If you're planning on playing with proxies, technically that should give you the budget wiggle room to play multiple decks. I recently acquired some proxies for pricier cards that I own a single copy of but play in multiple decks, along with other cards I wanted to try out. I paid about $26 USD before shipping for those 108 printed proxies. If you're just printing stuff at home, then try out whatever new deck seems interesting.

If you're super set on mono blue being your one and only deck, I'm going to stand by my original suggestion of running something like Braids, Conjurer Adept or Jalira, Master Polymorphist, which will offer you some variety in your games. I agree with Bookrook that your departure from MtG or purchasing it, will be more enjoyable if you have multiple (budget/proxied) decks to choose from.

Glad to chat about the suggestions and get a better understanding of your deck building goals. I wouldn't consider it sparring, as I don't see myself in any kind of opposition to you lol.

Your approach to this deck as combat support is interesting and unique. The Isshin decks that are most adjacent to this tend to run Goad and some of the symmetrical combat benefits you currently do, and maybe a few other control pieces like Caltrops or Lightmine Field. I think one of the inherent obstacles for playing "support" or Group Hug-adjacent strategies is that the rest of the table might be suspicious and expect you to pivot to benefiting the most at some point.

That last bit about "support" suspicions comes from my own experiences, and how my main play group tends to treat those types of strats when we play against them. The play pattern tends to be that everyone else races to benefit most, then turns off the symmetrical benefit to the rest of the table. Do you tend to play with a consistent group of friends or LGSs with randos? I think the consistency of your play group can be another big factor to how much you can politic and have your support be accepted. Offer the carrot first, then beat them with the stick if they don't want to eat.

I won't go through your card feedback line by line, but they all make sense as to why you do or don't like them. Slicer and the other Transformers are cards that I want to like more, but aesthetically also get bugged by. Hoping for some kind of Universes Within reprints at some point.

• Xantcha, I get it, but she can also be gifted to whoever is the current table Arch Enemy. She can be a means for everyone else to take that player down a few notches while evening out the game a bit. How you use her doesn't have to villainous in that sense. "See everyone, I'm giving you all card draw and a means of hitting the actual table villain".

• Emberwilde Captain is one of those pieces that I initially had in my Isshin deck, but quickly cut it. It deterred attacks for a bit. In the end, I think I wanted something more proactive in that slot.

• Since you're already running Karazikar and Breena, I'd recommend giving Nelly Borca, Impulsive Accuser a look to round out that suite of "support". I run her as a commander, and she's a lot of fun in the command zone, often the first deck I'll play each session to get the juices flowing. Donated card draw tends to be a popular incentive in my more aggro-leaning play group. Possible swap with Sophina, since Clues can get mana intensive to draw from?

• I'd recommend checking out Kambal, Profiteering Mayor, also to kind fit in the flavor you're going for as a "broker"/"mafioso". He is an awesome way to passively benefit from whatever token shenanigans are happening around the table.

• Totally understandable with Hellrider and Hordechief. I wouldn't include them unless you pivot to having more token generation as your "Plan B" in case the combat support isn't working out.

• In line with the Hellrider and Hordechief lines of reasoning for current exclusion, I'd think that all your Battalion creatures might be worth a reexamination if you aren't really planning on going wide with your current build.

• Although Boros Battleshaper is likely on its way out, have you seen Master Warcraft? It's not a creature with a repeatable effect, but kinda has a similar effect for what you were going for.

• Last recommendation I can think of is Batwing Brume. This is an old favorite of mine, and can be a fun interaction piece to hold up if someone turns their token horde at you.

I appreciate your detailed response. Happy to continue chatting about this if you're ever up for it.

I would recommend checking out deepl.com for translations. I used to use it for quick translation checks at my last job.

I don't see combat control variants of Isshin as often as I do other variants, so kudos to you for taking a less conventional build path. My main play group plays with Goad pretty frequently, and Aggro in general, and I understand your concerns about "being the villain" for playing a lot of it. In all honesty, I think it's something that you should lean into if you're going to do it. Being the "table villain" can be fun.

I haven't read through all of your change logs, so my bad if I missed them as past edits, but have you considered any of the following:

• If you want a couple more "donation" creatures to support your Alexios, both Xantcha, Sleeper Agent and Slicer, Hired Muscle  ^Flip could be worth checking out. Assault Suit is also in line with this theme and what you're going for.

• It might be worth it to throw in a Ghostly Prison to further deter attacks at you. Emberwilde Captain is another deterrent that triggers with Isshin.

• Depending on the success you have had with them, it could be worth considering swapping out Boros Battleshaper and Endbringer for creatures in the 3-4 cmc range that can produce more tokens for your own defensive/aggro purposes. Kardur, Doomscourge and Vengeful Ancestor could be additional Goad pieces worth including as potential swaps if you don't go the token support route.

• Looking at stuff already in your Maybeboard, I think Brutal Hordechief or Enduring Courage could be worthy inclusions. Hordechief and similar group slug/drain effects, like Hellrider can help send damage straight to faces, especially since Isshin gives them an additional trigger. Takes some of the pressure off your reliance on combat damage for a deck like this.

Best of luck with the deck. I think a bit more Goad could help spice your deck up, especially if other players don't really want to "buy into" the support that you're offering them. Sometimes you have to pivot from suggesting they fight each other to actively forcing them to do so lol.

Thank you Andramalech, I appreciate it! I was super happy that Alesha got a new card & confirmation that she's still alive and kicking ass in some version of the Tarkir timeline. The meme inclusion in this primer is a bit of a personal call back to how I included a meme in the primer for my OG Alesha deck.

I'm stoked for the Return to Tarkir! I don't really have any hopes or expectations for it, especially since we just got a new Alesha in Foundations. Would be cool to maybe get a Jund Alesha, assuming she's still alive in the timeline during the return.

I haven't seen Postmortem Lunge before, I'll keep it in mind. I think if I where to include another reanimation piece, I was eyeing my copy of Necromancy I have in my binder.

Clones like Spark Double, that can copy Satya, can get really silly in this deck. Satya copies the Satya-fied Spark Double or Sakashima already in your 99, and those clones copy something else on your board. It snowballs pretty quickly from there. I've generally enjoyed running a suite of clones like Glasspool Mimic  ^Flip and Silent Hallcreeper; I guess whatever clones seem most interesting or budget friendly for you.

If you do add any clones, I think they could be swaps with some of the higher CMC creatures at the top of your curve, or Arcbound Crusher.

Lastly, I'd recommend checking out Reconnaissance as another means of keeping your creatures safe in combat, especially since you're already running Dolmen Gate. The reprint from Assassin's Creed has updated reminder text. Basically you can use it to remove a creature from combat at any point during combat, including after it's dealt combat damage, before combat ends. It's like pseudo-Vigilance with additional upside.

One of my cousins is getting into WH40K because of the Space Marine video game. We also play D&D together with some of his college friends, and I've floated out ideas of doing MtG setting campaigns. Honestly might show him the WH40K cards to help bridge the gap lol.

In regards to your actual question in terms of MtG themed re-skins, I could definitely see the following as fitting candidates:

• Boros Legion soldiers. Would be cool to see them get Squad on our next Return to Return to Return to Ravnica. By extension, militaristic factions around the multiverse would be at home with Squad.

• Definitely agree on Kithkin. I'm bummed we have to wait another year for Return to Lorwyn. Kithkin having Squads via Thoughweft communication makes sense.

• Allies? Maybe on Return to Zendikar 4, Allies could get a Squad mechanic. Would make them less parasitic than past Ally iterations.

• If Bloomburrow, I could see Rabbits having a Squad mechanic as an Offspring adjacent one.

Thanks for the suggestion Profet93. I don't have Heat Shimmer in the maybe board yet, but I do have it as a call out in the "Commander Support" section of the primer.

I definitely recognize that other copy effects like Heat Shimmer can be redundant backup to both Delina, & thr Dualcaster combo.

Thanks for checking out my decks! Let me know if you have questions about any of them & I'll do my best to answer.