Wizards clearly stated back in 2016 that it has no desire to police proxies, even for in-store play, as long as the events aren't sanctioned and the events are using traditional proxies and not counterfeit cards
All in all, a very good card for those type decks, though I wish it had one more color to its identity
Basically, Esper has so many better options than this
If I'm forced to discard, do I lose cards from my program
This can be as simple as giving Baleful Strix encore as a form of card draw or using Death Match as disproportionate removal
Tamanoa gains you life whenever one of your non-creature sources deals damage meaning burn spells, pingers, and even board wipes can turn into huge life swings