Adjusted version of my Temur monsters deck which focuses on having more evasive, hard-hitting creatures.
Still a rough list as I don't own all of the new Dragons of Tarkir cards and I'm not sure what's good at the moment. Land base will also likely need to be adjusted as there are a lot of good red cards right now.
Its possible that this deck needs some more early game stuff to do as there are a ton of control options in the sideboard. Any comments/suggestions are welcome :)
RAMP AND FIXING
Playing big monsters quickly is the key to overpowering your opponent. To help get us there we have:
Sylvan Caryatid - 2 drop that is hard to remove, helps ramp up my mana and even color fixes for me as well. Sometimes on blocking duty too.
Courser of Kruphix Added in for deck consistency. Although this technically doesn't ramp OR color fix, giving the option to play lands off the top of my library and gain a bit of life back is very nice to stabilize against aggro or dig further in to my library vs control decks.
BIG SCARY MONSTERS
The heart of what a monster deck is, is of course its monsters. These are the reason this deck was put together:
Savage Knuckleblade - 3-mana 4/4 is a solid body and with the addition of a few abilities makes this an instant 4-of card and useful early or late in the game.
Shaman of the Great Hunt - I've fallen in love with the Shaman since playing him in the Fates Reforged prerelease. A hasted threat which is good against control players, which also makes my other creatures bigger AND can eat up eat mana to draw cards? Seriously fantastic card.
Surrak, the Hunt Caller - New addition from Dragons of Tarkir, I was extremely impressed by the formidable ability on this guy. Seemed like every time he was dropped in sealed, he either hasted himself or another creature. I believe he will be a very popular green card in the near future, especially after Polukranos, World Eater cycles.
Thunderbreak Regent - Another new comer from Dragons of Tarkir. This card is amazingly well valued. A 4-mana 4/4 flyer on its own is a bit above average, but adding in the burn when targeted (which also affects your other dragons!!) is simply amazing.
Stormbreath Dragon - Just a damn good creature. Flying makes getting damage through easy. Haste makes it a scary threat for those without instant-speed removal. Protection from white makes a whole bunch of cards completely useless against it (LOL Valorous Stance). Ability to go monstrous is a massive upside.
Surrak Dragonclaw - KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!! Plays in to the theme of a big body for its mana cost. On top of that, not being able to be countered, protecting my other creature spells from being countered AND giving everything trample? AND HE HAS FLASH!? Useful as a surprise blocker, a big body or simply for annoying control players.
SUPPORT CARDS
Finally to round off this deck is a few support cards.
Crater's Claws - Fills role that this deck needs by giving me removal or extra reach. Can be used early against aggro to kill Mantis Rider or Goblin Rabblemaster. Mid-game it can take care of a planeswalker or opposing monster. On a stalled board I can simply burn my opponent's face.
Atarka's Command - Extremely versatile card which I am experimenting with. There have been a number of comparisons made with Skullcrack which is almost true, but the 'instant speed land drop' and 'pump my team' mode are not to be underestimated.
Monastery Siege - Thanks for the suggestion Master2014 & Skaev. Both modes are very relevant depending on the board state. 'Khans' mode can be used as a suedo-card advantage / filtering engine. 'Dragons' mode is very useful vs a lot of targeted removal.
SIDEBOARD!
This is still a very rough list at the moment. I don't know how the meta will settle down, so I've tried to cover off a few weaknesses that I have with aggro, mirror decks and control.
Arc Lightning - What to side it in against: Token or Aggro decks
Reasoning: Cheap removal for decks that try to rush you down. Very good against token decks as it can usually 2 for 1.
Keranos, God of Storms - What to side it in against: Control
Reasoning: Love this guy in the slow/grindy matches. Extra card draw or slowly grinding down my opponent with lightning bolts to the face both work with this deck nicely.
Negate - What to side it in against: Control or Planeswalker heavy decks
Reasoning: Counter-spells? In my monster deck? Sure, why not. Having access to blue and hence counter-magic can play havoc on control players. Can even be handy against other planeswalker-heavy decks.
Reclamation Sage - What to side it in against: Artifacts / Enchantments
Reasoning: Having an answer to opposing "Ascendancy" or getting rid of Ensoul Artifact while adding a body to the board is extremely valuable. Blocks / Trades with Goblin Rabblemaster which is extremely relevant as well.
Roast - What to side it in against: Midrange creature decks.
Reasoning: This is pretty much an anti-Siege Rhino card that is very well costed for its damage.
Sarkhan Unbroken - What to side it in against: Control/Grind matchups
Reasoning: Its hard to say how potent the new Sarkhan will be without much playtesting and without knowing what the popular decks will be. I feel that by generating 2 threats (by using the -2 ability) and then drawing extra cards makes the new Sarkhan useful against the Control decks. The dragon also synergizes with Thunderbreak Regent by punishing targeted removal / abilities.
Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker - What to side it in against: Midrange / control decks
Reasoning: Sarkhan basically fills the role of Stormbreath Dragon but without the protection from white. A hasted, evasive threat which can deal good damage against control players or use his minus ability to remove a 4-toughness creature while still leaving a relevant threat on the board.
Stubborn Denial - What to side it in against: Control.
Reasoning: Having access to more efficient counter spells helps against the control match ups as it allows us to protect our monsters after we play them.
Whisperwood Elemental - What to side it in against: Control
Reasoning: Experimenting with Whisperwood Elemental as an answer to wrath-based control decks (IE ones that run End Hostilities or Crux of Fate). Manifesting a card each turn keeps my board looking healthy and using the elemental's sacrifice effects mitigates what board wipes can do.
Cards I am considering
Temur Ascendancy - I've loved playing this card in the past and the majority of creatures in the deck trigger the card draw effect and make good use of the haste.
Hunt the Hunter - Color hate card vs other decks running a lot of green creatures.
Frost Walker - A very good card vs control as it can come down on turn 2 and start swinging for a lot of damage on turn 3. Having 1 toughness and being sacrificed when targeted is a downside, but the cheap cost of high power makes up for it.
Temur Battle Rage - Been blown out by this card a bunch in sealed. Almost all of the creatures become massive with double strike and the added trample is a bonus.
Outpost Siege - Essentially a card advantage engine, but 'dragon' mode can sometimes be used against control players to punish them for removing my creatures.
Frontier Siege - Another suggestion thanks to Master2014. This siege can provide a good strong ramp with the 'Khans' mode or be effective removal in 'Dragon' mode.
AEtherspouts - Tempo card which can remove my opponents board and affect their draws for the next few turns.
Icefall Regent - Another dragon which can synergize with Thunderbreak Regent which can tap down one of my opponent's creatures and is difficult to remove.
Encase in Ice - Color hate card against other green or red decks.
*Winds of Qal Sisma - At best a very nifty combat trick that can result in a board wipe. At worst a fog that can buy extra time.
