I think the Mantis is probably the best "starter case" at present. It has loads of current reserve from a tried and true P/S design (taken from the uZeus), it's portable while having ample module space, and it's got a really snazzy method for adding a second Mantis. Tiptop even offers a gig bag sized for it.
-- Lugia
I think the mantis power supply is based on the tiptop zeus studio bus - not the uZeus - from what I heard the uZeus can be quite noisy - and the mantis is really quiet - no ripple up to video rates (MHz) as opposed to mere KHz for audio
"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia
Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!
sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities