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@blahblah999, sounds like you've tried a lot and settled on a couple options, but the only ones I might add to your list to try on in the future if you're still looking might be the Skate Half Cabs. With the heel shank, the new Vans outsole is much more supportive than the old one, and I would argue that it feels more like a cupsole than the BMX/wafflecup sole. I haven't tried on the MC96, but the Half Cab tongue isn't as puffy and it doesn't have that cutout at the heel that I bet is bad for heel lock (this only applies to the regular Half Cab, not the Half Cab '92, which feels like the collar is a little lower). For what it's worth, I had the same fit problems with the Tyshawn mid and going up half a size did help - I didn't think it would either until I tried them on.
Last time I tried on a pair of Half Cabs was over 10 years ago now. I didn't like them at that time as they felt too unstructured and floppy. The HCs I remember from the 90s with the glued-in insole were the same way. No idea about the HC 92s either.
I don't know anything about the new Skate HCs and hadn't really considered them. I was kinda sorta eyeing the Vans Wayvee. I do kinda worry about the fit of those though.
Other shoes I had considered but may or may not bother trying are the 'eS Tom Penny 2 mid-tops, Emerica G6 Gamma, DC Lynx Zero, Adidas Forum ADV, etc.
The Skate Half Cabs might be worth at least a try-on if you have a shop nearby that has them. I *HATE* unstructured and floppy shoes and I wear cupsoles almost exclusively, but I can make the new Half Cabs work. The Vans Pro line (the generation prior to the current one) were all paper thin and not at all wearable for me, but the Skate Half Cabs are a lot more solid in the heel/collar area, and the sole feels thicker/more supportive due to the heel shank and the deeper tread. They just feel like they're built a little more solid overall than they used to be if that makes sense.
I haven't tried the Wayvee, but I have tried a couple other Wafflecup shoes, and I just found the soles to be too floppy/thin. I don't really get why they still make Wafflecup anymore - I feel like it's less supportive than the regular vulcs in the Skate line, now that they beefed up the standard sole construction a little bit.
Only other shoes on your list that I have any experience with were the Forum ADV's, and they did not work at all for me (bought them from the Adidas site when they first came out, tried them on once and sent them back immediately). Not much cushion or support in the sole, and there wasn't enough room to swap out the (very thin) insole. The volume was pretty low, too. They weren't what I wanted, but they might be the right shoes for someone who is looking for a really minimal cupsole, has a very narrow/thin foot, and doesn't need to switch insoles.