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Widely known as Magic: The Gathering's most interactive format, the Elder Dragon Highlander format just got a festive makeover just in time for the festive season. In a recent show, hosts from a popular channel played a multiplayer game titled "Holiday Countdown."

How the Holiday Format Works

At its core involves a straightforward mechanic superimposed on a regular EDH match. A rotating token travels between players. When it the active player's turn, the game temporarily stops. All gamers secretly chooses if they will be being Nice or Naughty via two cards.

The participants reveal their card at the same time. They then carry out the consequence linked to their selection, first with the player holding the token. This marker then gets passed to the next player. A special tracker ticks up by one step, and regular Commander continues.

The Naughty/Nice options become more significant with each passing round go on, designed to be carefully crafted.

Growing Choices

Early rounds offered small, table-wide advantages for being Nice, including gaining life or Clue tokens. In contrast, The Naughty choices often gave more specific benefits, often at the expense of someone else. For instance allowed players who picked Naughty receive a 4/4 flying creature. Those who selected Nice made a 1/1 Toy token creature for each player.

Santa's Big Finale

On the eighth round, Saint Nick himself showed up, turning the experience. According to the frequency with which a participant was Nice versus Naughty, Santa gave out mystery presents. These looked like small containers, but held Magic booster packs of varying value.

• The most benevolent player got a premium Collector Booster.
• Another friendly player received a different premium pack.
• A special guest ended up with a less powerful booster pack.
• The very naughty player drew the short straw: a notoriously weak set which is basically a punchline.

Every card unwrapped instantly were used for the duration, played from outside the game by spending mana considered to be colorless. For the nicer players, their boon wound up being a significant boost. However, the naughty players were given coal in their stocking.

Trying the Game at Home

Although the video included significant polish and preparation, it's one that any group could easily replicate with friends. Each player uses their standard EDH deck, and all you'd need would be a selection of MTG packs with different worth.

A possible drawback is that if everyone know ahead of time the prize for being Nice, they all strategize for the top prize. You could change this with alternatives, such as drafting cards from a communal pile or allowing participants to include specific cards from their binders.

Judging by how the format played out, this holiday variant is definitely a festive format to create laughter when playing with friends. It adds a layer to the dynamics at the table in a joyous manner, making it a unique way to play for Magic players everywhere.