Geosurge is still good enough to drop a big finisher (Inferno Titan, Wurmcoil Engine, maybe Balefire Dragon if you want to get cute) on turn 4, but that requires having both the enabler and the big creature in your starting 10 -- and remember that contemporary mono-red doesn't really have filtering or card draw
The Ballista combo, specifically, has found many formats where its powerful
Pod has many uses in this deck, helping me grab token creators like MycolothMycoloth and Avenger of ZendikarAvenger of Zendikar, additional sacrifice outlets like Sadistic HypnotistSadistic Hypnotist, and cards that give my giant army a way to push damage through like Pathbreaker IbexPathbreaker Ibex
Legality depends on the tournament format -- Cutthroat Negotiator can be legal in some formats and banned or restricted in others
A good sideboard should always have a plan for the graveyard
This also left some extra selvage that would normally be removed