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So for multiplayer games like that I would say to look toward peoples' EDH/Commander decklists for cards that are most effective.  Specifically, the card I'm thinking would do you the most good in multiplayer, assuming you're running U/G, would be Cyclonic Rift as it can just be backbreaking for the rest of the table while you keep everything in play.

What can you tell us about the decks that your friends play?  The biggest issue with trying to critique casual decks is that they can literally draw upon ANYTHING, which makes it particularly difficult to identify strengths and weaknesses.  If we have a bit of a clearer sense of your competition (cards, combos, whatever that cause you to struggle) and the budget you're looking to spend to improve, then we can be of the most help.

So is this for kitchen table play (casual) or are you hoping to fare well at FNM with it?

Some more general observations:
- Heroic is really best in the realm of x/W decks as they have CHEAP heroic guys and a bevvy of protection spells that are only 1-2 mana (think Gods Willing, Ajani's Presence, Feat of Resistance).  Moreover, those spells that give protection to a color end up providing a nice way to alpha strike the opponent with your giant heroic guy.
- Hornet Nest is a solid way to stonewall aggro decks, but unless your meta has a ton of them, it really doesn't make much sense in the main.  Additionally, it's the perfect card to run with fight effects (see Setessan Tactics) as you can FORCE the opponent to give you hornet tokens.
- I like the idea of Kalonian Twingrove but I don't know that I'd run 4x.  The same can be said for Sandsteppe Mastodon.  Admittedly you have SOME ramp, but not enough to have 8x creatures with the CMC that high.
- If you're mono-colored with Theros legal, you should be running Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx in some quantity.
- Polukranos, World Eater really is THAT good and should be in here as a 3-4x.  If you don't have them and don't want to drop the cash Temur Sabertooth offers a slightly weaker budget alternative that opens the door for some other lines of play.  Poluk is better, but the cat could work in a pinch.
- Naturalize and Desecration Plague are both sideboard cards.  If you aren't staring down enchantments they end up as dead cards.
- You really need some form of card advantage as the biggest problem mono-green runs into is when your hand is empty and you have nothing to do with your excess mana.  Shamanic Revelation is a decent budget option here.  Just be sure to cast it BEFORE the opponent wipes the board.  Even if it only nets you 2-4 cards, it has replenished your hand enough to keep the game going.
- I think the counters strategy you're looking for here is a bit more gimmicky and cute than effective.  Hardened Scales invites the 2-for-1 and the other spells really just don't get as much done as you'd probably want.  Green's real strength is in having creatures that are just larger than the opponent by default.  Why invest 4 in Staunch-Hearted Warrior and another 4 in Dragonscale Boon to produce a 7/7 when you could just as easily pay 6 for Hydra Broodmaster for a 7/7 that gives you added options as the game progresses?
- Obviously Nissa is good in a mono-green build, but she's pricey, so if you have em, run with it.  If not, don't stress it too much.

I'd suggest you take a look at the mono-green lists out there that are seeing play/press on the major sites and use those as a template.  I understand how budgets work and that not all of us can go drop $150 on singles to keep up with the Joneses, but the pro builds can at least give you a point of departure to start from.

Based on the cards you've included in your list, I would advise definitely sticking to standard for the time being.  Modern, as a whole, due to the higher price tag for entry is more likely to feature net-decks and the like, which will make it far less amusing for you to brew your own build to go play (odds are you will get blown out... a LOT).

If you go standard you'll likely have much less money to drop to make a moderately playable deck (take a look at boss sleigh and U/W Heroic for cheap(er) decks that are doing well these days).  I even know a guy with a mono-red heroic deck that does alright which, as a whole, would run like $20-30 to build.

Yeah... I've heard of both.  Labyrinth is apparently SUPER busy (to the extent that you have to make reservations for an FNM).

I was told at GP Baltimore that both Victory Comics and Curio Cavern are good places, although sadly both are in Virginia... I guess I can go take a look, but that is quite a bit in the wrong direction.

Negative.  Ajani's Pridemate is a triggered ability that happens once per instance of gaining life, regardless of how much life is gained.  So, if you gave Ajani's Pridemade lifelink, it will not give itself two counters when it hits something as you technically only gained life once - you just gained two life from that trigger.

So again, the simple response is, no, it would only gain one counter, not 100.

Craig Wescoe just posted a Jeskai tokens list over on tcgplayer that'd be worth looking at to see what changes you might want to make.  I also recall Frank Lepore having a video deck tech with a Boros token build (http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=12101).  Neither is straight Mardu, but it wouldn't be hard to make the appropriate changes (toss in a few Thoughtseize, Mardu Charm, Butcher of the Horde as a finisher... pretty much call it a day).  Obviously you should deviate to match your playstyle, meta, and whatnot but it'd be a great place to start.  After you've given those look if you still have questions I can give your list a closer look.

Go get yourself a copy of Eater of the Dead, as it is likely to make an infinite mill combo with Phenax.  Tap him, mill them four, if there is at least one creature in your or their yard, exile, repeat.  If you don't hit at least one creature in 8 cards of their deck then something is up.

As for the use of Whelming Wave, I was thinking of it as more of a tempo play.  It refills their hand and they have to replay all their small creatures, setting them up for an easy Anger of the Gods while nothing big is on the field.  That and the hand disruption available is pretty solid these days.

I'll be honest, the biggest hit that Grixis took from rotation was the loss of Far // Away.  That card was absolutely nuts.  That and Devour Flesh.  Without those options still at our disposal, it just seems a sub-optimal setup. 

Sad Bolas is sad for it too...

So having looked at the Grixis build, a few thoughts. 

1) You have a LOT of double-colored mana costs in there and not all in the same color.  To that end, I think you're probably going to struggle most with the mana and would even suggest potentially using the refuge cycle duals from KTK to help ensure you hit all your colors. 

2) You have 8 fetches but only 5 basics.  Based on this, you cannot actually crack all the fetches to get land... I would likely move both fetches to 3x and then slide in one or two more basics.

3) Keranos is an absolute boss, but you have to keep in mind that he likely won't ever be turned on.  This isn't really an issue as never-ending bolts are always fun to begin with.

4) Dig Through Time is doing work at the Pro-Tour, but I cannot underscore how powerful Treasure Cruise is.  I haven't even played the card myself, but have seen it enough already to see how much work the mid-game Ancestral Recall can do.

4) I'm not a fan of Steam Augury as it's both giving the opponent information AND a choice in what you get.  The choice part of Jace, AOT was fine because you could do it over-and-over again, but for a one shot?  I'm not a big fan.

5) Not sold on Pearl Lake Ancient in here either.  He's big, has flash, and does all that well and all, but he doesn't have evasion once he's on the field.  He'll just run into chumps all day long against many decks.  I think you would be better to up your counts of Prognostic Sphinx and/or Stormbreath Dragon.

6) Jace, the Living Guildpact doesn't really do much here that I can see.  Liliana Vess as I referenced for the Mardu control build would likely be a better option.

7) You need more than 2x sweepers... you'll just lose out on tempo if you don't have more than that.

8) I had a build pre-rotation that capitalized on the fact that you'll already be clearing the board with removal by using Mogis, God of Slaughter to make a clock for the opponent... combine Mogis with Keranos and that's a lava axe every turn.

9) Disdainful Stroke should at least be in the SB.  It lets you just laugh at non-aggro builds all day long countering everything from Polukranos to Elspeth to Jace's Ingenuity.

I'm sure I can think of more stuff... but this is just what's hitting me at the moment.

I can't really speak to this too much, but I know that if you go B/R Waste Not, Burning Inquiry is just a great time.