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Widely considered MTG's most interactive way to play, Commander just got a seasonal twist perfect for the festive season. As part of a holiday-themed episode, hosts from a popular channel showcased a four-player game dubbed "Countdown to XT-Mas."

How the Festive Variant Works

The basic idea is a simple layer added on top of a standard EDH game. A designated indicator circulates to each player. Upon reaching the current player's turn, the game halts for a moment. Each participant privately decides if they will be being Nice or Naughty by using two cards.

All players reveal their choice at the same time. Next, they resolve the consequence associated with their selection, beginning with the person holding the marker. It then gets passed to the next player. The holiday round counter ticks up by one step, and normal gameplay carries on.

The choices do escalate with each passing round continue, feeling finely tuned.

Increasing Outcomes

The initial phases provided minor, collective boons for being Nice, like life gain or Clue tokens. On the other hand, Naughty options typically offered more specific advantages, usually to the detriment of an opponent. For instance allowed players who picked Naughty receive a 4/4 flying Reindeer token. Those who selected Nice generated a 1/1 Toy token creature for all participants.

Santa's Big Arrival

On the eighth round, Father Christmas personally arrived, turning the game. Depending on the tally of a participant was Nice versus Naughty, Santa handed out mystery presents. Outwardly, these were deck boxes, but contained Magic booster packs worth different amounts.

• The nicest player was awarded a premium Collector Booster.
• Another friendly player opened a another type of premium pack.
• One player received a less powerful set.
• The most mischievous player essentially received coal: a famously bad booster pack acting as a joke.

Each card from these packs instantly were used for the remainder of the match, used as a bonus by spending mana treating it as all colors. For the nicer participants, their present proved to be a major advantage. However, mischievous participants basically received a disadvantage.

Playing the Game at Home

While the original showcase included a lot of polish and preparation, this is a concept that anybody could easily replicate in their own playgroup. Each player uses their usual Commander deck, and the additional materials needed would be a selection of booster packs of varying value.

The main challenge is that if players are aware beforehand what being nice gets you, then everyone might aim for the best booster pack. You could add variety with alternatives, such as selecting cards together or allowing participants to pull cards from their collection not in their deck.

Based on the successful demonstration, Countdown to XT-Mas proves to be a festive method to add holiday cheer when playing with friends. It complicates the dynamics in the game in a joyous way, resulting in a special way to play for MTG players everywhere.