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Arch if you don't mind or enjoy tinkering, otherwise I believe manjaro has an i3 spin configured and ready to go.

then install ubuntun mint, and follow by apt install i3-wm

That's what I have been doing the past 7 years.

I think perhaps you mean install Ubuntu Server or use the netinstall ISO?

I've been using Ubuntu with IceWM and it was as simple as installing the window manager, logging out and then selecting IceWM before logging back in.