How would you handle people who can separate, like the witches or Lyra after the trip to the land of the dead?

(I'm reading the sequel trilogy, and separating also seems more common, if still reviled, in the wider world)

Funnily enough, Marisa can separate, iirc... 🤔

But the mechanic here is meant to represent that they can't be alive without each other, not that they can't apart. Of course, with the way I think it would have to work, the two would need to be declared as attackers simultaneously, so the flavor isn't perfect.

They probably need a daemon mechanic to set the rules of having them both in play, which would wrap in the "if one half changes zones, the whole card does" and could possibly have the attacking restriction too

You could totally have a fuse-like frame that has appropriate reminder text.

Having two toughnesses is worse, having two powers is good.

The monkey is not a Monkey. The monkey could afford a color indicator. Is it intentionally colorless.

Mechanically there is not much interesting about the card. Th first strike and the evasion ability obviously work with each other, but are far less interesting on a card where you have the option to just block the 1/1 instead (assuming they have to be declared as attackers together).

I think it would be more interesting if the Hman side had an afflict-like ability (rather than the activated ability, maybe?):

• "Whenever a creature blocks ~, its controller sacrifices two permanents."

That wold create an interesting choice for blocking decision.

Yeah, I didn't really make this particular card with much inspiration beyond using the split frame. And it's not like I wrote this out, but the idea is that:

• The toughness is shared, as is the mana cost, which leads to...
• There would probably be a unique frame treatment, like Fuse
• If one becomes tapped, they both do
• They must be blocked separately
• They change zones together

And no, SI. The Golden Monkey isn't a monkey. Yes, it is intentionally colorless.

See:

Lyra Silvertongue

 

 M 

Legendary Creature – Human

, : Scry 2, then draw a card.
, : Exile the top card of target opponent's library. You may play that card for as long as it remains exiled.

1/1

Pan, Voice of Reason

 

 M 

Legendary Creature – Spirit

Whenever Pan, Voice of Reason becomes tapped, you may tap or untap target noncreature permanent.

⚔1

Lyra Belacqua

 

 R 

Legendary Creature – Human

Haste
Lyra Belacqua can't be blocked if another attacking creature is unblocked.
Whenever Lyra Belacqua attacks, draw a card, then discard a card, then draw a card.

1/1

Pantalaimon, Unsettled

 

 R 

Legendary Creature – Spirit

Changeling (This card is every creature type.)
Pantalaimon, Unsettled can't be blocked except by Spirits.

⚔1

I actually think these would better suited to an adventure frame variant, with the Daemon on the lower right.

The shared toughness is an interesting further development of the mechanic, though with only rares/mythics that always have a 1/1 half the concept is barely explored.

You run into some color pie issues e. g. Lyra Silvertongue // Pan, Voice of Reason's right half uses the green/white mechanical space while the whole thing is cast for blue/red mana. Being hybrid the right half should respect that the whole card can be played for red.

Maybe a cost of with a blue/red half and a green/white half?

I wonder how these interact with convoke, vigilance, haste, Barter in Blood, About Face etc.

I experimented a bit with this:

Martyred Corpse

 

 C 

Creature – Zombie

(Both halves leave battlefield together.)
Lifelink (Damage dealt by this creature also causes you to gain that much life.)

⚔ 2

Wicked Soul

 

 C 

Creature – Spirit

⛨ 2 (Both halves share toughness.)
Flying (This creature can't be blocked except by creatures with flying or reach.)

⚔ 1

Eye of the Watcher

 

 U 

Creature – Eye

(Both halves leave battlefield together.)
Flying
Whenever Eye of the Watcher deals combat damage to a player, surveil 1.

⚔ 1

Limb of the Watcher

 

 U 

Creature – Tentacle

⛨ 3 (Both halves share toughness.)
Menace
Whenever Limb of the Watcher deals combat damage to a player, create a tapped Treasure token.

⚔ 2

Hunter Head

 

 U 

Creature – Hydra Head

(Both halves leave battlefield together.)
Hunter Head must be blocked if able.

⚔ 3

Hunter Head

 

 U 

Creature – Hydra Head

⛨ 6 (Both halves share toughness.)
Hunter Head must be blocked if able.

⚔ 3

The design space seems limited.

Lyra Silvertongue/Pan VoR could be mono-U but you're right about the causing an issue for sure.

The design space is limited, you're right; I think it would have to be limted to a few legendaries (for important characters as above).

IMO, it's two creatures but it's a single permanent, so you can only tap or sacrifice it once as part of a cost.