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Already considered Magic: The Gathering's most interactive way to play, the Elder Dragon Highlander format just got a festive makeover perfect for the end of the year. In a recent show, creators from a popular channel played a multiplayer match called "Countdown to XT-Mas."

How the Holiday Format Function

The basic idea involves a straightforward layer added on top of a standard Commander game. A rotating token moves around the table. When it the current player's turn, the action halts for a moment. All gamers makes a hidden choice whether they're being Naughty or Nice with the help of choice cards.

The participants reveal their choice together. Next, they carry out the effect linked to their decision, starting with the person who has the marker. The token is subsequently handed to the right. The countdown moves forward one notch, and normal gameplay resumes.

The Naughty/Nice options become more significant over time continue, seeming carefully crafted.

Growing Effects

At the start offered minor, collective advantages for the Nice path, including life gain or investigation clues. Conversely, Naughty choices typically offered more targeted advantages, usually to the detriment of someone else. One round let those choosing Naughty create a 4/4 flying creature. Anyone who picked Nice made a small artifact token creature for each player.

The Climactic Finale

On the final round, Father Christmas personally showed up, changing the experience. According to how often a participant chose Nice versus Naughty, Santa gave out wrapped prizes. Outwardly, these were small containers, but contained Magic booster packs of varying value.

• The kindest player got a premium Collector Booster.
• Another friendly player got a slightly less valuable Collector Booster.
• Another participant got a less powerful set.
• The most mischievous player got the worst prize: a famously bad set that's essentially a joke.

Each card opened instantly were used for the rest of the game, used as a bonus with mana considered to be any color. For the nicer players, their boon proved to be a significant advantage. However, those who chose Naughty essentially got a punitive gift.

Recreating the Format with Friends

While the video featured a lot of production value, this is a concept that any group can easily try with friends. Everybody uses their usual EDH deck, and all you'd need would be several booster packs from different sets.

One potential drawback lies in the fact that if everyone know ahead of time what being nice gets you, players might might aim for the top prize. One might mix it up in different ways, such as doing a mini-draft from a communal pile or enabling gamers to use cards they own not in their deck.

Based on the successful demonstration, this holiday variant is definitely a festive way to add holiday cheer when playing with friends. It complicates the strategy at the table in a joyous manner, making it a special way to play among MTG players everywhere.