Sear deals 4 damage to a creature or planeswalker, enough to kill early threats like Gene Pollinator, Greedy Freebooter, and Biotech Specialist, which outclasses Plasma Bolt's 2-3 damage ceiling. Hexing Squelcher gives your other creatures Ward—Pay 2 life against their targeted removal (Requiting Hex, Stir Up Trouble) while adding another cheap aggressive body. Plasma Bolt is the clear cut since it struggles to kill their bigger midrange bodies, and Stingcaster Mage's marginal recursion matters less than removal in a grindier matchup. Watch for Stir Up Trouble and Requiting Hex on your early creatures and sequence your threats to play around a one-for-one removal spell.