Isn't it notoriously unreliable? I find stuff like a single disallow, or a single paci array, to be needlessly hogging space in a deck. Chances are you'll draw neither. Also, you could include a few copies of Tezzeret the Schemer in this deck and it's a ridiculously nuke'y planeswalker in artifact decks. With plenty of artifacts on board he can snipe at least two v. strong creatures off the board instantly. Seriously, it's a shame to have a blue/black artifact deck and not include Tezz as he's born for this shit.
Tezzeret also turns creatures into nuclear projectiles if you get something in your deck that can make your crit indestructible. When I played with Yahenni (sacrifice to become indestructible) + Tezzeret's +X/-X per each artifact on board, I was able to dish out >10 damage directly to the other guy fairly consistently. Also works with syndicate smuggler, but that's easier to counter. Yahenni has haste so you just wait until they tap all the mana, then bring him out whenever for 3 mana
Rush of vitality is a nice instant that makes this workable with anything - i imagine it'd be particularly satisfying to spontaneously turn a 0-cost ornitopther into a 0-cost ICBM. Or better yet, cast it on something with trample.
Yeah I took out the Disallow as well as the Torrential Gearhulk. I wanted a hard counterspell for a lategame Gearhulk target but Gearhulk doesn't fit into the deck. The ratio needs to be about 16 spells, 24 artifacts and 20 lands, and often I was holding the Gearhulk without a useful Instant to target. With Paradoxical Outcome you want to play as many permanents as possible, which limits both the amount of non-permanents (instants) you can run, as well as the amount of mana you have to work with to cast said instants. You also want cheap permanents since you plan to bounce them and replay them. The recent Paradoxical Outcome featured article on the mothership website only ran 2 counterspells (2 Metallic Rebukes) which I think is nuts since you got to have counters to force your Paradoxical Outcome through.
I had Tezzeret in the first version of the deck (with The Aniquities War) and he certainly is powerful, but against a control match up it's difficult to stick him since he's 4 mana so you have to wait until you get to 6 land to protect him with a Negate or whatever, and then that would leave you open to whatever horrible things your opponent can then cast on their turn including their own planeswalker. He just doesn't fit into what the deck is trying to do anymore. Meanwhile with Battle on the Bridge I can cast that for 1 b, and easily drain for 6-7 and also kill Gods. So in this type of deck it's much better to have Sorceries with improvise like Reverse Engineer or Battle on the Bridge than a 4cc Planeswalker. A different deck that is using The Antiquities War would certainly be great with Tezzeret.
That said, I am still playing with Zahid which is also 4cc. Idk, Zahid is a pretty consistent win condition so far. Easy to cast and there's a lot of decks that can't deal with a big flyer especially if you have some counter magic to protect him. Also I guess people aren't used to seeing him?
The 1cc artifacts are basically Llanowar Elves so you just try to run the best ones you have. So something like Navigator's Compass is great since it's an Elf that gives you 3 life and can manafix in a pinch. Pacification Array is occasionally a lifesaver (tapping Rhonas, Hazromet or Ghalta) but if you are spending 2 to tap a creature too often you're going to lose. I think 1-2 is the right number. If you look at the 1cc artifacts in Standard, the selection isn't great.
Version 4 Version 5
4 Spire of Industry (AER) 184
4 Aether Hub (KLD) 242
9 Island (RIX) 193
1 Sai, Master Thopterist (M19) 69
1 Zahid, Djinn of the Lamp (DAR) 76
1 Swamp (RIX) 194
4 Paradoxical Outcome (KLD) 60
1 Inventors' Fair (KLD) 247
2 Negate (AER) 40
2 Cogworker's Puzzleknot (KLD) 201
3 Metallic Rebuke (AER) 39
1 Whir of Invention (AER) 49
3 Navigator's Compass (DAR) 225
1 Pacification Array (AER) 168
1 Walking Ballista (AER) 181
1 Battle at the Bridge (AER) 53
2 Reverse Engineer (AER) 42
2 Ornithopter (AER) 167
3 Renegade Map (AER) 173
1 Inspiring Statuary (AER) 160
3 Scrapheap Scrounger (KLD) 231
2 Prophetic Prism (KLD) 229
1 Baral's Expertise (AER) 29
2 Fireforger's Puzzleknot (KLD) 213
2 Foundry Inspector (KLD) 215
1 Prying Blade (XLN) 244
1 Lifecraft Awakening (AER) 112
1 Forest (RIX) 196
This version is running 18 lands since the featured article was also on 18 lands but I think that's too light. It needs to be 20 lands, even with Maps. Fixed.
A couple of cards:
Fireforger's Puzzleknot can come down on T2 and kill an Elf or Glint-Sleeve Siphoner. There's still plenty of creatures being played that can be removed by 1 damage. Later it backs your Scroungers suiciding into 4 toughness blockers like Heart of Kiran or Steel Leaf Champions. Even if you sacrifice it to deal 2 damage for 5 mana, that's not great but it's not that much more expensive than Ballista.
Cogworker's Puzzleknot is two artifacts for 2 mana, so really great for Improvise. Sets up turn 3 Reverse Engineer.
Aetherflux Reservoir: This is the combo kill but I think it's too hard to pull off consistently. You can gain 15+ life easily but getting to 50 is too complicated. I'd rather put a Foundry Inspector back in. In fact, I don't see how you combo without Foundry Inspector.
Baral's Expertise: On paper it fits the deck like a glove since against Mid-Range you can bounce their board and go in and against control it helps you combo, but it's very expensive if you don't have Inspiring Statuary in play. It the right situation it's a game changer but sometimes it doesn't help.
Inspired Statuary is insane if you land it. It makes pretty much every single X spell bonkers. Banefire for 10. Hellfire Torment for 10. Lifecraft. You could even cast Omniscience, Apex of Power or Nexus Fate easily.
UPDATE: I updated to version 5, trimmed some fat and made the mana more stable. It's doing ok now but then I'm not facing any really good decks or players yet. Trying out Prying Blade. Thinking about adding some Trophy Mages or Glint Nest Cranes. While they aren't artifacts, they actually make good Paradoxical Outcome targets, assuming they live that long, since you can cast them with Improvise once you get Inspiring Statuary in play.
But then, once you have Statuary in play, you want to be casting win conditions, not Mages
Also I'm finding it pretty damn easy to land Statuary on turn 3 by hard casting or Whir of Invention.
