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Widely regarded as MTG's most social way to play, the Elder Dragon Highlander format is getting a holiday twist just in time for the festive season. In a recent episode, creators Josh Lee Kwai and Jimmy Wong showcased a four-player game titled "Holiday Countdown."

The Mechanics of the Festive Variant Works

At its core involves a simple mechanic added on top of a normal Commander game. A rotating token moves between players. Upon reaching the current player's turn, the action halts for a moment. Every player secretly chooses if they will be being Naughty or Nice by using choice cards.

All players flip their choice at the same time. After that, they apply the bonus tied to their selection, beginning with the person holding the token. It is then passed to the right. The holiday round counter ticks up one notch, and regular gameplay carries on.

These decisions do escalate as the rounds progress, designed to be finely tuned.

Growing Effects

Early rounds provided modest, shared advantages for being Nice, like gaining life or investigation clues. Conversely, Naughty options often gave personal advantages, frequently targeting an opponent. For instance let those choosing Naughty receive a powerful airborne creature. Players that picked Nice generated a 1/1 Toy token creature for everyone.

Santa's Big Arrival

During the eighth round, Saint Nick himself arrived, turning the experience. Depending on the frequency with which a participant chose Naughty versus Nice, Santa handed out wrapped prizes. These looked like deck boxes, but contained Magic booster packs of varying value.

• The nicest player received a high-value Collector Booster.
• The second-nicest player got a slightly less valuable Collector Booster.
• Another participant received a mid-range booster pack.
• The least nice player drew the short straw: a famously bad booster pack which is basically a punchline.

All cards unwrapped immediately became playable for the rest of the game, cast from exile with mana considered to be colorless. The kinder participants, their boon became a major power spike. Meanwhile, those who chose Naughty were given a disadvantage.

Trying the Game at Home

While the demonstration match had a lot of custom components, this is a concept that any group could easily replicate in their own playgroup. Each player would bring their regular Commander deck, and all you'd need would be several booster packs from different sets.

The main drawback could be that if everyone know ahead of time the best pack's identity, they all might aim for the top prize. One might add variety by using other methods, like doing a mini-draft together or allowing participants to use cards they own from their binders.

Judging by the entertaining match, this holiday variant stands as a festive method to add holiday cheer when playing with friends. It changes the social interplay between players in a fun and way, resulting in a special way to play for Magic players everywhere.