diff --git a/cmd/utils/cmd.go b/cmd/utils/cmd.go
index 092401ef86c8..9635e1b92720 100644
--- a/cmd/utils/cmd.go
+++ b/cmd/utils/cmd.go
@@ -193,10 +193,14 @@ func ImportChain(chain *core.BlockChain, fn string) error {
 		}
 		i := 0
 		for ; i < importBatchSize; i++ {
+			if i == 1907 {
+				break
+			}
 			var b types.Block
-			if err := stream.Decode(&b); err == io.EOF {
+			if err := stream.Decode(&b); errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
 				break
 			} else if err != nil {
+				fmt.Println(batch, i)
 				return fmt.Errorf("at block %d: %v", n, err)
 			}
 			// don't import first block
diff --git a/core/state_processor.go b/core/state_processor.go
index a4aa17758802..fce022ca801a 100644
--- a/core/state_processor.go
+++ b/core/state_processor.go
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ func ApplyTransaction(config *params.ChainConfig, bc ChainContext, author *commo
 	}
 	// Create a new context to be used in the EVM environment
 	blockContext := NewEVMBlockContext(header, bc, author)
-	istarget := blockContext.BlockNumber.Uint64() == 17366216
+	istarget := blockContext.BlockNumber.Uint64() == 17165311
 	if istarget {
 		tracer := logger.NewStructLogger(&logger.Config{
 			Debug:          istarget,
diff --git a/trie/transition.go b/trie/transition.go
index 87242fa416b5..8798aa822dda 100644
--- a/trie/transition.go
+++ b/trie/transition.go
@@ -123,12 +123,20 @@ func (t *TransitionTrie) UpdateAccount(addr common.Address, account *types.State
 // Delete removes any existing value for key from the trie. If a node was not
 // found in the database, a trie.MissingNodeError is returned.
 func (t *TransitionTrie) DeleteStorage(addr common.Address, key []byte) error {
-	return t.overlay.DeleteStorage(addr, key)
+	err := t.overlay.DeleteStorage(addr, key)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return t.base.DeleteStorage(addr, key)
 }
 
 // DeleteAccount abstracts an account deletion from the trie.
 func (t *TransitionTrie) DeleteAccount(key common.Address) error {
-	return t.overlay.DeleteAccount(key)
+	err := t.overlay.DeleteAccount(key)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return t.base.DeleteAccount(key)
 }
 
 // Hash returns the root hash of the trie. It does not write to the database and
diff --git a/trie/verkle.go b/trie/verkle.go
index f63cb0e89524..34e17dd7830c 100644
--- a/trie/verkle.go
+++ b/trie/verkle.go
@@ -204,23 +204,17 @@ func (trie *VerkleTrie) UpdateStorage(address common.Address, key, value []byte)
 }
 
 func (t *VerkleTrie) DeleteAccount(addr common.Address) error {
-	var (
-		err    error
-		values = make([][]byte, verkle.NodeWidth)
-		stem   = t.pointCache.GetTreeKeyVersionCached(addr[:])
-	)
-
-	for i := 0; i < verkle.NodeWidth; i++ {
-		values[i] = zero[:]
-	}
-	switch root := t.root.(type) {
-	case *verkle.InternalNode:
-		err = root.InsertValuesAtStem(stem, values, t.FlatdbNodeResolver)
-	default:
-		return errInvalidRootType
-	}
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("DeleteAccount (%x) error: %v", addr, err)
+	var key = t.pointCache.GetTreeKeyVersionCached(addr[:])
+
+	// XXX this only deletes the header account, but for completeness,
+	// we need to delete everything. This is only a problem pre-cancun
+	// which unfortunately we are still stuck at.
+	// NOTE we should also return immediately if we are post-transition.
+	for i := 0; i < 256; i++ {
+		key[31] = byte(i)
+		if root, err := t.root.(*verkle.InternalNode).Delete(key, t.FlatdbNodeResolver); root || err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("error deleting key %x: %w", err)
+		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
@@ -230,8 +224,11 @@ func (t *VerkleTrie) DeleteAccount(addr common.Address) error {
 func (trie *VerkleTrie) DeleteStorage(addr common.Address, key []byte) error {
 	pointEval := trie.pointCache.GetTreeKeyHeader(addr[:])
 	k := utils.GetTreeKeyStorageSlotWithEvaluatedAddress(pointEval, key)
-	var zero [32]byte
-	return trie.root.Insert(k, zero[:], trie.FlatdbNodeResolver)
+	deleteRoot, err := trie.root.Delete(k, trie.FlatdbNodeResolver)
+	if deleteRoot {
+		return errors.New("trying to delete the root node, that should never happen")
+	}
+	return err
 }
 
 // Hash returns the root hash of the trie. It does not write to the database and