In the Mirrodin set, the Gilded Lotus imitates the Black Lotus's ability by producing the same amount of mana without being sacrificed, but at a higher cost to play, which is considered an acceptable level of power by today's standards
Of course this card draws a lot of attention from your opponents, it's one of the most terrifying things that you can play early in the game, and for only 2 mana, it doesn't even set you back at all if they burn a spell to try and kill it
Like Caesar of the Roman Empire, this guy will build your board, but at a cost
No symbols or rules text of the permanent it melds into are considered
This can work much the same
What Happens When a Meld Creature Dies