Don’t spend your comeback on people who aren’t even in your league anymore.

A good comeback feels like settling something, and it also tells the other person they still have access to you. Responding is a form of attention, and attention is what they came for. The people worth answering are the ones whose opinion will still matter to you in two years. Most of the ones who provoke you will not be in the picture at all.

Draft it if you need to, then ask whether this person will matter next year. If not, keep the line and use it never. Put the energy somewhere that will still exist when the exchange is forgotten.