Question 1

What exactly is a 'clone' in TFT?

Accepted Answer

A clone is a specific type of pet: a copy of a champion that is already on your board.

An ability, an item, an augment, or a Wisp can spawn one. The wiki says:

A clone is "a specific type of pet that is a copy of a champion, copying their star-level upon creation".
"Depending on the source, it may also copy their items".

Clones are a sub-category of summons with one extra requirement. The unit being copied has to exist first. So a clone can never hand you a champion you do not already own.

Current clone sources come in two shapes:

A copy that appears during a fight and is gone when the round ends.
A copy handed to you between rounds. It joins your roster as a real champion you place and equip yourself.

Question 2

Does a clone inherit the source unit's items?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the source. The source's own tooltip is the rule.

The wiki says a clone copies the champion's star level on creation. It adds that "depending on the source, it may also copy their items". Inheritance is never automatic, so read what the effect actually promises.

The current sources:

The death-triggered augment copy names only a star level and a share of Health.
The Wisp copy names only a share of the original's damage.

Neither advertises items.

A between-rounds copy that lands on your board is a different case again. It arrives as an ordinary champion, so it carries whatever you put on it.

Note: Where items are inherited, they arrive in their current state. A one-shot item effect that already fired in that fight will not fire again on the copy.

Question 3

Does a clone count toward trait piece counts?

Accepted Answer

No for a copy that appears during combat, yes for a copy handed to you between rounds.

The combat case is the most-reversed-by-intuition rule. Trait bonuses are worked out from the champions you field before the round starts. Each champion carries an origin and a class. Satisfying the count is what grants the bonus. Anything that spawns after the fight is already running cannot move a counter that was settled in the planning phase.

The copy still benefits from every trait bonus already active on your team. It just does not push you to the next breakpoint. Cloning a fourth piece of a trait mid-fight does not make it five.

A copy handed to you between rounds is the opposite case:

It is a real champion added to your board.
It takes a slot.
It counts for its origin and class exactly like the unit it was copied from.

Question 4

What stats does the clone actually inherit?

Accepted Answer

The copy starts from the original. It then takes whatever discount its source names.

The wiki's baseline is that a clone copies the champion's star level at the moment it is created. Every source then writes its own trade-off on top:

The death-triggered augment copy spawns one star level lower and at 60% Health.
The Wisp copy of your highest-damage champion deals 20% of that champion's damage.

The shape is consistent across sources. It is a cut to Health, damage, or star level. Otherwise the copy is stat-equivalent to the unit it copied.

A between-rounds board copy carries no discount at all. It is simply another instance of that champion.

Question 5

Can the clone cast its own abilities?

Accepted Answer

Yes, when the source spawns a full copy of the champion rather than a stripped-down pet.

A copy that duplicates the champion at a star level brings that champion's ability with it. It builds its own Mana bar from its own attacks and from damage taken. It casts on its own schedule. It does not share a Mana bar with the unit it copied.

Sources that hand you a between-rounds board copy are the clearest case. The copy is a normal champion in every respect.

Note: Sources that spawn a reduced combat copy are the ones to read carefully. A copy created with a fraction of the original's damage casts the same ability. But every number in it is scaled down by that fraction.

Question 6

If the source unit dies, does the clone die too?

Accepted Answer

No. Clones are independent units once spawned.

A clone has its own Health pool. It takes damage on its own. It dies on its own when that pool runs out. The source dying does not despawn the clone, and the clone dying does not kill the source.

The clearest illustration in the current set is the augment that spawns a copy only after a champion dies in combat. The copy exists precisely because the original is already gone, so it plainly cannot be tethered to it.

Note: The reverse also holds. An on-death trigger on the original does not fire when the copy dies. The trigger is bound to that unit's death, not the copy's.

Question 7

How long does a clone last on the board?

Accepted Answer

It depends on which of the two shapes you got.

A combat copy is a combat-only unit:

It lives until it is killed or the round ends.
It is not carried into the next round. The effect has to fire again to produce another one.
The augment copy is re-created each combat, on each death that triggers it.
The Wisp copy lasts for the rounds the Wisp itself covers.

A between-rounds board copy is the opposite. It is a permanent champion on your roster. It persists across rounds like any unit you bought. You can sell, position, star up, and equip it.

Question 8

How is a clone different from a regular summon?

Accepted Answer

A clone is a sub-category of summon, with one extra constraint: it has to copy a unit you already have.

The two differ in what they spawn:

A regular summon spawns a fresh entity, such as a plant, a beast, or a spirit. It has its own kit and its own stats, tied to no champion on your board.
A clone spawns a duplicate of a unit you already placed. It has the same kit, and it inherits the star level and sometimes items.

What they share:

Both are pets.
Both benefit from active traits.
Neither combat-spawned form counts toward trait piece counts.

The wiki tip is explicit about the relationship. A clone is "a specific type of pet that is a copy of a champion". If the spawn is not tied to copying a unit you already own, it is a summon but not a clone.

Clone

Champions that grant Clones (1)

Wisps that grant Clones (1)

What enables Clone (1)

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Description

Champions that grant Clones (1) #

Wisps that grant Clones (1) #

What enables Clone (1)

Frequently asked questions

Champions that grant Clones (1)

Wisps that grant Clones (1)