Litany (This card has multiple names. Each word in its name area is a separate name.)
Just as a preface, I do realize this would only work in constructed.
Mellunite ElfG
Creature — Elf Soldier (C)
Litany GG: Mellunite Elf gains indestructible until end of turn.
1/1
Mellunite Commander1GG
Creature — Elf Soldier (U)
Litany
Other Elf creatures you control gets +1/+1.
Other creatures you control with the same name as Mellunite Commander get +1/+1.
2/3
Mellunite Sunsinger1G
Creature — Elf Shaman (R)
Litany RGW: Mellunite Sunsinger and each other creature with the same name as it get +3/+3 until end of turn.
2/2
Blessings of MellunnG
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+0 and has trample. It gains the name “Mellunite.”
Gone and Forgotten2B
Sorcery (U)
Target creature gets -2/-2 and loses all names and creature types until end of turn.
InternmentWB
Enchantment (R)
When Internment enters the battlefield, choose a name.
Creatures with the chosen name can’t attack or block.
At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, that player sacrifices a creature with the chosen name.
Other than Internment, which becomes significantly over powered, how does this benefit from not simply being creature types? Its possible you'll have fringe cases where your cards are helping other cards that aren't obvious but with the main point of them all benefiting Mellunite cards what is the reason for using a convoluted ability rather than simply reusing creature types?
Also, why would this only work in constructed? Unless you mean to invoke the 4 of rule for any cards named Mellunite in which case I can't imagine a good use of this mechanic at all.
You're quite correct, this looks a lot like creature types. My thinking is that:
a) Any mechanic that 'tags' permanent objects with an open set of strings and does simple if/then operations on the strings is going to look a lot like subtypes because that's what subtypes do.
b) Subtypes can accomplish this at a cost: There's already a big, problematic set of cards (changelings) that have all creature subtypes.
c) I didn't use this effect here, but unlike subtypes, names can operate regardless of permanent types.
d) Subtypes have a clear connotation of, 'This is an example of (type)' whereas names don't necessarily have to have that connotation, or they can have much more specific connotations (like Mellunite above, an inappropriate creature type but acceptable name.)
I figure this only works in Constructed unless you really push hard for Limited themes because you need a certain (high) saturation of cards for name mechanics to work in a visible way.
That makes some sense. Why couldn't you just use a keyword for this instead? (Where the keyword would just be a tag, it would not have any inherent benefit.)
This is probably too fiddly and full of memory or counting baggage to be a major theme, but with more open-ended, mix-and-match parts to it, you could definitely have a compelling midsize theme, or a theme for a small set.
You're quite correct, this looks a lot like creature types. My thinking is that:
a) Any mechanic that 'tags' permanent objects with an open set of strings and does simple if/then operations on the strings is going to look a lot like subtypes because that's what subtypes do.
b) Subtypes can accomplish this at a cost: There's already a big, problematic set of cards (changelings) that have all creature subtypes.
c) I didn't use this effect here, but unlike subtypes, names can operate regardless of permanent types.
d) Subtypes have a clear connotation of, 'This is an example of (type)' whereas names don't necessarily have to have that connotation, or they can have much more specific connotations (like Mellunite above, an inappropriate creature type but acceptable name.)
I figure this only works in Constructed unless you really push hard for Limited themes because you need a certain (high) saturation of cards for name mechanics to work in a visible way.
If you don't want it to be creature types, then find a reason so it has to be something else. The easiest way is to make noncreatures with this and make sure they matter. Every card you showed would work better if they were rebels and affected other rebels(you can replace rebels with your chose of 'class' creature type). Changelings aren't a reason to forgo new tribal interaction, unless you are making a new tribe that is inherently broken. You can do what Astrolabe said and put a semi-meaningless marker on your cards via a keyword like Devoid and then reference it whenever you want, like on Corrupted Crossroads.
For the whole constructed vs limited, your idea is almost exactly tribal. It isn't hard to push tribal up to the numbers needed to be relevant in limited, look at Tarkir. There was a Semi-meaningful warrior tribal element to limited without saturating the set with warriors and that was without it even being a theme or mechanic of the set.
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Just as a preface, I do realize this would only work in constructed.
Mellunite Elf G
Creature — Elf Soldier (C)
Litany
GG: Mellunite Elf gains indestructible until end of turn.
1/1
Mellunite Commander 1GG
Creature — Elf Soldier (U)
Litany
Other Elf creatures you control gets +1/+1.
Other creatures you control with the same name as Mellunite Commander get +1/+1.
2/3
Mellunite Sunsinger 1G
Creature — Elf Shaman (R)
Litany
RGW: Mellunite Sunsinger and each other creature with the same name as it get +3/+3 until end of turn.
2/2
Blessings of Mellunn G
Enchantment — Aura (C)
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+0 and has trample. It gains the name “Mellunite.”
Gone and Forgotten 2B
Sorcery (U)
Target creature gets -2/-2 and loses all names and creature types until end of turn.
Internment WB
Enchantment (R)
When Internment enters the battlefield, choose a name.
Creatures with the chosen name can’t attack or block.
At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, that player sacrifices a creature with the chosen name.
Also, why would this only work in constructed? Unless you mean to invoke the 4 of rule for any cards named Mellunite in which case I can't imagine a good use of this mechanic at all.
a) Any mechanic that 'tags' permanent objects with an open set of strings and does simple if/then operations on the strings is going to look a lot like subtypes because that's what subtypes do.
b) Subtypes can accomplish this at a cost: There's already a big, problematic set of cards (changelings) that have all creature subtypes.
c) I didn't use this effect here, but unlike subtypes, names can operate regardless of permanent types.
d) Subtypes have a clear connotation of, 'This is an example of (type)' whereas names don't necessarily have to have that connotation, or they can have much more specific connotations (like Mellunite above, an inappropriate creature type but acceptable name.)
I figure this only works in Constructed unless you really push hard for Limited themes because you need a certain (high) saturation of cards for name mechanics to work in a visible way.
I̟̥͍̠ͅn̩͉̣͍̬͚ͅ ̬̬͖t̯̹̞̺͖͓̯̤h̘͍̬e͙̯͈̖̼̮ ̭̬f̺̲̲̪i͙͉̟̩̰r̪̝͚͈̝̥͍̝̲s̼̻͇̘̳͔ͅt̲̺̳̗̜̪̙ ̳̺̥̻͚̗ͅm̜̜̟̰͈͓͎͇o̝̖̮̝͇m̯̻̞̼̫̗͓̤e̩̯̬̮̩n͎̱̪̲̹͖t͇̖s̰̮ͅ,̤̲͙̻̭̻̯̹̰ ̖t̫̙̺̯͖͚̯ͅh͙̯̦̳̗̰̟e͖̪͉̼̯ ̪͕g̞̣͔a̗̦t̬̬͓͙̫̖̭̻e̩̻̯ ̜̖̦̖̤̭͙̬t̞̹̥̪͎͉ͅo͕͚͍͇̲͇͓̺ ̭̬͙͈̣̻t͈͍͙͓̫̖͙̩h̪̬̖̙e̗͈ ̗̬̟̞̺̤͉̯ͅa̦̯͚̙̜̮f͉͙̲̣̞̼t̪̤̞̣͚e̲͉̳̥r͇̪̙͚͓l̥̞̞͎̹̯̹ͅi͓̬f̮̥̬̞͈ͅe͎ ̟̩̤̳̠̯̩̯o̮̘̲p̟͚̣̞͉͓e͍̩̣n͔̼͕͚̜e̬̱d̼̘͎̖̹͍̮̠,͖̺̭̱̮ ̣̲͖̬̪̭̥a̪͚n̟̲̝̤̤̞̗d̘̱̗͇̮͕̳͕͔ ͖̞͉͎t̹̙͎h̰̱͉̗e̪̞̱̝̹̩ͅ ̠̱̩̭̦p̯̙e͓o̳͚̰̯̺̱̰͔̘p̬͎̱̣̼̩͇l̗̟̖͚̠e̱͉͔̱̦̬̟̙ ̖͚̪͔̼̦w̺̖̤̱e͖̗̻̦͓̖̘̜r̭̥e͔̹̫̱͕̦̰͕ ̗͔̠p̠̗͍͍̱̳̠r̰͔͎̰o͉̥͓̰͚̥s̟͚̹̱͔̣t͉̙̳̖͖̪̮r̥̘̥͙̹a͉̟̫̟̳̠̟̭t͈̜̰͈͎e̞̣̭̲̬ ͚̗̯̟͙i͍͖̰̘̦͖͉ṇ̮̻̯̦̲̩͍ ̦̮͚̫̤t͉͖̫͕ͅͅh͙̮̻̘̣̮̼e͕̺ ͙l͕̠͎̰̥i̲͓͉̲g̫̳̟͈͇̖h̠̦̖t͓̯͎̗ ̳̪̘̟̙̩̦o̫̲f̙͔̰̙̠ ̹̪̗͇̯t͖̼̼͉͖̬h̹͇̩e͚̖̺̤͉̹͕̪ ͚͓̭̝̺G͎̗̯̩o̫̯̮̟̮̳̘d̜̲͙̠-̩̳̯̲̗̜P̹̘̥͉̝h͍͈̗̖̝ͅa͍̗̮̼̗r̜̖͇̙̺a̭̺͔̞̳͈o̪̣͓̯̬͙̯̰̗h̖̦͈̥̯͔.͇̣̙̝
For the whole constructed vs limited, your idea is almost exactly tribal. It isn't hard to push tribal up to the numbers needed to be relevant in limited, look at Tarkir. There was a Semi-meaningful warrior tribal element to limited without saturating the set with warriors and that was without it even being a theme or mechanic of the set.