That's some awkward wording. I want some artifacts to exile themselves to make them feel scarce. This isn't an artifact set, so the number of total artifacts is down. If I don't let this trigger off of artifacts that are exiling, then it's too restrictive for the set. But, that's some awkward wording...

Make it two clauses:

When an artifact goes to the graveyard from play, you may exile it instead. When an artifact is exiled, you may put a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control.

Hmm... that's a good point. At first I was trying to hide the exile clause in there so it didn't stick out, but hiding the rules inside the rules is probably a bad plan. If this wording doesn't ring with people, than the card should be tossed, nice and simple.

Originally this card was called "Swords to Spades" and read:

"When an artifact goes to the graveyard from play, you may exile it instead.
When an artifact is exiled, you may put a +1/+1 counter on target creature you control."

It's an older card in the file, and one that both exiled artifacts, which doesn't jive with one of the set's keyword mechanics, and adds +1/+1 counters which is a no-no. Keeping with the theme of a clean graveyard, though, I changed it to creatures exiling... which now infers that the Mirran refugees are using the metal from dead Mirrans due to a metal shortage...

"Instead", or "Whenever"? You can't have both.

Whenever. Thank you.

Ew at the flavourtext. The Tel Jilad have become Eater of the Dead.

Heh. It's funny, because I never changed the flavor text, which was originally just talking about tools. Now that I'm talking about taking metal out of Mirrans, though, it sounds like cannibalism. Maybe it is? Even if you aren't eating your dead, is using someone's hip bone for your plow any better?