Golgari is loaded with discard (Thoughtseize, Duress) and efficient removal (Fatal Push, Abrupt Decay, Bitter Triumph), so protecting Agatha's Soul Cauldron and closing fast matters more than grindy card advantage. Abrade answers Mutavault, Restless Cottage, and Unholy Annex's Demon token-producing side only indirectly, but mainly serves as instant-speed removal for Badgermole Cub's earthbent lands or Graveyard Trespasser. Combustion Technique scales with Lessons in the graveyard and can exile Sheoldred, the Apocalypse before her life-drain trigger snowballs. This Town Ain't Big Enough and Wild Ride are too clunky against a deck that answers creatures efficiently and plays few must-bounce threats.

Indomitable Creativity wants to dump their hand into a big permanent, and Change the Equation's second mode counters any red or green spell up to mana value 6, directly stopping Indomitable Creativity itself or Raph & Mikey. Ral, Crackling Wit builds loyalty off your heavy noncreature suite and his −3 digs for answers while generating Otters to pressure their removal-light plan. Ashiok, Dream Render mills them and strips their graveyard, which matters since Fable of the Mirror-Breaker and Deduce fuel their card selection. Torch the Tower and Wild Ride are too narrow against a deck without many small creatures worth killing early.

Abrade kills Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Archon of Emeria with 3 damage, and it also deals with Enduring Innocence, though Innocence returns as a non-creature enchantment when it dies. Its artifact mode matters little unless they bring in Unlicensed Hearse, but the creature mode is still a good answer to small efficient threats. Spell Pierce can't touch their creatures, but it punishes their few noncreature spells, Collected Company and Elspeth, Storm Slayer, when they tap low to cast them. Archon of Emeria is especially dangerous since it limits you to one spell per turn, so killing it early is a priority. This Town Ain't Big Enough is awkward against a go-wide token deck since it only bounces up to two permanents and doesn't answer their board as efficiently as removal does.