Phyrexian Dreadnought is a colorless 12/12, and with a mana value of just 1, Smother can actually target and destroy it. Even so, we deepen our removal suite by adding Diabolic Edict—instant-speed forced sacrifice that gets around any protection or bounce tricks—and Vendetta, which cleanly kills the Dreadnought for a life payment that matters little in a race we're trying to avoid anyway. Bane of the Living is too slow and mana-hungry against a deck that can kill us by turn 3-4 with a protected Dreadnought. Duress and Cabal Therapy remain critical to strip Stifle, Vision Charm, or Counterspell before they can protect the combo.

Mono-Red Sligh is a straightforward damage race, so cheap efficient removal for Grim Lavamancer and Goblin Vandal matters more than a second Cursed Scroll which is redundant with our maindeck copies and too slow. Vendetta and the extra Diabolic Edict give us more ways to answer their threats without tapping out, important since they can punish us with Fireblast for reach. Bane of the Living costs too much mana to reliably matter before we're dead. Keep Smother in the main as premium removal for their entire creature suite (all mana value 3 or less).

Dystopia is devastating here: it forces the Enchantress player to sacrifice a green or white permanent at the beginning of each of their upkeeps, directly attacking their engine pieces like Argothian Enchantress and Solitary Confinement. Since we control no green or white permanents ourselves, Dystopia's trigger on our own upkeep costs us nothing. Gloom taxes their white spells like Swords to Plowshares and Opalescence by {3}, slowing their removal and combo pieces. Ravenous Rats and Cursed Scroll are too slow against a deck assembling a lock; we need to apply pressure and disrupt before Solitary Confinement or Opalescence plus Parallax Wave locks the game. Duress and Cabal Therapy remain essential to strip key combo pieces before they resolve.