Continuing the Replica cycle. I thought about using Neurok Invisimancer or a re-tooled Lumengrid Augur, but when I thought of Vedalken Mastermind, and how much it would tick off Atticus, I couldn't really help myself.

Is this too close to Neurok Replica? The size is very different, which is good, and this casts Rescue rather than Unsummon, but I wonder if it'd still be too confusingly similar.

I was wondering about that. I think if you played with the two cards, they would feel very different... but I don't know if that matters. Even in real Magic, there's a good chance that people wouldn't play with both of those cards regularly... just compare how similar they look.

Two other alternatives are Neurok Familiar (sac for what would normally be a come into play ability) and Advanced Hoverguard (sac for shroud). The familiar is a bit too 'linear artifacts' for my tastes in this set, though. Shroud is shroud. I have no real opinions either way on that.

Granting shroud from an on-board sac effect may in turn play a little bit too close to the original blue replica Wizard Replica ;) But I do like the way that a "Hoverguard Replica" would "guard" a target creature by granting it shroud.

On the other hand, I don't like Neurok Familiar-Replica; you have the freedom to activate it whenever you want (as opposed to it being a bonus when you play the card on-curve) - but you don't know when you should!

Good points, all. Switched a few casting costs to homage the drone correctly. 2/2 flying for 4 isn't exciting, but it passes the 'would you play with it in limited' test for me. I had to dump the flavor text, but I only found it amusing, not important. Besides, this is a common, and that wasn't the best way to introduce Atticus to new players.

Why the fiddly wording rather than just "gains shroud"/"gains hexproof"?

I don't want anything granting 'shroud'. It's about as relevant a keyword as Islandhome right now. Hoverguard never granted Hexproof, so it seems innapropriate... though I'd be more open to that idea.

Some of that fiddly wording, however, was me just writing the ability the wrong way. Corrected that.

UEOT, target creature gains hexproof, and all players are its opponents.

I think it's pretty clear that hexproof is precisely the modern design equivalent of shroud, in the same way that deathtouch is the modern design equivalent of the Thicket Basilisk ability and infect is the modern design equivalent of the Swamp Mosquito ability. All of them work moderately differently to the old version, but close enough that it's not worth having something close to the keyword but not exactly it.

So I think it'd be absolutely fair for a modern throwback to Mirrodin to include a reference to Advanced Hoverguard that granted hexproof, in the same way that, say, Ulvenwald Tracker (a throwback to Tracker) uses "fight" even though that's technically different to what Tracker does, or in the same way that Gaze of Justice exiles even though Hand of Justice destroyed. The only reason I can see not to refer to hexproof is if you dislike hexproof and are trying to avoid using it in your set.

Fair enough. I don't know if I buy the argument completely, but I'm guessing that most Magic players would agree with you, and not me, so why not make those people happy?

The only other alternative was to keep spelled-out-shroud, but have it be able to target your opponents stuff as well. I figured that was too tricksy, though, for a common that most people will barely read.