EDIT: I ended up dismantling this deck for not being very good. The current meta is way too fast for a budget control deck along these lines to succeed without putting a lot more money into cheaper removal. But at least we learned something.
My take on a standard deck.
The Gameplan: This deck uses hard removal and hand destruction to eliminate your opponent's threats and get closer and closer to the late game. This is backed up by a selection of counterspells. Once there, Metallurgic Summonings provides the win condition, with occasional backup from Rise from the Tides and Mechanized Production.
Gifted Aetherborn is there as an early deterrent for attackers. Even if it only takes down a Voltaic Brawler, the deathtouch can be a useful tool early in the game, before all of our spells are easily available. Fathom Feeder or Rancid Rats may be a substitute. I like Gifted Aetherborn, however, because the lifelink slows your death and it is immune to Flaying Tendrils.
Take inventory was chosen for card draw over something like Succumb to Temptation or Live Fast because it fills the graveyard, and gets better the longer the game goes.
Strengths: Can answer a lot of threats before running out of steam. Mind Rot generates card advantage, albeit slowly. Instant speed removal can shut down cat combo and other potent creature strategies.
A lot of the budget options--like Murder or Convolute--actually aren't that much worse than their regular counterparts here. Murder makes a bigger construct with Summonings and can hit a wider range of targets than cheaper removal spells like Fatal Push. Convolute has a more lenient mana cost ( rather than ) which can mean the mana base has more room for error and your turn options are more flexible.
Weaknesses: Has trouble dealing with planeswalkers. Ruinous Path will likely make it into the sideboard for this reason.
Has trouble dealing with aggro decks. Flaying tendrils can help with this, but some rush decks run creatures that are resilient enough not to die to it. Harsh Scrutiny may need more copies in the sideboard for this reason.
Budget: The deck is designed to be very budget friendly. I happened to pull a Disallow, so there is one in there, but Summary Dismissal serves as similar purpose. There is no Fatal Push or dual lands either.
Upgrades: Choked Estuary could replace the Evolving Wilds. Disallow could replace the Convolutes and Summary Dismissal. A wider range of counterspells in general would be good for the sideboard. Fatal Push could also be a consideration: there are few revolt triggers in the deck, but it's just too good against so many cards in the current meta.
Thanks a lot for reading! Any constructive criticism or suggestions are, of course, welcome.
