Ok Josh, so this is the modified version of your deck. Hope you like the look of it. I will list what I added in and took out, then explain my reasoning behind each one:
- 3 Chief Engineer: You don't have that many high cost artifacts in this deck, and you also have generator servant to make scuttling doom engine a good play. He just doesn't add enough to the deck and his 1/3 body isn't gonna win you any games.
- 2 Soul of Shandalar: Doesn't add enough to the deck, making the deck more aggro so the cost of creatures has to come down. Also not an artifact so you can't shrapnel blast him in a pinch.
- 4 Aqueous Form: Great card, but doesn't fit this deck well because you can't ensoul it or shrapnel blast it, and most of your creatures don't need it anyway. Illusionary Angel and Ornithopter have flying, and Scuttling Doom Engine's first ability means they can't just chump block him profitably. He doesn't need to be unblockable.
- 4 Lightning Strike: Again, great card, but doesn't do enough in this deck. Doesn't really add to the overall goal of the deck, and it also doesn't protect you against decks that are a bad matchup for you.
- 2 Jace, the Living Guildpact: Doesn't really contribute anything to the deck.
-2 Island, - 2 Mountain: Took out for more multi-lands.
+ 4 Phyrexian Revoker: Not an amazing card, but we need some more cheap cost artifacts to quickly ensoul/shrapnel blast. It was either that or bronze sable, and this guy is bronze sable with a decent ability (good against planeswalkers, elixir of immortality in the w/u control deck etc)
+ 1 Illusory Angel: Making this card a full playset is a good idea, it is a great card with ornithopter and accorder's shield, which I will discuss soon.
+ 4 Izzet Charm: This is the lightning strike replacement. Can still burn annoying creatures, but is much more versatile. That counter target non-creature spell unless they pay 2 mana is brutally good against sphinx's revelation, supreme verdict/planar cleansing, hero's downfall, chained to the rocks etc. And the draw 2 discard 2 isn't great, but might just draw you into what you need and is good if you find yourself mana flooded. Very useful card.
+ 4 Accorder's Shield: Might seem like a weird choice, I originally had hot soup in this slot (to maintain the unblockable goodness you lost when I took out aqueous form), but Steven convinced me to change it to accorder's shield. It's good because it costs 0, so works great with illusionary angel (having 8 0 cost cards instead of 4 will make illusionary angel much more playable). And if you then equip it onto an illusionary angel, you get a beasty 4/7 flying vigilance creature. That can block a desecration demon without dying and then attack the following turn with it's vigilance. Also good on Scuttling Doom Engine etc for the vigilance. I think you'll like this card if you play with it.
+ 2 Trading Post: This is a controversial choice. I wasn't a massive fan, but once again, after discussion with Steven, decided to include it. I originally had 2 Aetherspouts in this slot, which might be a good sideboard card. This card is good because once again, it's an artifact. It is also good because it's third ability gives you both a way to kill scuttling doom engine if you don't draw shrapnel blast, and it also gives you a way to get scuttling doom engine back from the graveyard to replay if the game goes long. Good against u/w control. But only worthy of a 2 of in the deck, and if you were looking for something to change, I would change this first.
+ 4 Shivan Reef: More multi-lands are vital in a deck like this, even though you play lots of artifacts. Having darksteel citadel in the deck is awesome (it's one of the best cards in the deck just for it's interaction with ensoul Artifact), but it also makes your mana much worse having a land that only taps for gray mana.
I stand by what I said on friday night about ensoul artifact and shrapnel blast working against one another, but you can minimise that issue by simply playing more artifacts. Your original version of the deck only runs 12 artifacts in total, this version runs 22. Big difference, means that ensoul artifact and shrapnel blast are not fighting over the same targets.
I assume you will be missing some of the cards that I've added, we can hopefully sort out all that you need on friday night if you like the changes and want to give this deck a test then. I do reckon that this deck can pull off what you were originally intending (ensoul/shrapnel shenanigans) much more easily and cheaply than your original deck.
Hope you like the changes, and good job getting to the end of this essay ha ha. I love talking about magic cards ha ha!