The manabase is rather questionable, maybe "fast lands" or "pain lands" should be here.
I'm not sure if basic lands are really that important in this format unless every deck plays Field of Ruin
(since Assassin's Trophy isn't everywhere and there is no Path to Exile and Blood Moon to worry about).
I'm not sure if the interaction here is enough as it isn't very at closing the game and doesn't disrupt as well as BG/x decks.
I wonder if Reality Shift or Thrash // Threat can work as legitimate removal spells in these colors (besides Roast).
Draconic Roar is an aggro removal spell, I feel it would fit better in an Aggro Dragons shell (Temur wouldn't be a great combination then, maybe Grixis or Naya). If I play a midrange deck I try to make my 2-cmc removals able to deal with X/4s, so I assume Lava Coil is a card to consider. Abrade is the best 3 damage red spell, Roar is subpar even with the dragon clause. You don't want to kill fast with a Searing B effect, right ?
Savage Knuckleblade is questionable, it never did anything in standard and is an aggro card, not a midrange one, once again. It also has a very painful mana cost. I rather play more Courser of Kruphix because lifegain is a good choice in this very linear metagame.
Oko, Thief of Crowns should be a 4-of if you play Goose. The Scions fit an aggro shell, not a midrange one. Sarkhan Unbroken looks weak overall, it never did anything in standard and is factually worse than the other Sarkhans and various 5-cmc dragons that were hits in their standard environment.
There's a tension between Silumgar's Scorn (reactive) and the overall plan (sorcery speed creatures and PWs). Not sure both play well together, that's why Grixis & Esper Dragons are the only decks that plays Scorn, it's control with a few finihers.
I think your list goes 2 different paths, one is classic midrange, the other is Dragon ramp. If we play full Dragons, I doubt Temur is the right way to go. If we play midrange, dragons should be only finishers, maybe a superfriends deck would make good use of Sarkhan the Masterless !
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The idea behind Roar is to have some amount of reach in the deck also when combined with Thunderbreak's ability it can chip away at opponents' life-total so it takes less attacks to close out the game.
As creature removal it is on-par with similarly costed options like Lightning Strike and Abrade (and Scorching Dragonfire) and the extra upside of a fully powered Searing Blaze is appealing to me.
I'm not sure if Lava Coil (or Mizzium Mortars) is worth playing in the maindeck so far and I already have Roast to deal with bigger creatures.
I wonder if Reality Shift can be good enough and if the downside isn't too bad, some other fringe removal options I thought about were Response // Resurgence and Thrash // Threat which are a bit situational.
Savage Knuckleblade is both one of my best blockers and my best non-dragon threat (also one of the reasons to play blue in the deck imho). Tracker and Courser aren't good enough to play 3-4x copies imho and I needed a solid creature in this slot.
# Oko might be worth 4x copies though it is pretty hard to kill so 2x copies seemed enough.
# Scions isn't an aggro card imho as it is too slow for it but the combination of looting with high loyalty makes it a decent option here imho with the creature buff only being situationally useful.
# Sarkhan Unbroken is probably my main reason of splshing blue in first place and I really like this card (maybe it's a pet card of mine) as it does everything I want with card draw and dragon tokens to protect it and take over the game.
It is better than the other Sarkhan 5-manaPW's that turn into dragons as those can't do both (card advantage and protection).
Reagarding Silumgar's Scorn I understand what you mean and it is true but I wanted to have some manner of interaction with non-creature spells and there aren't any playable 2-mana (catch-all) counters in this format (Quench/Censor doesn't cut it) so Silumgar's Scorn is probably my best option and the dragon synergy can really make it playable despite the difficult casting cost.
The deck is meant to play as a midrange deck which can switch roles according to the matchup being either proactive and aggressive or more reactive.
Harnessed Lightning is so much better at killing creatures than any other red spell, I don't know but it appeals me a lot. I remember Hydra was real tough to kill too, so if i can give it trample with Scions, it should work fine.
The main reason to play simic is Oko anyway. It's the best and actually only real good card in those colors. From there one can splash red, white or black and have a decent deck.
Honestly, I don't see how a Kaladesh block energy deck is any better than what I've compiled.
I agree that Harnessed Lightning can be a great removal spell but it is not worth the lower power level of the rest of the deck and playing those underpowered energy creatures without any real payoff (like Marvel used to be in the Standard deck).
I don't think that energy is particularly good enough for Pioneer (to play a fair deck).
Well, Temur Energy proved to be competitive in standard, Temur Dragons didn't (Gruul Monsters had something with Dragons though). Not saying it's a sufficient argument, but I want to add that similar midrange decks (Sultai, Jund, Abzan) that I tried and watched played by streamers with a classic approach aren't very convincing (even Sultai that is praised by a few people).
Also, the energy shell gives better mana fixing (especially now that Oath of Nissa is banned), while your list is greedier, which will lead to more mulligans. Scorn is good in a primary blue list, but here it's primary green, so Stubborn Denial would be easier to cast (especially if you want to force Knuckleblade).
The thing with Dragons is that better shells exist, i.e. Esper & Grixis control, while Gruul Monsters can turn into a dragon shell and have better mana (blue is useless). It's hard for me to believe Dragons belong in a Temur shell, but I'll be curious to test a more elaborate list you tested yourself, one that gave you satisfaction.
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I'm probably going to to concede that Scorn isn't ideal in this deck but after playing with it some more I rather like the rest of the deck so far (not sure about the SB though).
I'm probably going to replace Scorn with either 4x more removal/burn spells or 2x of them and max out on Scavenging Ooze which has been performing very well so far and might be worth the full playset in the maindeck.
I haven't tested Stubborn Denial in tbe deck as it didn't seem to have enough support but maybe I haven't assessed it correctly and it could actually be pretty good.
I like the flexibility that Knuckleblade brings and it can defend pretty well unlike Borrower. Bonecrusher doesn't seem bad and is much easier to cast but is more of a narrow focused aggro card imho (though it is surely playable in a midrange deck as well).
Stubborn Denial indeed needs a lot of support, and cheap enough creatures so you can keep mana open. Would fit better in Temur Coco. I think you're right going for removal spells / threats instead.
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Here it is:
4x Gilded Goose
2x Scavenging Ooze
2x Courser of Kruphix
2x Tireless Tracker
2x Savage Knuckleblade
4x Thunderbreak Regent
3x Glorybringer
Enchantment (4)
4x Oath of Nissa
Instant (9)
4x Silumgar's Scorn
4x Draconic Roar
1x Abrade
Sorcery (2)
2x Roast
2x Oko, Thief of Crowns
2x Sarkhan Unbroken
Land (22)
3x Mana Confluence
4x Rootbound Crag
4x Hinterland Harbor
2x Breeding Pool
2x Steam Vents
2x Stomping Ground
2x Lumbering Falls
1x Forest
1x Island
1x Mountain
2x Scavenging Ooze
2x Destructive Revelry
2x Abrade
2x Negate
2x Roast
2x Anger of the Gods
2x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1x Keranos, God of Storms
The manabase is rather questionable, maybe "fast lands" or "pain lands" should be here.
I'm not sure if basic lands are really that important in this format unless every deck plays Field of Ruin
(since Assassin's Trophy isn't everywhere and there is no Path to Exile and Blood Moon to worry about).
I'm not sure if the interaction here is enough as it isn't very at closing the game and doesn't disrupt as well as BG/x decks.
I wonder if Reality Shift or Thrash // Threat can work as legitimate removal spells in these colors (besides Roast).
Some other cards to consider for a deck like this:
# Once Upon a Time - might be worth it over Oath of Nissa though I wanted a 1-mana dig spell (also the price of this is really inflated).
Incubation // Incongruity is also an interesting option but only if the removal side is actually playable.
# Domri, Anarch of Bolas - good combination of abilities: ramp + anti-countermagic, removal and a buff for the creatures.
# The Nissa PW's - Nissa, Voice of Zendikar, Nissa, Steward of Elements and Nissa, Vital Force.
# Vivien Reid - good card advantage and situational removal.
# The Royal Scions - looting, a creature buff and high loyalty.
# Jace, Vryn's Prodigy - probably fits a version with less creatures and more spells.
# Alternative dragon options - Stormbreath Dragon, Skarrgan Hellkite, Demanding Dragon, Verix Bladewing and maybe even Opportunistic Dragon.
Savage Knuckleblade is questionable, it never did anything in standard and is an aggro card, not a midrange one, once again. It also has a very painful mana cost. I rather play more Courser of Kruphix because lifegain is a good choice in this very linear metagame.
Oko, Thief of Crowns should be a 4-of if you play Goose. The Scions fit an aggro shell, not a midrange one. Sarkhan Unbroken looks weak overall, it never did anything in standard and is factually worse than the other Sarkhans and various 5-cmc dragons that were hits in their standard environment.
There's a tension between Silumgar's Scorn (reactive) and the overall plan (sorcery speed creatures and PWs). Not sure both play well together, that's why Grixis & Esper Dragons are the only decks that plays Scorn, it's control with a few finihers.
I think your list goes 2 different paths, one is classic midrange, the other is Dragon ramp. If we play full Dragons, I doubt Temur is the right way to go. If we play midrange, dragons should be only finishers, maybe a superfriends deck would make good use of Sarkhan the Masterless !
(unless I want to save some money and go with Adventurous Impulse or Shimmer of Possibility instead).
The idea behind Roar is to have some amount of reach in the deck also when combined with Thunderbreak's ability it can chip away at opponents' life-total so it takes less attacks to close out the game.
As creature removal it is on-par with similarly costed options like Lightning Strike and Abrade (and Scorching Dragonfire) and the extra upside of a fully powered Searing Blaze is appealing to me.
I'm not sure if Lava Coil (or Mizzium Mortars) is worth playing in the maindeck so far and I already have Roast to deal with bigger creatures.
I wonder if Reality Shift can be good enough and if the downside isn't too bad, some other fringe removal options I thought about were Response // Resurgence and Thrash // Threat which are a bit situational.
Savage Knuckleblade is both one of my best blockers and my best non-dragon threat (also one of the reasons to play blue in the deck imho).
Tracker and Courser aren't good enough to play 3-4x copies imho and I needed a solid creature in this slot.
# Oko might be worth 4x copies though it is pretty hard to kill so 2x copies seemed enough.
# Scions isn't an aggro card imho as it is too slow for it but the combination of looting with high loyalty makes it a decent option here imho with the creature buff only being situationally useful.
# Sarkhan Unbroken is probably my main reason of splshing blue in first place and I really like this card (maybe it's a pet card of mine) as it does everything I want with card draw and dragon tokens to protect it and take over the game.
It is better than the other Sarkhan 5-mana PW's that turn into dragons as those can't do both (card advantage and protection).
Reagarding Silumgar's Scorn I understand what you mean and it is true but I wanted to have some manner of interaction with non-creature spells and there aren't any playable 2-mana (catch-all) counters in this format (Quench/Censor doesn't cut it) so Silumgar's Scorn is probably my best option and the dragon synergy can really make it playable despite the difficult casting cost.
The deck is meant to play as a midrange deck which can switch roles according to the matchup being either proactive and aggressive or more reactive.
How would you build a Temur Midrange deck ?
4 Oko, Thief of Crowns
2 The Royal Scions
4 Gilded Goose
4 Servant of the Conduit
4 Rogue Refiner
2 Whirler Virtuoso
2 Bonecrusher Giant
3 Bristling Hydra
3 Glorybringer
4 Harnessed Lightning
1 Confiscation Coup
4 Aether Hub
4 Botanical Sanctum
3 Spirebluff Canal
4 Forest
1 Island
2 Mountain
1 Breeding Pool
1 Stomping Ground
1 Rootbound Crag
Harnessed Lightning is so much better at killing creatures than any other red spell, I don't know but it appeals me a lot. I remember Hydra was real tough to kill too, so if i can give it trample with Scions, it should work fine.
The main reason to play simic is Oko anyway. It's the best and actually only real good card in those colors. From there one can splash red, white or black and have a decent deck.
A trad list would be something like that :
4 Oko, Thief of Crowns
2 The Royal Scions
1 Sarkhan the Masterless
4 Gilded Goose
2 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
2 Courser of Kruphix
2 Brazen Borrower
2 Bonecrusher Giant
3 Questing Beast
2 Glorybringer
4 Mizzium Mortars
2 Chart a Course
2 Dig Through Time
4 Botanical Sanctum
3 Spirebluff Canal
3 Forest
1 Island
1 Mountain
4 Breeding Pool
4 Stomping Ground
2 Rootbound Crag
Not well built, but the idea is there.
I agree that Harnessed Lightning can be a great removal spell but it is not worth the lower power level of the rest of the deck and playing those underpowered energy creatures without any real payoff (like Marvel used to be in the Standard deck).
I don't think that energy is particularly good enough for Pioneer (to play a fair deck).
Temur can play Glorybringer, and maybe Sweltering Sun (or Mizzium Mortars) and Wild Slash in the main, for a more controlly approach. But I don't see Knuckleblade being better than Brazen Borrower (or Bonecrusher Giant) if you want to keep mana open for Scorn, I'm not even speaking of the ogre's tough mana cost.
Also, the energy shell gives better mana fixing (especially now that Oath of Nissa is banned), while your list is greedier, which will lead to more mulligans. Scorn is good in a primary blue list, but here it's primary green, so Stubborn Denial would be easier to cast (especially if you want to force Knuckleblade).
The thing with Dragons is that better shells exist, i.e. Esper & Grixis control, while Gruul Monsters can turn into a dragon shell and have better mana (blue is useless). It's hard for me to believe Dragons belong in a Temur shell, but I'll be curious to test a more elaborate list you tested yourself, one that gave you satisfaction.
I'm probably going to replace Scorn with either 4x more removal/burn spells or 2x of them and max out on Scavenging Ooze which has been performing very well so far and might be worth the full playset in the maindeck.
I haven't tested Stubborn Denial in tbe deck as it didn't seem to have enough support but maybe I haven't assessed it correctly and it could actually be pretty good.
I like the flexibility that Knuckleblade brings and it can defend pretty well unlike Borrower.
Bonecrusher doesn't seem bad and is much easier to cast but is more of a narrow focused aggro card imho (though it is surely playable in a midrange deck as well).