I am surprised that nobody posted this card yet. Clones can be a desirable type of card in cube thanks to their flexibility. Of course, the cost to effect ratio has to be right. Nobody is seriously playing classic Clone. There have been a few Clone variants though were the price is right or at least ok: Phyrexian Metamorph, Dack's Duplicate, maybe even Stunt Double and Clever Impersonator. While Spark Double doesn't reach the power of the top pick(s) from that list, it is still better than the bottom one.
The single U makes this card rather splashable and gives it an advantage over contenders like the Impersonator.
Like Metamorph and Impersonator, Spark Double can clone more than just creatures. Planeswalkers are common and many of the cubed ones can have a big impact on the game. So the added flexitility is greatly appreciated.
When cloning a creature, it will (not counting additional effects) be larger than the original. This means that if you clone an opposing creature, it will win direct combat with it, rather than just trading with it. Big plus.
When cloning a planeswalker, the additional loyalty counter not only makes it faster to reach the ultimate, it can also give more options for non-ultimate minus abilities. And generally improves the survivability of your planeswalker clone.
Unlike other Clones, you can clone your own legendary creatures and planeswalkers without drawback. Thus creating a second copy of a permanent that you were meant to have only one of. Especially for planeswalkers, this is a huge boon.
This adds up to Spark Double being quite an interesting, flexibly and powerful option for cube. Will the glut of even more powerful blue 4-drops keep it out of cubes? I would certainly at least test it.
Doesn’t clone opponents stuff, which is what I think a lot of people will say makes it uncubeable, but if you have one planeswalker out, you can clone it and some planeswalkers in multiples are absolutely broken, so I could see testing it out.
^ Copying planeswalkers is good, but cloning your own stuff is generally win-more. There’s a reason Mirror Image costs a whole mana less than Clone and still sees no Cube play.
But cloning your own creatures is asking to get wrath’d Usually whereas cloning a walker with an additional loyalty can be absolutely backbreaking from ahead.
How do you come back from 2 Ugins?
How do you come back from 2 memory adepts?
How do you come back from 2 Karn liberated?
2x Chandra is hard to get through, 2x dovin, what I’m saying is pretty much any planeswalkers x2 at the same time seems pretty hard to stop.
This is ignoring the extra loyalty, but I feel like writing this off as winmore is not correct, because cloning a walker in a control shell will win you the game, whereas cloning even a great creature can be wasting resources.
But is this actually better than running another good creature/planeswalker in those situations? Copying an Ugin is great and all, but I think and Ugin on the board and any other way to diversify your threats is better; hell it's probably just better to protect that threat with another counterspell even. And this is dead if you're threatless.
I think not being able to copy your opponent's stuff is a deal-breaker here, because this can't help you when you're losing to the best threat on the battlefield.
I like this card. Not enough to play it, but I think it's a fun card that is close to playable on power level.
I personally think clones that can copy your opponents things are very good in cube, but I try to limit their quantity for design purposes.
There's a great feel bad in executing a multiple card combo to get a blightsteel colossus or a terastadon in play early in the game, only to have it cloned for 2-3 mana and 1 card.
This card avoids that problem, but ultimately isn't quite powerful enough to compensate. That said, there are some decks I would probably play it with.
Sneak attack decks, any deck that plays creatures + true-name nemesis.
Looks like I fail at reading. I missed the words "you control". That makes the card A LOT worse and explains why it wasn't discussed yet. Oops.
I think it would have been one of the top clones if you could copy your opponent's stuff, too. Not being able to do so overshadows the upsides of the additional +1/+1 or loyalty counter and being able to double up on your planeswalker or legendary creature.
Now that I actually know that the card does, I will skip testing it after all. Stunt Double (which I currently run) is just better than that.
I am surprised that nobody posted this card yet. Clones can be a desirable type of card in cube thanks to their flexibility. Of course, the cost to effect ratio has to be right. Nobody is seriously playing classic Clone. There have been a few Clone variants though were the price is right or at least ok: Phyrexian Metamorph, Dack's Duplicate, maybe even Stunt Double and Clever Impersonator. While Spark Double doesn't reach the power of the top pick(s) from that list, it is still better than the bottom one.
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=484979
How do you come back from 2 Ugins?
How do you come back from 2 memory adepts?
How do you come back from 2 Karn liberated?
2x Chandra is hard to get through, 2x dovin, what I’m saying is pretty much any planeswalkers x2 at the same time seems pretty hard to stop.
This is ignoring the extra loyalty, but I feel like writing this off as winmore is not correct, because cloning a walker in a control shell will win you the game, whereas cloning even a great creature can be wasting resources.
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=484979
I think not being able to copy your opponent's stuff is a deal-breaker here, because this can't help you when you're losing to the best threat on the battlefield.
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I personally think clones that can copy your opponents things are very good in cube, but I try to limit their quantity for design purposes.
There's a great feel bad in executing a multiple card combo to get a blightsteel colossus or a terastadon in play early in the game, only to have it cloned for 2-3 mana and 1 card.
This card avoids that problem, but ultimately isn't quite powerful enough to compensate. That said, there are some decks I would probably play it with.
Sneak attack decks, any deck that plays creatures + true-name nemesis.
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I think it would have been one of the top clones if you could copy your opponent's stuff, too. Not being able to do so overshadows the upsides of the additional +1/+1 or loyalty counter and being able to double up on your planeswalker or legendary creature.
Now that I actually know that the card does, I will skip testing it after all. Stunt Double (which I currently run) is just better than that.
Uril, the Miststalker RGW -- Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre C -- Vhati il-Dal BG -- Jor Kadeen, the Prevailer RW -- Animar, Soul of Elements URG
Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker R -- Maga, Traitor to Mortals B -- Ghave, Guru of Spores BGW -- Sliver Hivelord WUBRG