LMD GHOST with ~256 validators and a fast-following finality gadget

The Dolev Reischuk lower bound that forces quadratic communication holds against a strongly adaptive adversary:

Subsampling validators is a way to use randomization in a way that works against a weak adaptive adversary. See definition here:

So you are circumventing the lower bound by assuming a slightly weaker adversary in terms of adaptiveness. I think it’s a very reasonable path