Seems to me that the Butcher is seriously hampered as a melee caster by his lack of mobility. Between his 5 SPD and no movement enhancing spells, he struggles to get to combat while casting any spells.
Now, obviously, when backed up by Vlad or Sorscha, he gets Boundless Charge to get him moving, but otherwise he seems limited.
Thinking about this, it seems like the best group to use for him would be a couple of Kodiaks, and have them and he just run until they get into charge range. They run for free, and he can just keep his focus on him to overcharge his power field and make it tougher to damage him. We all know that once he's in melee, he'll rip down 1-2 heavy warjacks on his own, it's just getting there that's the problem.
Thoughts?