2020 is the year of Commander, and it fires up in earnest with Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths. Scheduling for Ikoria opens Monday January 27, including the first-ever official league for Magic’s most popular multiplayer format: Commander Nights.

You'll see Commander Nights in Wizards Event Reporter this coming Monday, and we can't wait to see events start firing in April.

Let's talk about how it works.

Commander Nights is a weekly Commander league with rotating rules and achievement-based prizes.

Each week throughout the season (April 27–June 18), players will compete in pods of three to five, building decks around novel rules and checking off fourteen special achievements. Both the rules and achievements are curated by Magic’s design studio (you may also customize them for your community).

Schedule your Commander Nights for any day of the week besides Friday. We recommend keeping them on the same day each week. (It's also worth mentioning that, if you choose a weekday, you'll have eight Commander Nights, but you'll have seven if you choose Saturday or Sunday.)

Once a player reaches a certain number of achievements (we recommend seven), you'll issue them a prize (a Promo Pack, for example). Once they reach a second, higher number (we recommend fourteen), you'll issue them another prize (a foil Promo Pack, for example).

So what do those achievements look like?

The achievement list will be a challenge to complete, and will incentivize creative deckbuilding.

It'll truly feel like an "achievement" to check all the boxes, and some players will want to build new Commander decks or alter existing ones in order to do it.

We'll be sending out the official rules list closer to the release of Ikoria, but here's an example using Theros Beyond Death so you'll know what to expect.

Plus, these achievements will play into the rotating rules. For example, one week the rule might be "all creatures are enchantments in addition to their other types," which would make earning the "control 10 or more enchantments" a lot more doable.

Pass out lists of achievements (we'll provide them!) on players' first weeks and have players check in with you as they meet achievements.

Reserve 25% of your promo packs for Commander Nights

We recommend putting aside 25% of your promo pack allocation for Commander Nights and handing them out to players as they complete a specific number of achievements. If you run out of promo packs, pick your own secondary reward—Ikoria Draft Boosters, leftover promo packs, or whatever else you'd like.

And remember—when the new tournament software launches later this year, Commander Tickets reported using the software will count toward your Engaged Player total.

Commander Nights run April 27 through June 18 and goes live in WER Monday January 27—remember to log in and schedule!