[Standard] Are Lizards good enough?

I've been trying to build a Lizard list for the Store championship next Friday, starting from the list that guiyote piloted to win the Standard challenge on MTGO. I'm mainly a limited player but I'd like to discuss possible lists and choices.

Original list: https://x.com/guiyote_mtg/status/1829713033712599260/photo/2

I don't have all the cards though (and some personal preferences), so my list currently reads as follows:

Deck

2 Rockface Village (BLB) 259

2 Cut Down (DMU) 89

4 Deep-Cavern Bat (LCI) 102

4 Fireglass Mentor (BLB) 213

4 Flamecache Gecko (BLB) 135

4 Gev, Scaled Scorch (BLB) 214

4 Hired Claw (BLB) 140

4 Sulfurous Springs (DMU) 256

3 Iridescent Vinelasher (BLB) 99

4 Laughing Jasper Flint (OTJ) 215

7 Swamp (LTR) 267

1 Mudflat Village (BLB) 257

1 Restless Vents (LCI) 284

3 Mountain (LTR) 269

2 Thought-Stalker Warlock (BLB) 118

4 Blackcleave Cliffs (ONE) 248

4 Go for the Throat (BRO) 102

2 Scales of Shale (BLB) 110

1 Valley Flamecaller (BLB) 158

Sideboard

4 Duress (STA) 29

3 Glistening Deluge (MOM) 107

2 Scales of Shale (BLB) 110

2 Thought-Stalker Warlock (BLB) 118

1 Case of the Crimson Pulse (MKM) 114

2 Starving Revenant (LCI) 123

1 Sheoldred (MOM) 125

Main differences are that I removed the Cavern of souls (for basic lands), added the 2 Rockface villages as I have few red noncreature spells, have one Valley flamecaller, and took out from the side the Forges (as I don't have any and I don't like them).

That said, I am having very little success (about 50% wr at platinum 4). My feeling is that lizards are just not very good. Card quality does not seem great to me (in particular the geckos and the vinelasher, maybe better in other land decks) compared to say Golgari midrange, our creatures kill quite slowly, and the Deep-Cavern Bats miss Gix or Innkeeper's talent sinergies here. What are your thoughts on this?

Some questions/discussion points:

  1. What do you think about bringing at least 2 Duress to the main? I feel like it's useful in most matchups (I find it useful against Prowess). What would you take out? 2 geckos?
  2. Is Urabrask forge that important against golgari, Caretaker tokens and domain? I personally don't like it too much and Domain has leyline bindings and golgari has plenty of artifact removal as well. Any alternatives? I bring Starving Revenants as a 3 for 1 against decks that don't pressure lifetotal. The case of the Crimson Pulse only against Sheoldredless decks.
  3. About sideboarding, I almost always take out the geckos on the draw as I expect a lot of mass removal, except against aggro where the extra (sometimes but not always) free bodies are useful. What do you do with them?
  4. What winrate do you have against Caretaker's decks? Do you really win using Urabrask's forge or is it still a bad matchup?
  5. Good sequencing is very important in this deck. I usually try to play T1 whatever, T2 Bat or Gev, and T3 Mentor, deal damage and play a land out of the exiled cards. But maybe this kind of value plays are not adequate in this standard and I have to play more aggresive (mainly using all my mana). How do you pace yourselves against the slower dekcs?
  6. Isn't this a 23 lands deck as you want to cast LFJ and Fireglass mentor's cards?

Any discussion is welcome!