Breeding with clones.

[Johndeaux22]

There seems to be a ton of information available on flasking, as well as a fair amount on the mechanics of making the crosses. I don’t need any information on those subjects.

I’ve managed to amass a decent size collection of Cattleya type hybrids, and would like to make an attempt at breeding some of them. Some are mericlone plants, others are divisions from the original “mother” plants. I know that the common wisdom/best practice for producing mericlones is to only clone from the original plant, as the potential for significant mutations increases after every generation removed from the original propagative material. Is this as much of a concern with regards to sexual reproduction of the plants? Can I expect as reasonable a predictable outcome as possible, as if I were using original divisions? Should I strive to acquire original divisions if I become more serious in this endeavor?