Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh | Art by Chris Seaman

At first glance, cEDH's most powerful commander is also its most unassuming.

No mana production, no built-in combo, no card advantage, no outlet — just a 0/1 Kobold with some keywords for . So, what makes Rograkh, Son of RohgahhRograkh, Son of Rohgahh cEDH's most broken commander? Let's take a look.

What Does Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh Do?

For a whopping zero mana, Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh is a 0/1 legendary Kobold Warrior creature with first strike, menace, trample, and partner. Additionally, it has the red color indicator, making it a red card despite not costing any red mana.

Breaking this down into the two primary ways that Rograkh matters, first up is color identity. As a partner commander, Rograkh can slot in neatly alongside many of cEDH's other top-tier legendaries, adding red to any partner-deck's color identity. That means adding arguably the format's most efficient win condition (Underworld BreachUnderworld Breach), plus a whole slew of generally useful cards like GambleGamble, Deflecting SwatDeflecting Swat, and Jeska's WillJeska's Will. So, to sum it all up, Rograkh matters first and foremost because it means that any deck running it has access to many of cEDH's best cards.

Secondly, Rograkh is also a guaranteed legendary creature on turn one, every game, for no mana. That is an absolutely huge resource advantage, as plenty of potent cEDH playables either benefit from controlling creatures — e.g. Gaea's CradleGaea's Cradle — or make use of them as part of a cost, e.g. Infernal PlungeInfernal Plunge.

Wrapping these two things together, Rograkh matters precisely because it does so little as an individual card that it can afford to be as cheap as possible. If Rograkh did literally anything — drew cards, made mana, etc. — it would cost mana, and then it wouldn't be, well, Rograkh.

Key Cards for Rograkh, Son of RohgahhRograkh, Son of Rohgahh

So, if Rograkh's primary strategy is to make good cards better, then what kinds of cards can you expect to see slotted alongside it? Let's dig in a bit deeper to see the Rograkh toolbox.

Mana

Even sticking just to the cards within Rograkh's color identity, the power this zero-mana commander brings with it is nonetheless felt immediately through the absurd mana synergies Rograkh enables. Mox AmberMox Amber is Mox RubyMox Ruby, Infernal PlungeInfernal Plunge is effectively a red Dark RitualDark Ritual (albeit at sorcery speed), and Springleaf DrumSpringleaf Drum is a one-mana Arcane SignetArcane Signet. Each of these cards already warrants play in pretty much any and every red cEDH deck — Rograkh makes them tier-zero staples.

Interaction

Still sticking to just red, Rograkh also boosts red's premier interaction suite through the roof. Deflecting Swat never costs , and neither will you have to pay for Flare of DuplicationFlare of Duplication. It may not seem like much at first, but free interaction is what keeps a dead player alive and what makes a live player push through to a win, so don't discount it.

Key Partners for Rograkh, Son of RohgahhRograkh, Son of Rohgahh

Finally, it's time to take the word "partner" for all it's worth in cEDH — these are the three primary partners that you'll see paired up with Rograkh these days.

Ishai, Ojutai DragonspeakerIshai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker

First up, the relative newcomer on the block — Ishai, Ojutai DragonspeakerIshai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker. Like Rograkh, Ishai is primarily played as a way to add to a deck's color identity — in this case, adding white and blue — since paying for a 1/1 flier that grows over time isn't exactly cEDH worthy on its own.

However, when paired with Rograkh, you get a Jeskai toolbox deck that runs the best cards in the deck's colors, a force that has come to dominate the Rhystic StudyRhystic Study-centric meta cEDH currently finds itself in. How? Well, by maximizing interaction thanks to blue cards that synergize with Rograkh e.g. Fierce GuardianshipFierce Guardianship and Louisoix's SacrificeLouisoix's Sacrifice), this deck can play a long game unlike any other.

Thrasios, Triton HeroThrasios, Triton Hero

Next up, a deck that might as well be known by the name "Gaea's CradleGaea's Cradle," it's the partner pair of Rograkh, Son of Rohgahh and Thrasios, Triton Hero. Of the three key partners, Thrasios here is the one that is played not just for the color identity (although green and blue are undoubtedly fantastic), but also because it is a pretty busted card in its own right.

For , you get a 1/3 legendary Merfolk Wizard creature with partner and ": Scry 1, then reveal the top card of your library. If it's a land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped. Otherwise, draw a card." Folks, that's an easy infinite mana outlet if ever I saw one — plus, if you've got enough mana, a real source of card advantage.

Rograkh enters the mix both because of its classic red good-stuff package (Underworld BreachUnderworld Breach, Jeska's WillJeska's Will, etc.), as well as the fact that it means you will always have a creature for Gaea's CradleGaea's Cradle — guaranteeing that, even in the worst of cases, cEDH's most broken land will still tap for mana.

That's a huge boon to a deck with the real liability of starting turn one staring down a hand with just Cradle and no other lands.

Silas Renn, Seeker AdeptSilas Renn, Seeker Adept

Last but not least, the most Rograkh deck out there — it's RogSi, the fastest Turbo build in cEDH.

Silas Renn, like Ishai, Ojutai DragonspeakerIshai, Ojutai Dragonspeaker discussed earlier, is not a card you play because it is good. In fact, as far as RogSi is concerned, if you're casting Silas then you've probably lost the game already. No, Silas Renn is a card you play because it adds to your color identity — and no two colors benefit more from a zero-mana creature than black and blue.

As far as blue is concerned, we've already covered the premier interaction suite that comes with it. Black, on the other hand, gains access to even more rituals and tutors: Culling the WeakCulling the Weak and Diabolic IntentDiabolic Intent being chief among them. So, by guaranteeing that you always have access to the creature you need in order to pay the sacrifice cost for these spells (thanks, Rograkh), you have yourself a deck that's primed to push for wins as early as turn one — and that's pretty consistently, too.

Wrap Up

When evaluated in a vacuum, Rograkh, Son of RohgahhRograkh, Son of Rohgahh is a card that does nothing. When put into a hyper resource intensive competitive environment, however, doing nothing turns out to be pretty broken — if you've got the mana value to show for it. So, for all the folks out there looking to get into cEDH, remember this: Rograkh is a scary commander. Assume more mana — and more interaction — than you would otherwise think.