I really want to build a deck with 4x Retraced Image and 4x Mitotic Manipulation (RIMM for short).
I like turning creatures sideways, so, I kind of want to make a deck that will cheat one big dumb beater, and then play more. So far, my best candidate is Maelstrom Djinn; it morphs with a disadvantage, but any copies that are played via RIMM will not have Vanishing. I think Search the City would also be okay in this deck (I realize the cast vs. put into play rules, there, but it's a cute way of getting a card that you getting a duplicate of something that you can then use Retraced Image with, i.e. cast a guy, pick up a copy from StC, and then RI the copy into play).
I'm looking for suggestions; are there creatures I haven't thought of that have a low buy-in with an additional cost for one copy, and then dodge the additional cost or penalty via RI/MM? Or creatures like Delraich with an alternative cost that's onerous to pay once, but enables RIMMs for good value? This will probably be played at a multiplayer table of similar casual-60 card decks.
Sweet RIMMs
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Have you checked cards with alternate costs or additional costs?
Hand of Emrakul (but you'd need a way to create spawns or changelings)
Relentless Skaabs
Skaab Ruinator
Hand of Emrakul (but you'd need a way to create spawns or changelings)
Relentless Skaabs
Skaab Ruinator
From Gaea grew the world, and the world was silent. From Gaea grew the world’s elves, and the world was silent no more. —Elvish teaching
It's one of the things I was looking at, yeah. Delraich seemed okay for this. I think Hand of Emrakul would be too hard to action; 4 Spawns are a lot, and could be done in a dedicated Jund deck.
The Skaabs are a good idea, though! They tend to be costed well enough to not be too onerous while being a sufficient pay-off for the duplicate strategy (Skaab Ruinator is fairly onerous though, and it might not be ideal).
There are also games that could be played with Spy Kit, it turns out...
Unearth creatures are also something to consider, for example Extractor Demon and the more recent First-Sphere Gargantua are both beefy with cheap Unearth cost. They should combine well with the previously mentionned Skaab and cards like Dimir Doppelganger in a self-mill/self-discard strategy. Adding red to the mix would allow for more Unearth and self-discard options, but depending on your budget that might be too taxing on the manabase.
A different approach would be to try to make use of Retraced Image and Mitotic Manipulation's "second mode", so to say: in a deck with 20+ Islands these two cards also serve as ramp spells. Maybe something like a mono- deck with creatures mostly in the 4-6 mana range and a couple draw spells in the 2-4 mana range to refill your hand and make sure you'll hit your next land drops.
A different approach would be to try to make use of Retraced Image and Mitotic Manipulation's "second mode", so to say: in a deck with 20+ Islands these two cards also serve as ramp spells. Maybe something like a mono- deck with creatures mostly in the 4-6 mana range and a couple draw spells in the 2-4 mana range to refill your hand and make sure you'll hit your next land drops.
I think in a bi-colour deck, you can (probably) reliably use Mitotic Manipulation as ramp if you've played both basics. That was always going to be part of the gameplan, I think.
I like your Unearth strategy; that's interesting/good, especially considering cards like Extraction Demon.