Null Rod is narrower here than it first looks. It only stops activated abilities of artifacts, so Thespian's Stage, Dark Depths, and Crop Rotation are all unaffected. What it does hit is Mox Diamond's mana ability, which slows their fast mana, along with Expedition Map and Skateboard's equip. Life from the Loam's dredge is a replacement effect rather than an activated ability, so Null Rod doesn't touch it either. It also shuts off our own The One Ring, which is a real cost. Pithing Needle can name Wasteland to protect our own Urza's Saga and other nonbasics, or name Dark Depths to stop its counter-removal ability. We cut Chrome Mox since Null Rod would turn off our own Chrome Mox's mana ability, making them incompatible, and the slower grindy matchup favors card quality anyway. Lavaspur Boots is low-impact in a matchup that's more about racing their land engine than combat tricks.