It could be through going below zero with a Pact Weapon and then casting Repay In Kind or a Profane Transfusion, or going wide with things like Death's Shadow and Shadow of Mortality
Lets crank things up to 88 mph and find ourselves a better future, where creatures can do things before dying
If one player is just sitting behind an Island Sanctuary not doing anything, the other has all the time in the world to look for fliers, islandwalkers, enchantment removal, direct damage, whatever
Play Boosters are considered the standard booster pack in the current era of MTG
But, the scaling here is off the charts as you can pay life equal to the number of cards you want drawn
Mind Games (Tempest/Stronghold/Exodus) Remember how I mentioned that Blue was the color of slowing things down during the hectic days of Tempest Block limited