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Already considered Magic: The Gathering's friendliest way to play, the Elder Dragon Highlander format just got a festive makeover just in time for the festive season. In a holiday-themed show, hosts from a popular channel demonstrated a multiplayer game titled "Countdown to XT-Mas."

The Mechanics of the Festive Format Works

The basic idea is a simple layer superimposed on a regular Commander game. A rotating indicator travels around the table. Once it arrives at the current player's turn, the game briefly pauses. All gamers privately decides whether they're being Naughty or Nice by using choice cards.

All players flip their card together. Next, they carry out the bonus associated with their own choice, starting with the person who has the marker. It then gets passed to the right. The countdown ticks up a single increment, and regular gameplay continues.

These decisions become more significant as the rounds progress, seeming well-balanced.

Growing Choices

The initial phases provided small, table-wide benefits for choosing Nice, like life gain or investigation clues. In contrast, The Naughty choices usually provided personal benefits, frequently at the expense of another player. As an example let those who picked Naughty receive a powerful airborne Reindeer token. Players that picked Nice made a small artifact creature token for each player.

The Climactic Showdown

During the eighth round, Father Christmas himself showed up, transforming the experience. Depending on how often a participant selected Naughty versus Nice, Santa distributed mystery presents. They appeared to be deck boxes, but held MTG booster packs worth different amounts.

• The nicest player was awarded a premium Collector Booster.
• Another friendly player received a different Collector Booster.
• One player received a mid-range set.
• The least nice player essentially received coal: a notoriously weak set which is basically a joke.

All cards from these packs immediately became playable for the rest of the game, used as a bonus using mana as though it were all colors. For the nicer players, their gift wound up being a significant boost. Meanwhile, the naughty players essentially got coal in their stocking.

Trying the Format at Home

While the video featured considerable custom components, the format is something anybody can adapt at home. Participants plays with their usual Commander deck, and the additional materials needed would be several booster packs from different sets.

A possible issue is that if everyone are aware beforehand the best pack's identity, players might strategize for the best booster pack. Groups can add variety in different ways, like drafting cards together or letting players use cards they own from outside the game.

Judging by the successful demonstration, this holiday variant stands as a joyous way to create laughter during festive gatherings. It complicates the dynamics at the table in a fun and manner, making it a memorable experience among Magic enthusiasts in their playgroups.