A Popular Gaming Channel Introduces a Holiday-Themed MTG Format You Can Play at Home.

Already known as MTG's most interactive format, the Elder Dragon Highlander format is getting a seasonal twist just in time for the holidays. In a recent episode, personalities from a popular channel played a multiplayer match titled "Countdown to XT-Mas."

How the Festive Variant Function

At its core involves a simple mechanic added on top of a standard Commander game. One special token circulates to each player. Once it arrives at the current player's upkeep, the action temporarily stops. All gamers privately decides whether they're being Naughty or Nice with the help of two cards.

Everyone turn over their choice together. After that, they resolve the bonus associated with their decision, beginning with the person holding the token. The token then gets passed clockwise. The holiday round counter advances by one step, and regular gameplay carries on.

These decisions intensify with each passing round progress, seeming well-balanced.

Increasing Choices

Early rounds provided modest, shared benefits for choosing Nice, like gaining life or investigation clues. Conversely, Naughty options often gave personal advantages, often to the detriment of another player. For instance let those who picked Naughty get a powerful airborne creature. Anyone who selected Nice created a small artifact creature token for all participants.

Santa's Big Arrival

When the eighth round, Saint Nick himself made an appearance, changing the game. Depending on the tally of a participant selected Naughty versus Nice, Santa handed out wrapped prizes. These looked like deck boxes, but inside were Magic booster packs worth different amounts.

• The most benevolent player got a top-tier special pack.
• The next kindest player opened a another type of Collector Booster.
• A special guest received a older booster pack.
• The least nice player got the worst prize: a historically poor booster pack which is basically a punchline.

All cards opened could then be used for the duration, used as a bonus using mana considered to be colorless. The kinder participants, their present wound up being a major power spike. Meanwhile, those who chose Naughty were given coal in their stocking.

Playing the Variant at Home

While the original showcase included considerable polish and preparation, it's one that players could easily replicate at home. Participants plays with their regular Commander deck, and the additional materials needed are several booster packs from different sets.

One potential challenge could be that if players know the rewards in advance what being nice gets you, players might try to get the top prize. You could add variety with alternatives, like selecting cards together or enabling gamers to pull specific cards not in their deck.

Based on the entertaining match, this holiday variant proves to be a festive way to spread some joy during festive gatherings. It changes the strategy between players in a uniquely festive way, resulting in a memorable way to play for Magic fans this season.