looks like a solid deck. for the budgetification:
you could run Consuming Aberration over Lord of Extinction.
also i think that fastlands like Darkslick Shores are on average, expensive taplands. you could run City of Brass instead.

Grind, I think I will replace the shocks for the fastlands and/or basics/city of brass. do you think Ancient Ziggurat is worth it?

Grind: Do not cut shocks. You will actually want to keep those in your deck if you end up building it fully someday. I agree to cut Lord of Extinction for Consuming Aberration and the Fastlands for things like Tarnished Citadel, and other cheap lands. Also, maybe some basics, cuz Back to Basics is still a card.

As for other cuts, I would highly recommend cutting Death's Shadow for Kederekt Leviathan. Leviathan is a decent enough card on its own, but it is fantastic when paired with Necromancy. Instant speed board clear that can happen repeatedly.

You can also cut Mana Crypt for just about any dork like Elves of Deep Shadow or something like Chrome Mox/Fellwar Stone etc. Less optimal choices, but workable ones. Rhystic Study is very similar to Mystic Remora. Remora is much better in competitive groups because of the cmc, but it is also a fair amount cheaper. Reanimate can be Life/Death

If you don't want to lose power, but make the deck more affordable to play, then proxy (with the intent to unproxy over time).

If you don't want to proxy, but you still want to budgetify, even at the cost of power, drop Sylvan Library, Diabolic Intent, Glen Elendra Archmage, Lord of Extinction, Sensei's Divining Top, Sheoldred, Whispering One, Tooth and Nail, Yavimaya Hollow, Oracle of Mul Daya, Consecrated Sphinx, Mikaeus, the Unhallowed, Reanimate, Pact of Negation, Vampiric Tutor, Demonic Tutor, and Mana Crypt for any 16 cards below $15 at https://edhrec.com/recs/?url=tappedout.net/mtg-decks/the-ooze-of-doom-copy-3. If the average of the new cards are $1 (from glancing at it, TOTALLY POSSIBLE), then you just saved yourself over $360. That's over half the deck cost. In less than 1/6 of the deck. I'm of the belief that a deck doesn't have to be completely optimized to win many games in the typical playgroup, and sometimes the fully optimized decks do worse in those playgroups do to the self-policing nature of multiplayer politics.

If you want to go even lower, continue dropping cards based on how expensive they are and adding in new cards, which tappedout can automatically show you by pressing both categories to "Price" to get http://tappedout.net/mtg-decks/the-ooze-of-doom-copy-3/?cat=price&sort=price.

If I was going to add anything helpful in specifics, MagicalHacker has already said it. Here's the thing: the cards that are above $10 aren't so expensive because every deck needs them, it's because they're perceived as competitive or broken or infinite-combo-enabling. So if you cut cards, it won't mean your deck suddenly is terrible -- Cancel accomplishes the same thing as Pact of Negation, after all -- it just means that you now have a more casual deck (which is fine, given that EDH is a casual format). Not to mention, any deck made with good deckbuilding will perform better than a "Tier One" deck made poorly. And making your deck budget will likely make your playgroup happier to play with you, since your power level will be somewhat restricted.

Hope that helps ease that sinking feeling in your gut when you don't want to cut a really powerful card but you feel like you have to (we've all been there!).

Pricey cards you can do without in my opinion:

• Abrupt Decay - one card for one card is not that good in commander. And this one is pretty narrow.
• Breeding Pool / Overgrown Tomb / Watery Grave lots of budget alternatives that are just a bit slower, but will do fine in most playgroups.
• Command Beacon - nice to have, but you risk lacking the right color when playing 3 colours.
• Death's Shadow - why is this creature so important?
• Hall of the Bandit Lord - Try Swiftfoot Boots instead.
• Birds of Paradise - manadorks are fragile and take a turn to get working. As land-destruction is in most playgroups not-done, better play some ramp-cards.

That should bring the deck down on budget.

Some ideas to add:

• Body Double
• Hermit Druid - mill yourself. fast.
• Extractor Demon - fill the graves
• Chancellor of the Spires - synergy!
• Chill of Foreboding
• Dread Summons
• Duskmantle Guildmage
• It That Betrays - sneak this baby in from the graveyard and have fun.

More ideas here

If you are looking for more things like Death's Shadow my favorite one besides it is Phyrexian Dreadnought. If you like you can check mine out and see if you can get some ideas from it. =) My Pet Dinooze Deck

+1 for the title!

Winterblast thanks, man! it seemed too good to not use.

It's a bit hard to get the flavour right in a UW deck though

If I may suggest something for the deck: cheaper counterspells, such as Mental Misstep, Swan Song, Spell Pierce...

Winterblast, I know, it just seemed right for an oppressive stax deck. in terms of your suggestions, 3 things come to mind:

1) thanks for suggesting!

2) mental misstep seems too restrictive for EDH

3) what should I take out for the other 2?

Mental misstep is brutal...no one expects their one drops to be countered before you even had your first turn. It's also great to counter tutors and other important spells for 1 in the late game. I really love that card

I'd cut some of the mill stuff

that makes sense, but Swan Song gives something that can block brago, so its not ideal.

Swan song does give your opponents something but it is a lost cost counterspell. I agree with cutting the mill parts they seems out of place. You really need the artifact stax effects to keep other players down.also a couple of clones would help. You a Fiend Hunter is amazing if you have a way to blink when he etbs.

Perpetual, thanks for the help! I see what you mean, but elesh norn is a little expensive for what she is. Conversion is really nice, though, thanks. I also can't bring in Perish because that would require me to change my whole deck to fit in esper colors.

Randomdeath, what would you recommend adding/cutting in terms of stax pieces/clones?

The deck is coming together extremely nice! I have recently been building a stax Brago as well, so I have quite a bit of suggestions. In fact, I may have all of the suggestions, haha.

Seriously though, I apologize for my essay-length feedback...I tried to make it as aesthetically pleasing as I could.

freakingShane, thanks for all the suggestions! one question: where do I make room for all these awesome cards?

I don't know yet, but I'll think it over and let you know when I find out which cards could be replaced!

I think you kinda misunderstood my last comment on the choice of counterspells. It was rather a defense of Mental Misstep.

I think it's quite important to stop other people from going to fast in the beginning and mental misstep is something that not many people expect. They keep an otherwise slow hand because they think their sol ring or mana vault will resolve for sure and then you counter that before you even had a chance to play a land. There are quite a lot of important 1 mana spells and a free counter is a free counter, that's always a trick.

Spell pierce is similar, it's a great anti-ramp spell in the early game and later on it's irritating for those who always want to play on curve. They either lose tempo because they wait until they can pay more amd avoid these kind of counters, or they take the risk and you get rid of something important for a very low cost.

Brago and the blink stuff controls the board, but counters control the rest

Winterblast, the situation I have now is finding the right balance of counters, artifact mana, and stax artifacts. atm, I have no room for counterspells. any suggestions as to what to take out?

I think worn powerstone should be cut, it's just not that good. Thought vessel seems unnecessary as well. Basalt monolith without rings of brighthearth and senseis divining top is also weird, especially when you have a trophy mage available...if that one doesn't search for combo pieces you can cut it as well.

Mechanized production is an interesting card in general but it doesn't really fit your blink strategy. Same for extract - very situational and probably doesn't do anything against any halfway decent deck.

Okay, so I am going to spout off any cards that I think are cuttable, but let me stress that it is only a suggestion.

Anyway, this is what I got to suggest. Your deck is great as is, but if you are really trying to fit any extra synergy I'd take a look at these first.

Thanks for reading my second novel on your page, as always, this is only my opinion and I hope it was useful to you!