Noctis, Heir ApparentNoctis, Heir Apparent | Art by Winona Nelson

Hi there, and welcome to another deck tech highlighting a brand-new commander. Just like in previous articles, we're here to...

• Highlight interesting game plan(s) for a new commander
• Build a budget-friendly (~$40) "Core" power level deck following these plans
• Work through important card categories and discuss notable inclusions
• Include a decklist and a deck checklist
• Go through mid-budget upgrades (<$20 per card) as options to invest more into this strategy.

For this week, let's take a look at Noctis, Heir ApparentNoctis, Heir Apparent. I'm excited about Noctis for many reasons, but the biggest ist that I brewed around Barret, Avalanche LeaderBarret, Avalanche Leader when it was first spoiled several months ago and it will be interesting to see how an "Equipment attaching for free" commander in the exact opposite colors will shake out.

If you're inspired by this type of strategy, maybe you could even make vs. Equipment-matters duel decks.

What Does Noctis, Heir ApparentNoctis, Heir Apparent Do?

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's figure out what this commander is all about!

First, Noctis cares about creatures entering during combat. How do creatures enter in the middle of a turn? Great question! We'll discuss this in more detail later on.

Second, Noctis cares about Equipment. If we can fulfill the requirement of causing a creature to enter during combat, we can attach swords, hammers, and all sorts of other weapons to our creatures for free. The more creatures enter, the more free equips we can get!

Third, this commander can protect itself. If we leave up , we can save Noctis from removal at will, whether it's facing something like Swords to PlowsharesSwords to Plowshares or Wrath of GodWrath of God.

Finally, this commander combos with itself. If we send Noctis on a journey into exile, he will come back during our declare attackers step, triggering his own ability. As an added bonus, he comes back unblockable when this happens.

Creatures Entering During Combat

How can we make sure creatures enter during combat? As a reminder, the combat phase has five steps:

• Beginning of Combat
• Declare Attackers
• Declare Blockers
• Combat Damage
• End of Combat

We can't normally cast creatures during this phase, so how can we maximize our commander's ability?

Declare Attackers – Creating Tokens With Activated and Triggered Abilities

With Noctis on the battlefield, cards that create tokens when they attack (like old-school Geist of Saint TraftGeist of Saint Traft or new-school Dalkovan PackbeastsDalkovan Packbeasts) gain some added utility. This will also work if Noctis was in exile and just entered at the beginning of our declare attackers step.

Declare Blockers – Ninjutsu

Looking at the EDHREC page for Noctis, it's immediately apparent that ninjutsu is a great fit for this commander. Unlike Geist of Saint TraftGeist of Saint Traft or creatures with mobilize, ninjutsu has the added bonus of attaching equipment after blocks have been declared.

Ninjutsu is a little weird and has all sorts of interesting interactions, so check out this article to learn more! Also, stay tuned for an upcoming ability called sneak, which is very similar to ninjutsu and will debut in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Anytime – Instants That Create Tokens/Creatures With Flash

It's easy to miss at first glance, but Noctis actually works on defense too! This is where creatures with flash and instant-speed ways to create tokens – both largely absent in decks that that have been brewed so far – come in.

Many cards that can cause creatures to enter at instant speed already have great synergy with power-boosting Equipment (Drake HatcherDrake Hatcher), a very specific Equipmenta very specific Equipment (Thopter FoundryThopter Foundry), or Equipment in general (Kemba, Kha EnduringKemba, Kha Enduring).

Flash creatures are great, because they can be used on offense after blockers are declared or on defense as a hidden blocker that comes with a Equipment attached for free. Whitemane LionWhitemane Lion and Wydwen, the Biting GaleWydwen, the Biting Gale are reusable, leading to a lot of versatility and free equips at will.

Overall, we'll want to leave up extra mana to protect Noctis with its own ability, so flash threats make a lot of sense.

The Equipment

Just like with the Barret, Avalanche LeaderBarret, Avalanche Leader deck we brewed, low-mana value, high-equip cost Equipment are what this strategy is all about.

We're sticking to some old favorites, like Colossus HammerColossus Hammer and Blackblade ReforgedBlackblade Reforged and adding new, color-specific tools like The Key to the VaultThe Key to the Vault and Machinist's ArsenalMachinist's Arsenal that go particularly well with an unblockable commander.