I am currently playing this build and whenver I conjure my familiar then use ash shell on it my magicka pool goes from ful to about a quarter and thats without duel casting! Is this because I'm level 16 and only have 220 magicka, does it become less expensive once I get into the higher levels?

Of Alteration? Yes. Higher the skill level, less the cost to cast

It won't be nearly as bad once you get the ring of Erudite. This is where Enchanting helped early on. I wore an Amulet of Alteration and Fortify Magicka gear which helped with Ash Shell's cost. Go to Raidiant Raiment and grab some Alteration jewelery. Those are the costly spells. But with all the right perks your Flames spell won't need much Magicka to kill. It'll get easier though

Any advice for trying to play this in vanilla skyrim without the Ash Shell?

Paralyze?

There's another trick you can do with reanimation spells and paralyze that mimics the effect. I'll look it up later and give you the details. From the base Novice spells Fury is the best you'll get for distractions. Obviously it won't work on automaton and undead but everything else is fair game. Other than that you may want to pick up a few paralyze poisons for tough situations. Another member played this vanilla and did fine. He actually quite enjoyed it. You can message him, ShinJin, if you wanted some of his vanilla tips :)

I'll do just that! 

Thanks!

I don't know if I got the combat right. How does combat work with quick reflexes and dual casting destruction? Do you switch them up while fighting? Also, how do you get nothing on your off-hand?

This build seems very interesting.

Have a nice day!

In the early stages of the build you will have your Familar summoned most of the time. Let enemies focus on you so the familiar stays alive and deals consistent damage. If there are multiple enemies I liked to keep a dagger in the right hand and nothing in the left so I can block. Wait for one of the foes to perform a power attack so Quick Reflexes activates then you can loop behind them and get some damage in with Flames before switching back. Whittle down the opponents one at a time with this defensive kiting. As the build progresses you'll unlock each of the techniques in the "Tricks" section that add variety to the gameplay. It is challenging but I took great pleasure in overcoming all odds with the basic spells. Treat the familiar as your best friend and dual cast him when possible unless you're in stealth mode. He's a great ally but is restricted by his health so take care of him. It's fun roleplay a pet wolf too! Hope you enjoy the build. Let me know if you have any questions or problems :)

Thanks for the response! Definetly see how the combat works now, and I'm about to start a playthrough, though I don't play much daily.

Awesome work with the build ..

And the song