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Already known as MTG's friendliest format, Commander is getting a seasonal twist just in time for the end of the year. As part of a special video, creators Josh Lee Kwai and Jimmy Wong showcased a four-player match titled "Countdown to XT-Mas."

How the Festive Format Function

Fundamentally is a simple mechanic added on top of a standard Commander match. A rotating marker circulates between players. Once it arrives at the active player's turn, the game briefly pauses. Each participant privately decides whether they're being Naughty or Nice with the help of choice cards.

All players flip their card at the same time. Next, they resolve the consequence tied to their selection, first with the person holding the token. The token is then passed to the right. The countdown advances a single increment, and regular gameplay carries on.

The choices do escalate with each passing round progress, designed to be carefully crafted.

Growing Effects

The initial phases provided minor, collective advantages for choosing Nice, including gaining life or investigation clues. On the other hand, Naughty options usually provided personal advantages, often to the detriment of someone else. For instance allowed those who picked Naughty receive a 4/4 flying Reindeer token. Those who picked Nice created a small artifact token creature for each player.

The Climactic Showdown

During the eighth round, Father Christmas personally made an appearance, turning the experience. Depending on how often each player selected Naughty versus Nice, Santa distributed sealed “gifts”. These looked like small containers, but inside were Magic booster packs of varying value.

• The most benevolent player was awarded a top-tier special pack.
• The next kindest player received a different premium pack.
• Another participant got a mid-range booster pack.
• The most mischievous player got the worst prize: a historically poor booster pack that's essentially a gag.

Each card opened could then be used for the duration, played from outside the game using mana treating it as any color. Players who were nice players, their gift proved to be a major boost. However, the naughty players essentially got coal in their stocking.

Trying the Variant with Friends

Although the video had significant custom components, it's one that players can adapt with friends. Everybody would bring their standard EDH deck, and the additional materials needed would be several MTG packs of varying value.

One potential challenge could be that if players know the rewards in advance the prize for being Nice, players might try to get the most valuable gift. You could mix it up by using other methods, for example doing a mini-draft from a communal pile or enabling gamers to pull cards they own not in their deck.

From how the format played out, this holiday variant stands as a festive method to add holiday cheer during festive gatherings. It adds a layer to the strategy in the game in a uniquely festive way, resulting in a memorable way to play for MTG players this season.