Death and Taxes leans on Aether Vial, Wasteland, Karakas, and a suite of efficient white removal like Swords to Plowshares and Solitude to control the board while applying pressure with Stoneforge Mystic and equipment. Abrade can destroy a troublesome Aether Vial or equipment like Meteor Sword before it goes online. Disruptor Flute naming Aether Vial taxes their key enabler and shuts off its activated ability entirely. Pithing Needle can similarly lock down Wasteland or Karakas to protect our artifact-heavy manabase. We trim slow, low-impact artifacts for pieces that interact with their engine.