Handy Dandy Clone Machine MTG Card
Key Takeaways
- Handy Dandy Clone Machine excels in creating multiple creature copies, enhancing board presence and strategy flexibility.
- Instant-speed operation allows for tactical surprise and resource management, augmenting in-game decision-making.
- Despite its strengths, the card’s discard requirement and specific mana cost may limit its use in some decks.
Text of card
, : Create a 2/2 colorless Homunculus creature token. It must be represented by a unique hand and two fingers at all times, or it ceases to exist.
Early testing failed because the clones were all thumbs.
Card Pros
Card Advantage: Handy Dandy Clone Machine is an impressively versatile card that can create multiple token copies of a creature you control. This not only builds up your board presence rapidly but can also trigger enter-the-battlefield effects multiple times, giving you the upper hand and the ability to outmaneuver your opponents.
Resource Acceleration: By copying your creatures that have mana abilities, the Handy Dandy Clone Machine facilitates resource acceleration. This can significantly boost your mana pool, helping you deploy your high-cost cards earlier in the game and maintain constant pressure on your opponent.
Instant Speed: One of the distinctive advantages of Handy Dandy Clone Machine is its capability to function at instant speed. This allows players to wait until the end of their opponent’s turn to create a clone, thereby keeping mana available for other responses and increasing the element of surprise, making it a tactical asset in many match situations.
Card Cons
Discard Requirement: Playing Handy Dandy Clone Machine requires you to exile a creature card from your graveyard as part of its activation cost. This stipulation could be a setback in decks that do not have an ample supply of creatures or rely heavily on graveyard synergy.
Specific Mana Cost: The activation cost of this card demands both colorless and blue mana, potentially restricting its seamless integration into multi-colored decks that might be starved for blue sources.
Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a required investment of four mana to activate its cloning ability, Handy Dandy Clone Machine competes with other four-mana plays that could deliver more immediate impact on the game board, particularly in fast-paced or mana-efficient deck strategies.
Reasons to Include in Your Collection
Versatility: The Handy Dandy Clone Machine is a card that can be seamlessly integrated into a plethora of deck builds, lending itself particularly well to those that thrive on generating multiple creature tokens or strategies that capitalize on clone effects. Its ability to produce a copy of any non-legendary creature provides a level of flexibility that is hard to surpass.
Combo Potential: This card can serve as a foundational piece for inventive combinations, enabling players to replicate key creatures that can turn the tide of a match. Its synergistic potential heightens in decks focused on enter-the-battlefield triggers or upon the duplication of potent creature effects, which can escalate the power on board significantly.
Meta-Relevance: Especially potent in a game setting where board presence is paramount, Handy Dandy Clone Machine can adapt to and enhance a variety of gameplans, fitting seamlessly into the current dynamic of MTG. By matching the pace of creature-heavy decks or bolstering lines of defense against aggressive strategies, this card resonates well with shifting metagame landscapes.
How to beat
The Handy Dandy Clone Machine presents a unique set of challenges on the battlefield. Its ability to create token copies of creatures means that opponents must strategize carefully to keep it in check. One effective tactic is employing removal spells that target artifacts, such as Disenchant or Abrade, to directly eliminate the clone machine before it generates a significant advantage. Cards with artifact destruction capabilities become essential in your deck when facing such an opponent.
An alternative approach entails adopting control strategies that stifle the machine’s activations. Counterspells such as Negate or Dovin’s Veto can prevent the machine from hitting the field in the first place, helping to maintain control over the game’s tempo. Furthermore, imposing effects from creatures like Phyrexian Revoker, which can forbid the activation of abilities of named cards, can render the Machine inert, stripping it of its cloning power. It’s crucial to remain one step ahead, as a single unchecked activation can tip the scales.
In sum, when battling against the Handy Dandy Clone Machine, prioritize prompt artifact removal or control elements to prevent your opponent from exploiting its cloning capabilities. An effective and timely response can make all the difference in maintaining dominion over the game.
Cards like Handy Dandy Clone Machine
Handy Dandy Clone Machine offers a unique concept among artifact cards on the battlefield in Magic: The Gathering. Drawing similarities to Mimic Vat, both cards enable players to replicate creatures, although Handy Dandy Clone Machine requires a creature to be tapped and does not rely on a creature’s death. In contrast, Mimic Vat imprints a nontoken creature that dies, churning out copy tokens for a cost, and comes with the condition of exiling the creature once the vat is no longer in play.
Another card to consider is the Minion Reflector. This clone-producing artifact also copies creatures but at the expense of additional mana and sacrificing the copies at the end of turn. While Handy Dandy Clone Machine’s creations persist, providing a continuous avenue for expendable tokens, the minions from Minion Reflector are ephemeral but can offer immediate impact.
Ultimately, the Handy Dandy Clone Machine stands out in its ability to consistently generate token copies without relying on a creature’s demise or paying extra mana per token. This makes it an intriguing choice for players looking to build a token-based strategy in their deck.
Cards similar to Handy Dandy Clone Machine by color, type and mana cost
Where to buy
If you're looking to purchase Handy Dandy Clone Machine MTG card by a specific set like Unstable and The List (Unfinity Foil Edition), there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.
For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.
Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.
Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Handy Dandy Clone Machine and other MTG cards:
- eBay
- TCG Player
- Card Kingdom
- Card Market
- Star City Games
- CoolStuffInc
- MTG Mint Card
- Hareruya
- Troll and Toad
- ABU Games
- Card Hoarder Magic Online
- MTGO Traders Magic Online
See MTG Products
Printings
The Handy Dandy Clone Machine Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2017-12-08 and 2022-10-07. Illustrated by Mike Burns.
| # | Released | Name | Code | Symbol | Number | Frame | Layout | Border | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017-12-08 | Unstable | UST | 149 | 2015 | Normal | Silver | Mike Burns | |
| 2 | 2022-10-07 | The List (Unfinity Foil Edition) | ULST | 57 | 2015 | Normal | Silver | Mike Burns |
Rules and information
The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Handy Dandy Clone Machine card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.
| Date | Text |
|---|---|
| 2018-01-19 | Any one human hand can represent only one Homunculus token. If you have two hands, you’ll be limited to two such tokens, unless you use other people’s hands, but… |
| 2018-01-19 | …those people need to agree to do this. You can get other living people to use their still-very-much-attached hands. Your opponent can agree to help you out, but they’re not required to. |
