, including gaining life or investigation clues. In contrast, Naughty choices typically offered more specific upsides, frequently at the expense of someone else. As an example let those choosing Naughty create a 4/4 flying Reindeer token. Players that selected Nice generated a 1/1 Toy creature token for everyone.

The Climactic Arrival

On the last phase, Santa Claus himself showed up, changing the game. Depending on the frequency with which a participant chose Naughty versus Nice, Santa gave out mystery presents. Outwardly, these were small containers, but held Magic booster packs of varying value.

• The kindest player got a top-tier special pack.
• The second-nicest player opened a different premium pack.
• Another participant got a less powerful set.
• The least nice player drew the short straw: a notoriously weak booster pack which is basically a joke.

Every card opened immediately became playable for the rest of the game, used as a bonus by spending mana considered to be all colors. For the nicer participants, their gift became a significant boost. Meanwhile, those who chose Naughty basically received a punitive gift.

Playing the Variant Yourself

While the original showcase had considerable polish and preparation, this is a concept that anybody could easily replicate at home. Each player plays with their standard Commander deck, and all you'd need are a selection of MTG packs with different worth.

The main issue is that if players know ahead of time what being nice gets you, then everyone try to get the most valuable gift. Groups can mix it up with alternatives, such as doing a mini-draft from a shared pool or enabling gamers to use cards they own from outside the game.

Based on the entertaining match, this holiday variant stands as a fun format to spread some joy during festive gatherings. It adds a layer to the dynamics at the table in a uniquely festive way, resulting in a unique way to play among MTG players this season.