Feedback for my Blue/Green Artifact Deck?

[Jenks]

Hey all, first time poster here... Looking for help with this deck. I would like to reduce the card count to be closer to 60 and I feel like the ratio of creatures:noncreature spells is too unbalanced. Which cards are unnecessary? Are there too many strategies at play? Most of my lower costing cards are mana generating in an attempt to get the bigger spells at play.

Looking to get some feedback and suggestions. Check it out here: https://deckstats.net/decks/86127/720405-blue-green-artifact

[Philippe Saner]

If I were you, I'd cut the following:

1 Arrest
2 Canopy Spider
1 Crystal Quarry
1 Darksteel Reactor
1 Door to Nothingness
1 Eater of Days
1 Elvish Pioneer
1 Extraplanar Lens
1 Hanna, Ship's Navigator
1 Prismatic Omen
1 Saprazzan Heir
1 Seafloor Debris
1 Timberland Ruins
2 other lands

That'll get you down 60 cards, 25 lands. I left the other lands to cut unspecified because I'm torn on Seat of the Synod vs Foundry of the Consuls vs Island. Artifact synergy vs Vedalken Shackles synergy is a tough choice.

My main goal with those cuts is to make your mana easier while cutting cards that don't impact the board much.

[Jenks]

Thanks for commenting, and the help Philippe!

I think it's easier to make this cuts when you're not emotionally connected to some of the cards (yes I said emotionally) lol. A couple questions: You don't think that by removing the canopy spiders I will leave myself too exposed to decks with flying? I might leave Prismatic Omen in there since it makes all lands every other basic land type in addition (that means they're all technically Islands as well, no?). I liked Eater of Days because it gives the potential of having a 9/8 out there by the fourth turn, but I haven't played it enough times to know if losing those two turns is too detrimental. What do you think?

[Philippe Saner]

I think it's easier to make this cuts when you're not emotionally connected to some of the cards (yes I said emotionally) lol.

I know what you mean. I have the exact same problem with some of my decks.

A couple questions: You don't think that by removing the canopy spiders I will leave myself too exposed to decks with flying? I might leave Prismatic Omen in there since it makes all lands every other basic land type in addition (that means they're all technically Islands as well, no?).

Canopy Spider is one of the cuts I'm less confident about. Maybe you'd be better off removing Energy Chamber. But the protection it provides really isn't all that great. It's just a 1/3; I think you're probably better off taking a few hits, then ramping into something bigger and scarier. Although I guess it depends on what your friends play; if your local meta has a lot of 2/1s, it's pretty solid.

And yes, Prismatic Omen synergizes nicely with Vedalken Shackles. But you only have one Shackles, and in a two-colour deck it'll often do nothing. Powerful card, but I don't think this is the place for it.

I liked Eater of Days because it gives the potential of having a 9/8 out there by the fourth turn, but I haven't played it enough times to know if losing those two turns is too detrimental. What do you think?

I think it's a trap. It has no protection from being bounced, destroyed, or otherwise turned into a gigantic liability.

You're better off with fatties that just cost mana, I think.

[Jenks]

Thanks for the help Philippe,

I removed most of the cards you suggested including Vedalken Shackles, but left Elvish Pioneer and the two 'other' lands in. I also upgraded one of my mana generator creatures with Druid of the Cowl and added Mechanized Production. That brings me to 65 cards now, and I'm pretty happy with that. Now time to test it!