Hi Mark! Would Factor Fiction be too silly/confusing of a name for black border/non-acorn Magic?

Only the only time we’ve done a homonym (the name sounds the same, but is spelled differently) on purpose was in Unhinged’s Mana Flair (which I think is Magic’s only haiku flavor text), so I’m skeptical we’d do it outside of an Un-set and probably even then only on an acorn card.

I take it you're also responsible for the card(s) with limerick flavor text?

Mana Flair is mine. Is there another?

So capitalization and (probably) punctuation are out for differentiating card names. What about homophones? Could you make a card named Encyst, or does the existence of Insist prevent that?

Unhinged had Mana Flair (in contrast with Mana Flare) so homonyms are allowable, although probably frowned upon in black border.

Can you think of a way to make a card where the design is a 5-7-5 haiku with proper Magic templating? I've come close, but can't quite get it to fit.

I wrote haiku flavor text for an Unhinged card - Mana Flair.

Does there exist a pair of cards whose English names are homophones?

Yes. Unhinged made a card called Mana Flair which was purposefully a homophone of the famous Magic Alpha card Manaflare.

If, somehow, a set came along where a card called 'Chained to the Rhox' would be a reasonable thing, would there being a card whose name sounds the same in English prevent it from being called that?

Unhinged had a card called Mana Flair and Alpha has a card called Manaflare. That’s silver border so I’m not sure if we’d do it in black border but we have done it before.