If Clone Techniques were divided into tiers and realms, then the ordinary Clone Technique that even Ninja Academy students could learn was clearly the lowest tier.
It merely released a bit of Chakra and used a technique similar to the Transformation Jutsu to shape it into one's own appearance.
Because it had no physical substance, it could not even use Taijutsu. It did not possess genuine intelligence either, and could only carry out simple actions according to the "commands" imbued in that wisp of Chakra at its creation.
A level higher were Water Clones, Rock Clones—and Gaara's so-called Sand Clone, which was really just a type of Earth Release clone similar to a Rock Clone.
Most Clone Techniques of this type used moisture in the air, water from rivers, actual earth, mountains, and rocks as their medium. They therefore had physical substance, could employ Taijutsu, and could mislead enemies.
After the Wave Country mission, Wu Yu had obtained the Zabuza Scroll from Right Mysterious Zabuza and learned jutsu such as the Hiding in Mist Technique and Water Clone, so he understood the intricacies involved. The advantage of Water Clones was their low cost and flexibility. Their flaw was that the farther they were from the original body, the worse their stability became; if they got too far away, they could not even maintain their form and would simply turn into a puddle of clear water.
Rock Clones, Sand Clones—and Fire Clones, Crow Clones, and the like, which Wu Yu had once asked Right Mysterious Itachi about—were actually jutsu on the same level as Water Clones. The strengths and weaknesses of this category of Clone Techniques were largely similar as well.
At most, Rock Clones might hurt more when they hit someone because their medium was stone; meanwhile, as a Yin