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Widely considered Magic: The Gathering's most social format, the Elder Dragon Highlander format has received a holiday update perfect for the end of the year. In a recent show, personalities Josh Lee Kwai and Jimmy Wong played a multiplayer game called "Countdown to XT-Mas."

How the Festive Variant Function

The basic idea involves a straightforward mechanic superimposed on a regular EDH game. A designated token moves to each player. Once it arrives at the active player's turn, the game halts for a moment. Each participant makes a hidden choice whether they're being Naughty or Nice with the help of two cards.

All players turn over their card simultaneously. They then apply the bonus linked to their selection, beginning with the player holding the marker. It is subsequently handed to the next player. The holiday round counter advances by one step, and regular gameplay resumes.

The Naughty/Nice options intensify with each passing round progress, designed to be carefully crafted.

Increasing Choices

At the start offered small, table-wide advantages for the Nice path, including life gain or Clue tokens. On the other hand, Naughty options usually provided more targeted advantages, frequently to the detriment of another player. As an example let those choosing Naughty create a 4/4 flying Reindeer token. Anyone who selected Nice made a small artifact creature token for everyone.

The Grand Finale

On the last phase, Santa Claus personally made an appearance, changing the game. According to the tally of each player was Nice versus Naughty, Santa gave out mystery presents. Outwardly, these were deck boxes, but contained Magic booster packs worth different amounts.

• The kindest player received a top-tier Collector Booster.
• Another friendly player received a slightly less valuable Collector Booster.
• A special guest got a less powerful booster pack.
• The very naughty player essentially received coal: a notoriously weak booster pack that's essentially a gag.

Every card unwrapped instantly were playable for the remainder of the match, used as a bonus using mana considered to be all colors. Players who were nice players, their gift became a huge power spike. However, mischievous participants essentially got coal in their stocking.

Playing the Format at Home

Although the demonstration match had a lot of custom components, this is a concept that anybody can easily try at home. Each player plays with their standard Commander deck, and all you'd need are several booster packs with different worth.

One potential drawback is that if everyone know the rewards in advance the best pack's identity, then everyone try to get the most valuable gift. One might add variety by using other methods, like selecting cards together or allowing participants to use specific cards from outside the game.

From how the format played out, this holiday variant is definitely a fun format to spread some joy this holiday season. It complicates the social interplay at the table in a uniquely festive way, creating a special experience among Magic fans everywhere.