Over the years, a large number of Clone variants have been printed. Many of them improve upon the basic design in some way by giving the caster of the card more options. For instance, Altered Ego can enter with extra +1/+1 counters, while Clever Impersonator can copy any nonland permanent, not just a creature. Unfortunately, most of these cards see little Constructed play, as they just aren’t the most efficient plays available. The printing of Mockingbird, however, could easily change that narrative.
Mockingbird is an excellent card that offers a lot of flexibility. Obviously, you have to spend a lot of mana to copy enormous haymakers, which is certainly a downside. That being said, Mockingbird’s ability to come down early is a huge deal. We think Mockingbird is one of the better cards in Bloomburrow for Constructed play, so let’s look deeper at what the card offers for various archetypes.
Playing Mockingbird for Cheap
- Mana Value: XU
- Rarity: Rare
- Stats: 1/1
- Text: Flying. You may have Mockingbird enter as a copy of any creature on the battlefield with mana value less than or equal to the amount of mana spent to cast Mockingbird, except it’s a Bird in addition to its other types and it has flying.
What really separates Mockingbird from other Clones of MTG’s past is the fact that you can play Mockingbird as early as turn one. If you need a one-drop creature to fill out your curve, you can simply play Mockingbird as a 1/1 Flier. In most decks, this isn’t too impressive. In a deck like Pioneer Spirits, though, having this option is very nice.
Spirits decks that utilize the power of Curious Obsession give players the option of playing Mockingbird turn one if they have no other one-drop in hand. This ensures that they can follow up with Curious Obsession and start generating card advantage quickly.
In the case where the Spirits player already has a one-drop lined up, like Mausoleum Wanderer, they can now save Mockingbird to copy their more impactful Spirits, like Supreme Phantom or Skyclave Apparition. This versatility makes Mockingbird a lot stronger than it looks. If you’re playing a blue deck with a decent volume of cheap creatures to copy, Mockingbird is certainly worth consideration.
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Extra Versatility
- Mana Value: 2R
- Rarity: Rare
- Text: (As this Saga enters and after you draw step, add a lore counter). I: Create a 2/2 red Goblin Shaman creature token with “Whenever this creature attacks, create a Treasure token. II: You may discard up to two cards. If you do, draw that many cards. III: Exile this Saga, then return it to the battlefield transformed under your control.
Of course, as is the case with most Clone effects, Mockingbird can copy opposing creatures as well. This isn’t something that should be relied upon, but it makes Mockingbird that much stronger against creature decks.
For example, in Standard, being able to copy an opponent’s turn two Deep-Cavern Bat can provide you with some potent interaction you could be lacking. Black midrange decks don’t lose many tools from rotation and can now copy strong threats like Caustic Bronco or even Sheoldred, the Apocalypse. In Commander, there is no shortage of elite creatures to Clone, such as Dockside Extortionist. Your copy will then have Flying to boot!
The last thing worth mentioning about Mockingbird that can give it more utility is the fact that you can copy generic creature tokens for only one mana. This is a great option to have when facing down Fable of the Mirror-Breaker in Pioneer. Better yet, copying a huge Shark Typhoon token for one mana is awesome. If you can then kill or bounce the opponent’s token with your leftover mana, you’re in business.
All of these factors make Mockingbird pretty appealing. There’s a lot to like here, and we’re excited to see it in action in the coming weeks.
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