Clone

Clone was originally printed as a blue rare card in the 1993 Limited Edition Alpha and Beta sets, marking it as one of the original spells in the Magic: The Gathering trading card game. It was re-released in the Revised Edition in 1994, which served as the first core set update intended to satisfy the rapidly growing demand for the game and introduce new players to its foundational mechanics. This set transitioned the card to a white-bordered appearance, distinct from the black-bordered cards of earlier printings.

The card was designed by Richard Garfield, the creator of the game, and originally featured iconic artwork by Quinton Hoover. Hoover’s style, known for its fluid, dreamlike, and often whimsical aesthetic, defined the visual identity of many early Magic cards. The artwork for Clone sought to depict the act of mimicry in a fantasy context, and the card's effect—allowing a player to enter the battlefield as a copy of another creature—became a staple of blue strategy, favored by players who valued flexibility and the ability to turn an opponent's resources against them.