Temur Ferocious (5a in series) (Frontier)

I'm doing a series of midrange decks in each of the three color combinations. I've started with all the wedges and temur is the last wedge.

What the deck does:
This is a Temur midrange deck designed to capitalize on playing creatures with 4+ power.
I'm going to utilize the Ferocious ability and similar cards to take advantage of playing big creatures.
The deck will drop major threats on every turn, applying pressure right from the beginning of the game.
I'm also looking at playing cards with recursion or that are difficult to remove.

What inspired the deck?
It's temur's turn to get a midrange deck.
I'm not looking at energy since there is nothing original I can do in cramming the best energy cards in a deck.
*Temur offers us the ability to play big creatures and ways to protect them. That is the main inspiration for the card choices in the deck.

Step 1: What are the major cards we want to play:

(a) Glorybringer. 3 copies.
We will probably be a bit light on removal, considering the colors we are in.
Does everything we want out of our creatures.
*Has 4 power with evasion.

(b) Rekindling Phoenix. 4 copies.
So hard to permanently remove.
Has 4 power with evasion.

(c) Rhonas, the Indomitable. 2 copies.
Indestructible, so Ferocious stays turned on.
Distributing trample in the late game is a game finisher.
5 power for 3cmc is a lot.
Stays online almost all the time with all the 4+ power creatures we will play.

Step 2: What cards can we play to abuse the archetypes:

(a) Temur Ascendancy. 2 copies.
I'm not big on playing enchantments that are not turn 1, however its too good.
If you play it before you start dropping bombs then they all have haste. So hard to handle.
*Drawing a card every time you play a creature is backbreaking.

(b) Surrak, the Hunt Caller. 2 copies.
Not a direct link, but this is a great enabler.
Ensures every creature that comes after will have haste.
*Can also give itself haste easily.

Step 3: Add 4+ power creatures on curve:

(a) Greenwheel Liberator. 3 creatures.
Revolt is not that hard to happen on turn two.
4/3 is a big body on turn two.

(b) Rishkar, Peema Renegade. 2 copies.
Big body for 3cmc.
Can help us ramp out a midrange creature easy enough.
*Can help finish a game by adding +1/+1 to other creatures.

(c) Savage Knuckleblade. 2 copies.
Can be another haste attacker late game.
Has some level of evasion.
Self pumps later in games.
Harder to cast, but worth a one of since it can be cast for 3 or 4cmc.

(d) Surrak Dragonclaw. 2 copies.
A Nightmare for control.
Flashing this in to play in the combat step after blockers declared to give your creatures trample is a great trick.
*Having a 6 power creature hit the battlefield, with the potential of having haste.

Step 4: What are we doing on turns 1 and 2:

• Mana dorks vs quality creatures vs setup spells
  mana dorks will help us jump a turn. Elvish Mystic to 3cmc, Channeler Initiate to 4 cmc, (CI also has upside as a game goes long)
  Merfolk Branchwalker has all kinds of utility
  Duskwatch Recuiter is dynamite if it flips and is a good mana sink in late games
  Earthshaker Khenra is a 2cmc spell that is much better in the late game. Often will not get blocked as the opponent does not want to see it from the grave.
  *Oath of Nissa is a great turn 1 play that can also serve a purpose at any point in a game.

Turn 1

(a) Oath of Nissa. 2 copies.
*excellent turn 1 play to set up your mana or to draw a creature to curve out.

(b) Elvish Mystic. 4 copies.
*the action in the deck deck starts at 3cmc and this gets us there faster.

Turn 2

(c) Lambholt Pacifist. 2 copies.
3 power for 2cmc.
will almost always be able to attack
Opponent must avoid letting it transform.
Enables the deck with 4 power transformed.

(d) Duskwatch Recuiter. 2 copies.
Flipped its an accelerator.
Draws cards in the late game or even turn three is we do not have a play.
*the opponent may be forced to destroy this or at least make decisions around stopping it from flipping.

Step 5: removal and utility.

(a) Disdainful Stroke. 2 copies.
Catches so many of the main threats in the format.
Protects us from Settle the Wreckage and Languish

(b) Abrade. 2 copies.
Kills early game creatures.
Kills Gearhulks
*destroys vehicles, Marvel, Gift,...

Step 6: Build a mana base.

(a) Fetch lands.
Windswept Heath. 4 copies.
Bloodstained Mire. 4 copies.
Wooded Foothills. 2 copies.

(b) Battle lands.
Cinder Glade. 3 copies.
Sunken Hollow. 1 copy.
Prairie Stream. 1 copy.

(c) Basics.
Mountain. 2 copies.
Forest. 2 copies.

(d) Other lands.
Opulent Palace. 2 copies.
Rootbound Crag. 2 copies.
Rogue Passage. 1 copy.

Step 7: Construct a sideboard.

(a) Stubborn Denial. 4 copies.
answers all noncreature threats in the format for 1cmc.
Protects our creatures from removal and boardwipes.
*big sideboard play against control.

(b) Disdainful Stroke. 2 copies.
*answers nearly all the major threats in the format.

(c) Tormod's Crypt. 2 copies.
*shuts off graveyard shenanigans.

(d) Prowling Serpopard. 2 copies.
*strengthens up the control matchup that much more.

(e) Sweltering Suns. 2 copies.
*just in case we meet something that can do 20 damage faster than we can.

(f) Sorcerous Spyglass. 2 copies.
shutting off many of the major threats.
gives us a peak at what we will be dealing with before we drop the hammer.

(g) Carnage Tyrant. 1 copy.
*something to stick against decks that feel like they can deal with anything.

Final Thoughts
(A) The deck plays very well against control based decks. We are playing a lot of recursion, difficult to remove creatures, creatures that can't be countered, and even a little flash.

(B) Our stage 2 in games feels perfect. As soon as we start curving out with 3cmc and up, the deck has a lot of firepower and is just difficult to deal with.

(C) Turns 1 and 2 do not feel quite right. Elvish Mystic turn one does not always translate into a Savage Knuckleblade or Temur Ascendancy on turn 2 due to mana restrictions.

(D) The mana base might actually benefit from not playing any or far fewer fetch lands, so that we can play Mystic turn 1 and still play Ascendancy turn 2.

(E) Duskwatch Recruiter adds value, but is not always the play you are looking for. As a two of it is fine, but could be upgraded.

Revisions:
(a) mana base swap
the change makes the deck a little less consistent in the midgame, as fetches are more reliable to curve out. We are running six additional lands that will enter tapped if they are land 4 or greater. Another point to remember is that Elvish Mystic makes us a turn faster, so we can play our 4cmc cards before the lands would enter tapped. Also, you only play them tapped if you topdeck them, if you play them tapped midgame and you had them in your opening hand then that is on you.
what the change does do is play Elvish Mystic, into a tri-colored card turn two, far more consistently. The old mana base had a 8/24 chance of being an untapped turn 1 green source, where as this deck is 12/24. Assuming you start each game with at least two lands (possibly three) then, on average, you should be able to cast Elvish Mystic on turn 1 with good regularity.

Cinder glade 2
rootbound crag 2
wooded foothills 4

Botanical sanctum 4
yavimaya coast 2

spirebluff canal 2
shivan reef 2

Forest 2
Mountain 2

Opulent Palace 2

(b)
Cut- x3 Greenwheel Liberator is out with the removal of fetch lands.
In- x3 Merfolk Branchwalker.
3/2 body is nice at 2cmc.
A little extra mana fixing and a pseudo scry is much appreciated.