diff --git a/core/state/journal.go b/core/state/journal.go
index 6cdc1fc868..89f0cd6ce0 100644
--- a/core/state/journal.go
+++ b/core/state/journal.go
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@
 package state
 
 import (
+	"maps"
+
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
 	"github.com/holiman/uint256"
 )
@@ -29,6 +31,9 @@ type journalEntry interface {
 
 	// dirtied returns the Ethereum address modified by this journal entry.
 	dirtied() *common.Address
+
+	// copy returns a deep-copied journal entry.
+	copy() journalEntry
 }
 
 // journal contains the list of state modifications applied since the last state
@@ -83,22 +88,23 @@ func (j *journal) length() int {
 	return len(j.entries)
 }
 
+// copy returns a deep-copied journal.
+func (j *journal) copy() *journal {
+	entries := make([]journalEntry, 0, j.length())
+	for i := 0; i < j.length(); i++ {
+		entries = append(entries, j.entries[i].copy())
+	}
+	return &journal{
+		entries: entries,
+		dirties: maps.Clone(j.dirties),
+	}
+}
+
 type (
 	// Changes to the account trie.
 	createObjectChange struct {
 		account *common.Address
 	}
-	resetObjectChange struct {
-		account      *common.Address
-		prev         *stateObject
-		prevdestruct bool
-		prevAccount  []byte
-		prevStorage  map[common.Hash][]byte
-
-		prevAccountOriginExist bool
-		prevAccountOrigin      []byte
-		prevStorageOrigin      map[common.Hash][]byte
-	}
 	selfDestructChange struct {
 		account     *common.Address
 		prev        bool // whether account had already self-destructed
@@ -136,6 +142,7 @@ type (
 	touchChange struct {
 		account *common.Address
 	}
+
 	// Changes to the access list
 	accessListAddAccountChange struct {
 		address *common.Address
@@ -145,6 +152,7 @@ type (
 		slot    *common.Hash
 	}
 
+	// Changes to transient storage
 	transientStorageChange struct {
 		account       *common.Address
 		key, prevalue common.Hash
@@ -153,34 +161,16 @@ type (
 
 func (ch createObjectChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
 	delete(s.stateObjects, *ch.account)
-	delete(s.stateObjectsDirty, *ch.account)
 }
 
 func (ch createObjectChange) dirtied() *common.Address {
 	return ch.account
 }
 
-func (ch resetObjectChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
-	s.setStateObject(ch.prev)
-	if !ch.prevdestruct {
-		delete(s.stateObjectsDestruct, ch.prev.address)
+func (ch createObjectChange) copy() journalEntry {
+	return createObjectChange{
+		account: ch.account,
 	}
-	if ch.prevAccount != nil {
-		s.accounts[ch.prev.addrHash] = ch.prevAccount
-	}
-	if ch.prevStorage != nil {
-		s.storages[ch.prev.addrHash] = ch.prevStorage
-	}
-	if ch.prevAccountOriginExist {
-		s.accountsOrigin[ch.prev.address] = ch.prevAccountOrigin
-	}
-	if ch.prevStorageOrigin != nil {
-		s.storagesOrigin[ch.prev.address] = ch.prevStorageOrigin
-	}
-}
-
-func (ch resetObjectChange) dirtied() *common.Address {
-	return ch.account
 }
 
 func (ch selfDestructChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
@@ -195,6 +185,14 @@ func (ch selfDestructChange) dirtied() *common.Address {
 	return ch.account
 }
 
+func (ch selfDestructChange) copy() journalEntry {
+	return selfDestructChange{
+		account:     ch.account,
+		prev:        ch.prev,
+		prevbalance: new(uint256.Int).Set(ch.prevbalance),
+	}
+}
+
 var ripemd = common.HexToAddress("0000000000000000000000000000000000000003")
 
 func (ch touchChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
@@ -204,6 +202,12 @@ func (ch touchChange) dirtied() *common.Address {
 	return ch.account
 }
 
+func (ch touchChange) copy() journalEntry {
+	return touchChange{
+		account: ch.account,
+	}
+}
+
 func (ch balanceChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
 	s.getStateObject(*ch.account).setBalance(ch.prev)
 }
@@ -212,6 +216,13 @@ func (ch balanceChange) dirtied() *common.Address {
 	return ch.account
 }
 
+func (ch balanceChange) copy() journalEntry {
+	return balanceChange{
+		account: ch.account,
+		prev:    new(uint256.Int).Set(ch.prev),
+	}
+}
+
 func (ch nonceChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
 	s.getStateObject(*ch.account).setNonce(ch.prev)
 }
@@ -220,6 +231,13 @@ func (ch nonceChange) dirtied() *common.Address {
 	return ch.account
 }
 
+func (ch nonceChange) copy() journalEntry {
+	return nonceChange{
+		account: ch.account,
+		prev:    ch.prev,
+	}
+}
+
 func (ch codeChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
 	s.getStateObject(*ch.account).setCode(common.BytesToHash(ch.prevhash), ch.prevcode)
 }
@@ -228,6 +246,14 @@ func (ch codeChange) dirtied() *common.Address {
 	return ch.account
 }
 
+func (ch codeChange) copy() journalEntry {
+	return codeChange{
+		account:  ch.account,
+		prevhash: common.CopyBytes(ch.prevhash),
+		prevcode: common.CopyBytes(ch.prevcode),
+	}
+}
+
 func (ch storageChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
 	s.getStateObject(*ch.account).setState(ch.key, ch.prevalue)
 }
@@ -236,6 +262,14 @@ func (ch storageChange) dirtied() *common.Address {
 	return ch.account
 }
 
+func (ch storageChange) copy() journalEntry {
+	return storageChange{
+		account:  ch.account,
+		key:      ch.key,
+		prevalue: ch.prevalue,
+	}
+}
+
 func (ch transientStorageChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
 	s.setTransientState(*ch.account, ch.key, ch.prevalue)
 }
@@ -244,6 +278,14 @@ func (ch transientStorageChange) dirtied() *common.Address {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (ch transientStorageChange) copy() journalEntry {
+	return transientStorageChange{
+		account:  ch.account,
+		key:      ch.key,
+		prevalue: ch.prevalue,
+	}
+}
+
 func (ch refundChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
 	s.refund = ch.prev
 }
@@ -252,6 +294,12 @@ func (ch refundChange) dirtied() *common.Address {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (ch refundChange) copy() journalEntry {
+	return refundChange{
+		prev: ch.prev,
+	}
+}
+
 func (ch addLogChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
 	logs := s.logs[ch.txhash]
 	if len(logs) == 1 {
@@ -266,6 +314,12 @@ func (ch addLogChange) dirtied() *common.Address {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (ch addLogChange) copy() journalEntry {
+	return addLogChange{
+		txhash: ch.txhash,
+	}
+}
+
 func (ch addPreimageChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
 	delete(s.preimages, ch.hash)
 }
@@ -274,6 +328,12 @@ func (ch addPreimageChange) dirtied() *common.Address {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (ch addPreimageChange) copy() journalEntry {
+	return addPreimageChange{
+		hash: ch.hash,
+	}
+}
+
 func (ch accessListAddAccountChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
 	/*
 		One important invariant here, is that whenever a (addr, slot) is added, if the
@@ -291,6 +351,12 @@ func (ch accessListAddAccountChange) dirtied() *common.Address {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func (ch accessListAddAccountChange) copy() journalEntry {
+	return accessListAddAccountChange{
+		address: ch.address,
+	}
+}
+
 func (ch accessListAddSlotChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
 	s.accessList.DeleteSlot(*ch.address, *ch.slot)
 }
@@ -298,3 +364,10 @@ func (ch accessListAddSlotChange) revert(s *StateDB) {
 func (ch accessListAddSlotChange) dirtied() *common.Address {
 	return nil
 }
+
+func (ch accessListAddSlotChange) copy() journalEntry {
+	return accessListAddSlotChange{
+		address: ch.address,
+		slot:    ch.slot,
+	}
+}
diff --git a/core/state/state_object.go b/core/state/state_object.go
index 1aa7946fd0..2aeb83206c 100644
--- a/core/state/state_object.go
+++ b/core/state/state_object.go
@@ -32,21 +32,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/holiman/uint256"
 )
 
-type Code []byte
-
-func (c Code) String() string {
-	return string(c) //strings.Join(Disassemble(c), " ")
-}
-
 type Storage map[common.Hash]common.Hash
 
-func (s Storage) String() (str string) {
-	for key, value := range s {
-		str += fmt.Sprintf("%X : %X\n", key, value)
-	}
-	return
-}
-
 func (s Storage) Copy() Storage {
 	return maps.Clone(s)
 }
@@ -65,8 +52,8 @@ type stateObject struct {
 	data     types.StateAccount  // Account data with all mutations applied in the scope of block
 
 	// Write caches.
-	trie Trie // storage trie, which becomes non-nil on first access
-	code Code // contract bytecode, which gets set when code is loaded
+	trie Trie   // storage trie, which becomes non-nil on first access
+	code []byte // contract bytecode, which gets set when code is loaded
 
 	originStorage  Storage // Storage cache of original entries to dedup rewrites
 	pendingStorage Storage // Storage entries that need to be flushed to disk, at the end of an entire block
@@ -75,15 +62,10 @@ type stateObject struct {
 	// Cache flags.
 	dirtyCode bool // true if the code was updated
 
-	// Flag whether the account was marked as self-destructed. The self-destructed account
-	// is still accessible in the scope of same transaction.
+	// Flag whether the account was marked as self-destructed. The self-destructed
+	// account is still accessible in the scope of same transaction.
 	selfDestructed bool
 
-	// Flag whether the account was marked as deleted. A self-destructed account
-	// or an account that is considered as empty will be marked as deleted at
-	// the end of transaction and no longer accessible anymore.
-	deleted bool
-
 	// Flag whether the object was created in the current transaction
 	created bool
 }
@@ -463,12 +445,12 @@ func (s *stateObject) deepCopy(db *StateDB) *stateObject {
 		obj.trie = db.db.CopyTrie(s.trie)
 	}
 	obj.code = s.code
-	obj.dirtyStorage = s.dirtyStorage.Copy()
 	obj.originStorage = s.originStorage.Copy()
 	obj.pendingStorage = s.pendingStorage.Copy()
-	obj.selfDestructed = s.selfDestructed
+	obj.dirtyStorage = s.dirtyStorage.Copy()
 	obj.dirtyCode = s.dirtyCode
-	obj.deleted = s.deleted
+	obj.selfDestructed = s.selfDestructed
+	obj.created = s.created
 	return obj
 }
 
@@ -483,7 +465,7 @@ func (s *stateObject) Address() common.Address {
 
 // Code returns the contract code associated with this object, if any.
 func (s *stateObject) Code() []byte {
-	if s.code != nil {
+	if len(s.code) != 0 {
 		return s.code
 	}
 	if bytes.Equal(s.CodeHash(), types.EmptyCodeHash.Bytes()) {
@@ -501,7 +483,7 @@ func (s *stateObject) Code() []byte {
 // or zero if none. This method is an almost mirror of Code, but uses a cache
 // inside the database to avoid loading codes seen recently.
 func (s *stateObject) CodeSize() int {
-	if s.code != nil {
+	if len(s.code) != 0 {
 		return len(s.code)
 	}
 	if bytes.Equal(s.CodeHash(), types.EmptyCodeHash.Bytes()) {
diff --git a/core/state/state_test.go b/core/state/state_test.go
index c6e6db906e..9200e4abe9 100644
--- a/core/state/state_test.go
+++ b/core/state/state_test.go
@@ -194,106 +194,20 @@ func TestSnapshotEmpty(t *testing.T) {
 	s.state.RevertToSnapshot(s.state.Snapshot())
 }
 
-func TestSnapshot2(t *testing.T) {
+func TestCreateObjectRevert(t *testing.T) {
 	state, _ := New(types.EmptyRootHash, NewDatabase(rawdb.NewMemoryDatabase()), nil)
+	addr := common.BytesToAddress([]byte("so0"))
+	snap := state.Snapshot()
 
-	stateobjaddr0 := common.BytesToAddress([]byte("so0"))
-	stateobjaddr1 := common.BytesToAddress([]byte("so1"))
-	var storageaddr common.Hash
-
-	data0 := common.BytesToHash([]byte{17})
-	data1 := common.BytesToHash([]byte{18})
-
-	state.SetState(stateobjaddr0, storageaddr, data0)
-	state.SetState(stateobjaddr1, storageaddr, data1)
-
-	// db, trie are already non-empty values
-	so0 := state.getStateObject(stateobjaddr0)
+	state.CreateAccount(addr)
+	so0 := state.getStateObject(addr)
 	so0.SetBalance(uint256.NewInt(42), tracing.BalanceChangeUnspecified)
 	so0.SetNonce(43)
 	so0.SetCode(crypto.Keccak256Hash([]byte{'c', 'a', 'f', 'e'}), []byte{'c', 'a', 'f', 'e'})
-	so0.selfDestructed = false
-	so0.deleted = false
 	state.setStateObject(so0)
 
-	root, _ := state.Commit(0, false)
-	state, _ = New(root, state.db, state.snaps)
-
-	// and one with deleted == true
-	so1 := state.getStateObject(stateobjaddr1)
-	so1.SetBalance(uint256.NewInt(52), tracing.BalanceChangeUnspecified)
-	so1.SetNonce(53)
-	so1.SetCode(crypto.Keccak256Hash([]byte{'c', 'a', 'f', 'e', '2'}), []byte{'c', 'a', 'f', 'e', '2'})
-	so1.selfDestructed = true
-	so1.deleted = true
-	state.setStateObject(so1)
-
-	so1 = state.getStateObject(stateobjaddr1)
-	if so1 != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("deleted object not nil when getting")
-	}
-
-	snapshot := state.Snapshot()
-	state.RevertToSnapshot(snapshot)
-
-	so0Restored := state.getStateObject(stateobjaddr0)
-	// Update lazily-loaded values before comparing.
-	so0Restored.GetState(storageaddr)
-	so0Restored.Code()
-	// non-deleted is equal (restored)
-	compareStateObjects(so0Restored, so0, t)
-
-	// deleted should be nil, both before and after restore of state copy
-	so1Restored := state.getStateObject(stateobjaddr1)
-	if so1Restored != nil {
-		t.Fatalf("deleted object not nil after restoring snapshot: %+v", so1Restored)
-	}
-}
-
-func compareStateObjects(so0, so1 *stateObject, t *testing.T) {
-	if so0.Address() != so1.Address() {
-		t.Fatalf("Address mismatch: have %v, want %v", so0.address, so1.address)
-	}
-	if so0.Balance().Cmp(so1.Balance()) != 0 {
-		t.Fatalf("Balance mismatch: have %v, want %v", so0.Balance(), so1.Balance())
-	}
-	if so0.Nonce() != so1.Nonce() {
-		t.Fatalf("Nonce mismatch: have %v, want %v", so0.Nonce(), so1.Nonce())
-	}
-	if so0.data.Root != so1.data.Root {
-		t.Errorf("Root mismatch: have %x, want %x", so0.data.Root[:], so1.data.Root[:])
-	}
-	if !bytes.Equal(so0.CodeHash(), so1.CodeHash()) {
-		t.Fatalf("CodeHash mismatch: have %v, want %v", so0.CodeHash(), so1.CodeHash())
-	}
-	if !bytes.Equal(so0.code, so1.code) {
-		t.Fatalf("Code mismatch: have %v, want %v", so0.code, so1.code)
-	}
-
-	if len(so1.dirtyStorage) != len(so0.dirtyStorage) {
-		t.Errorf("Dirty storage size mismatch: have %d, want %d", len(so1.dirtyStorage), len(so0.dirtyStorage))
-	}
-	for k, v := range so1.dirtyStorage {
-		if so0.dirtyStorage[k] != v {
-			t.Errorf("Dirty storage key %x mismatch: have %v, want %v", k, so0.dirtyStorage[k], v)
-		}
-	}
-	for k, v := range so0.dirtyStorage {
-		if so1.dirtyStorage[k] != v {
-			t.Errorf("Dirty storage key %x mismatch: have %v, want none.", k, v)
-		}
-	}
-	if len(so1.originStorage) != len(so0.originStorage) {
-		t.Errorf("Origin storage size mismatch: have %d, want %d", len(so1.originStorage), len(so0.originStorage))
-	}
-	for k, v := range so1.originStorage {
-		if so0.originStorage[k] != v {
-			t.Errorf("Origin storage key %x mismatch: have %v, want %v", k, so0.originStorage[k], v)
-		}
-	}
-	for k, v := range so0.originStorage {
-		if so1.originStorage[k] != v {
-			t.Errorf("Origin storage key %x mismatch: have %v, want none.", k, v)
-		}
+	state.RevertToSnapshot(snap)
+	if state.Exist(addr) {
+		t.Error("Unexpected account after revert")
 	}
 }
diff --git a/core/state/statedb.go b/core/state/statedb.go
index f2c2e7a798..d9f6cc3430 100644
--- a/core/state/statedb.go
+++ b/core/state/statedb.go
@@ -44,6 +44,22 @@ type revision struct {
 	journalIndex int
 }
 
+type mutationType int
+
+const (
+	update mutationType = iota
+	deletion
+)
+
+type mutation struct {
+	typ     mutationType
+	applied bool
+}
+
+func (m *mutation) isDelete() bool {
+	return m.typ == deletion
+}
+
 // StateDB structs within the ethereum protocol are used to store anything
 // within the merkle trie. StateDBs take care of caching and storing
 // nested states. It's the general query interface to retrieve:
@@ -75,12 +91,22 @@ type StateDB struct {
 	accountsOrigin map[common.Address][]byte                 // The original value of mutated accounts in 'slim RLP' encoding
 	storagesOrigin map[common.Address]map[common.Hash][]byte // The original value of mutated slots in prefix-zero trimmed rlp format
 
-	// This map holds 'live' objects, which will get modified while processing
-	// a state transition.
-	stateObjects         map[common.Address]*stateObject
-	stateObjectsPending  map[common.Address]struct{}            // State objects finalized but not yet written to the trie
-	stateObjectsDirty    map[common.Address]struct{}            // State objects modified in the current execution
-	stateObjectsDestruct map[common.Address]*types.StateAccount // State objects destructed in the block along with its previous value
+	// This map holds 'live' objects, which will get modified while
+	// processing a state transition.
+	stateObjects map[common.Address]*stateObject
+
+	// This map holds 'deleted' objects. An object with the same address
+	// might also occur in the 'stateObjects' map due to account
+	// resurrection. The account value is tracked as the original value
+	// before the transition. This map is populated at the transaction
+	// boundaries.
+	stateObjectsDestruct map[common.Address]*types.StateAccount
+
+	// This map tracks the account mutations that occurred during the
+	// transition. Uncommitted mutations belonging to the same account
+	// can be merged into a single one which is equivalent from database's
+	// perspective. This map is populated at the transaction boundaries.
+	mutations map[common.Address]*mutation
 
 	// DB error.
 	// State objects are used by the consensus core and VM which are
@@ -154,9 +180,8 @@ func New(root common.Hash, db Database, snaps *snapshot.Tree) (*StateDB, error)
 		accountsOrigin:       make(map[common.Address][]byte),
 		storagesOrigin:       make(map[common.Address]map[common.Hash][]byte),
 		stateObjects:         make(map[common.Address]*stateObject),
-		stateObjectsPending:  make(map[common.Address]struct{}),
-		stateObjectsDirty:    make(map[common.Address]struct{}),
 		stateObjectsDestruct: make(map[common.Address]*types.StateAccount),
+		mutations:            make(map[common.Address]*mutation),
 		logs:                 make(map[common.Hash][]*types.Log),
 		preimages:            make(map[common.Hash][]byte),
 		journal:              newJournal(),
@@ -472,7 +497,6 @@ func (s *StateDB) Selfdestruct6780(addr common.Address) {
 	if stateObject == nil {
 		return
 	}
-
 	if stateObject.created {
 		s.SelfDestruct(addr)
 	}
@@ -552,24 +576,16 @@ func (s *StateDB) deleteStateObject(addr common.Address) {
 }
 
 // getStateObject retrieves a state object given by the address, returning nil if
-// the object is not found or was deleted in this execution context. If you need
-// to differentiate between non-existent/just-deleted, use getDeletedStateObject.
+// the object is not found or was deleted in this execution context.
 func (s *StateDB) getStateObject(addr common.Address) *stateObject {
-	if obj := s.getDeletedStateObject(addr); obj != nil && !obj.deleted {
-		return obj
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
-// getDeletedStateObject is similar to getStateObject, but instead of returning
-// nil for a deleted state object, it returns the actual object with the deleted
-// flag set. This is needed by the state journal to revert to the correct s-
-// destructed object instead of wiping all knowledge about the state object.
-func (s *StateDB) getDeletedStateObject(addr common.Address) *stateObject {
 	// Prefer live objects if any is available
 	if obj := s.stateObjects[addr]; obj != nil {
 		return obj
 	}
+	// Short circuit if the account is already destructed in this block.
+	if _, ok := s.stateObjectsDestruct[addr]; ok {
+		return nil
+	}
 	// If no live objects are available, attempt to use snapshots
 	var data *types.StateAccount
 	if s.snap != nil {
@@ -622,70 +638,28 @@ func (s *StateDB) setStateObject(object *stateObject) {
 
 // getOrNewStateObject retrieves a state object or create a new state object if nil.
 func (s *StateDB) getOrNewStateObject(addr common.Address) *stateObject {
-	stateObject := s.getStateObject(addr)
-	if stateObject == nil {
-		stateObject, _ = s.createObject(addr)
+	obj := s.getStateObject(addr)
+	if obj == nil {
+		obj = s.createObject(addr)
 	}
-	return stateObject
+	return obj
 }
 
-// createObject creates a new state object. If there is an existing account with
-// the given address, it is overwritten and returned as the second return value.
-func (s *StateDB) createObject(addr common.Address) (newobj, prev *stateObject) {
-	prev = s.getDeletedStateObject(addr) // Note, prev might have been deleted, we need that!
-	newobj = newObject(s, addr, nil)
-	if prev == nil {
-		s.journal.append(createObjectChange{account: &addr})
-	} else {
-		// The original account should be marked as destructed and all cached
-		// account and storage data should be cleared as well. Note, it must
-		// be done here, otherwise the destruction event of "original account"
-		// will be lost.
-		_, prevdestruct := s.stateObjectsDestruct[prev.address]
-		if !prevdestruct {
-			s.stateObjectsDestruct[prev.address] = prev.origin
-		}
-		// There may be some cached account/storage data already since IntermediateRoot
-		// will be called for each transaction before byzantium fork which will always
-		// cache the latest account/storage data.
-		prevAccount, ok := s.accountsOrigin[prev.address]
-		s.journal.append(resetObjectChange{
-			account:                &addr,
-			prev:                   prev,
-			prevdestruct:           prevdestruct,
-			prevAccount:            s.accounts[prev.addrHash],
-			prevStorage:            s.storages[prev.addrHash],
-			prevAccountOriginExist: ok,
-			prevAccountOrigin:      prevAccount,
-			prevStorageOrigin:      s.storagesOrigin[prev.address],
-		})
-		delete(s.accounts, prev.addrHash)
-		delete(s.storages, prev.addrHash)
-		delete(s.accountsOrigin, prev.address)
-		delete(s.storagesOrigin, prev.address)
-	}
-	s.setStateObject(newobj)
-	if prev != nil && !prev.deleted {
-		return newobj, prev
-	}
-	return newobj, nil
+// createObject creates a new state object. The assumption is held there is no
+// existing account with the given address, otherwise it will be silently overwritten.
+func (s *StateDB) createObject(addr common.Address) *stateObject {
+	obj := newObject(s, addr, nil)
+	s.journal.append(createObjectChange{account: &addr})
+	s.setStateObject(obj)
+	return obj
 }
 
-// CreateAccount explicitly creates a state object. If a state object with the address
-// already exists the balance is carried over to the new account.
-//
-// CreateAccount is called during the EVM CREATE operation. The situation might arise that
-// a contract does the following:
-//
-//  1. sends funds to sha(account ++ (nonce + 1))
-//  2. tx_create(sha(account ++ nonce)) (note that this gets the address of 1)
-//
-// Carrying over the balance ensures that Ether doesn't disappear.
+// CreateAccount explicitly creates a new state object, assuming that the
+// account did not previously exist in the state. If the account already
+// exists, this function will silently overwrite it which might lead to a
+// consensus bug eventually.
 func (s *StateDB) CreateAccount(addr common.Address) {
-	newObj, prev := s.createObject(addr)
-	if prev != nil {
-		newObj.setBalance(prev.data.Balance)
-	}
+	s.createObject(addr)
 }
 
 // Copy creates a deep, independent copy of the state.
@@ -695,21 +669,25 @@ func (s *StateDB) Copy() *StateDB {
 	state := &StateDB{
 		db:                   s.db,
 		trie:                 s.db.CopyTrie(s.trie),
+		hasher:               crypto.NewKeccakState(),
 		originalRoot:         s.originalRoot,
 		accounts:             make(map[common.Hash][]byte),
 		storages:             make(map[common.Hash]map[common.Hash][]byte),
 		accountsOrigin:       make(map[common.Address][]byte),
 		storagesOrigin:       make(map[common.Address]map[common.Hash][]byte),
-		stateObjects:         make(map[common.Address]*stateObject, len(s.journal.dirties)),
-		stateObjectsPending:  make(map[common.Address]struct{}, len(s.stateObjectsPending)),
-		stateObjectsDirty:    make(map[common.Address]struct{}, len(s.journal.dirties)),
+		stateObjects:         make(map[common.Address]*stateObject, len(s.stateObjects)),
 		stateObjectsDestruct: make(map[common.Address]*types.StateAccount, len(s.stateObjectsDestruct)),
+		mutations:            make(map[common.Address]*mutation, len(s.mutations)),
+		dbErr:                s.dbErr,
 		refund:               s.refund,
+		thash:                s.thash,
+		txIndex:              s.txIndex,
 		logs:                 make(map[common.Hash][]*types.Log, len(s.logs)),
 		logSize:              s.logSize,
-		preimages:            make(map[common.Hash][]byte, len(s.preimages)),
-		journal:              newJournal(),
-		hasher:               crypto.NewKeccakState(),
+		preimages:            maps.Clone(s.preimages),
+		journal:              s.journal.copy(),
+		validRevisions:       slices.Clone(s.validRevisions),
+		nextRevisionId:       s.nextRevisionId,
 
 		// In order for the block producer to be able to use and make additions
 		// to the snapshot tree, we need to copy that as well. Otherwise, any
@@ -718,37 +696,13 @@ func (s *StateDB) Copy() *StateDB {
 		snaps: s.snaps,
 		snap:  s.snap,
 	}
-	// Copy the dirty states, logs, and preimages
-	for addr := range s.journal.dirties {
-		// As documented [here](https://github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/pull/16485#issuecomment-380438527),
-		// and in the Finalise-method, there is a case where an object is in the journal but not
-		// in the stateObjects: OOG after touch on ripeMD prior to Byzantium. Thus, we need to check for
-		// nil
-		if object, exist := s.stateObjects[addr]; exist {
-			// Even though the original object is dirty, we are not copying the journal,
-			// so we need to make sure that any side-effect the journal would have caused
-			// during a commit (or similar op) is already applied to the copy.
-			state.stateObjects[addr] = object.deepCopy(state)
-
-			state.stateObjectsDirty[addr] = struct{}{}   // Mark the copy dirty to force internal (code/state) commits
-			state.stateObjectsPending[addr] = struct{}{} // Mark the copy pending to force external (account) commits
-		}
+	// Deep copy cached state objects.
+	for addr, obj := range s.stateObjects {
+		state.stateObjects[addr] = obj.deepCopy(state)
 	}
-	// Above, we don't copy the actual journal. This means that if the copy
-	// is copied, the loop above will be a no-op, since the copy's journal
-	// is empty. Thus, here we iterate over stateObjects, to enable copies
-	// of copies.
-	for addr := range s.stateObjectsPending {
-		if _, exist := state.stateObjects[addr]; !exist {
-			state.stateObjects[addr] = s.stateObjects[addr].deepCopy(state)
-		}
-		state.stateObjectsPending[addr] = struct{}{}
-	}
-	for addr := range s.stateObjectsDirty {
-		if _, exist := state.stateObjects[addr]; !exist {
-			state.stateObjects[addr] = s.stateObjects[addr].deepCopy(state)
-		}
-		state.stateObjectsDirty[addr] = struct{}{}
+	// Deep copy the object state markers.
+	for addr, m := range s.mutations {
+		state.mutations[addr] = &mutation{m.typ, m.applied}
 	}
 	// Deep copy the destruction markers.
 	state.stateObjectsDestruct = maps.Clone(s.stateObjectsDestruct)
@@ -769,8 +723,6 @@ func (s *StateDB) Copy() *StateDB {
 		}
 		state.logs[hash] = cpy
 	}
-	// Deep copy the preimages occurred in the scope of block
-	state.preimages = maps.Clone(s.preimages)
 	// Do we need to copy the access list and transient storage?
 	// In practice: No. At the start of a transaction, these two lists are empty.
 	// In practice, we only ever copy state _between_ transactions/blocks, never
@@ -835,7 +787,8 @@ func (s *StateDB) Finalise(deleteEmptyObjects bool) {
 			continue
 		}
 		if obj.selfDestructed || (deleteEmptyObjects && obj.empty()) {
-			obj.deleted = true
+			delete(s.stateObjects, obj.address)
+			s.markDelete(addr)
 
 			// If ether was sent to account post-selfdestruct it is burnt.
 			if bal := obj.Balance(); s.logger != nil && s.logger.OnBalanceChange != nil && obj.selfDestructed && bal.Sign() != 0 {
@@ -855,12 +808,10 @@ func (s *StateDB) Finalise(deleteEmptyObjects bool) {
 			delete(s.accountsOrigin, obj.address) // Clear out any previously updated account data (may be recreated via a resurrect)
 			delete(s.storagesOrigin, obj.address) // Clear out any previously updated storage data (may be recreated via a resurrect)
 		} else {
+			obj.created = false
 			obj.finalise(true) // Prefetch slots in the background
+			s.markUpdate(addr)
 		}
-		obj.created = false
-		s.stateObjectsPending[addr] = struct{}{}
-		s.stateObjectsDirty[addr] = struct{}{}
-
 		// At this point, also ship the address off to the precacher. The precacher
 		// will start loading tries, and when the change is eventually committed,
 		// the commit-phase will be a lot faster
@@ -894,16 +845,6 @@ func (s *StateDB) IntermediateRoot(deleteEmptyObjects bool) common.Hash {
 			s.prefetcher = nil
 		}()
 	}
-	// Although naively it makes sense to retrieve the account trie and then do
-	// the contract storage and account updates sequentially, that short circuits
-	// the account prefetcher. Instead, let's process all the storage updates
-	// first, giving the account prefetches just a few more milliseconds of time
-	// to pull useful data from disk.
-	for addr := range s.stateObjectsPending {
-		if obj := s.stateObjects[addr]; !obj.deleted {
-			obj.updateRoot()
-		}
-	}
 	// Now we're about to start to write changes to the trie. The trie is so far
 	// _untouched_. We can check with the prefetcher, if it can give us a trie
 	// which has the same root, but also has some content loaded into it.
@@ -912,7 +853,6 @@ func (s *StateDB) IntermediateRoot(deleteEmptyObjects bool) common.Hash {
 			s.trie = trie
 		}
 	}
-	usedAddrs := make([][]byte, 0, len(s.stateObjectsPending))
 	// Perform updates before deletions.  This prevents resolution of unnecessary trie nodes
 	// in circumstances similar to the following:
 	//
@@ -923,13 +863,23 @@ func (s *StateDB) IntermediateRoot(deleteEmptyObjects bool) common.Hash {
 	// If the self-destruct is handled first, then `P` would be left with only one child, thus collapsed
 	// into a shortnode. This requires `B` to be resolved from disk.
 	// Whereas if the created node is handled first, then the collapse is avoided, and `B` is not resolved.
-	var deletedAddrs []common.Address
-	for addr := range s.stateObjectsPending {
-		if obj := s.stateObjects[addr]; !obj.deleted {
+	var (
+		usedAddrs    [][]byte
+		deletedAddrs []common.Address
+	)
+	for addr, mutation := range s.mutations {
+		if mutation.applied {
+			continue
+		}
+		mutation.applied = true
+
+		if mutation.isDelete() {
+			deletedAddrs = append(deletedAddrs, addr)
+		} else {
+			obj := s.stateObjects[addr]
+			obj.updateRoot()
 			s.updateStateObject(obj)
 			s.AccountUpdated += 1
-		} else {
-			deletedAddrs = append(deletedAddrs, obj.address)
 		}
 		usedAddrs = append(usedAddrs, common.CopyBytes(addr[:])) // Copy needed for closure
 	}
@@ -940,9 +890,6 @@ func (s *StateDB) IntermediateRoot(deleteEmptyObjects bool) common.Hash {
 	if prefetcher != nil {
 		prefetcher.used(common.Hash{}, s.originalRoot, usedAddrs)
 	}
-	if len(s.stateObjectsPending) > 0 {
-		s.stateObjectsPending = make(map[common.Address]struct{})
-	}
 	// Track the amount of time wasted on hashing the account trie
 	defer func(start time.Time) { s.AccountHashes += time.Since(start) }(time.Now())
 
@@ -1188,11 +1135,12 @@ func (s *StateDB) Commit(block uint64, deleteEmptyObjects bool) (common.Hash, er
 		return common.Hash{}, err
 	}
 	// Handle all state updates afterwards
-	for addr := range s.stateObjectsDirty {
-		obj := s.stateObjects[addr]
-		if obj.deleted {
+	for addr, mutation := range s.mutations {
+		if mutation.isDelete() {
 			continue
 		}
+		obj := s.stateObjects[addr]
+
 		// Write any contract code associated with the state object
 		if obj.code != nil && obj.dirtyCode {
 			rawdb.WriteCode(codeWriter, common.BytesToHash(obj.CodeHash()), obj.code)
@@ -1292,7 +1240,7 @@ func (s *StateDB) Commit(block uint64, deleteEmptyObjects bool) (common.Hash, er
 	s.storages = make(map[common.Hash]map[common.Hash][]byte)
 	s.accountsOrigin = make(map[common.Address][]byte)
 	s.storagesOrigin = make(map[common.Address]map[common.Hash][]byte)
-	s.stateObjectsDirty = make(map[common.Address]struct{})
+	s.mutations = make(map[common.Address]*mutation)
 	s.stateObjectsDestruct = make(map[common.Address]*types.StateAccount)
 	return root, nil
 }
@@ -1407,3 +1355,19 @@ func copy2DSet[k comparable](set map[k]map[common.Hash][]byte) map[k]map[common.
 	}
 	return copied
 }
+
+func (s *StateDB) markDelete(addr common.Address) {
+	if _, ok := s.mutations[addr]; !ok {
+		s.mutations[addr] = &mutation{}
+	}
+	s.mutations[addr].applied = false
+	s.mutations[addr].typ = deletion
+}
+
+func (s *StateDB) markUpdate(addr common.Address) {
+	if _, ok := s.mutations[addr]; !ok {
+		s.mutations[addr] = &mutation{}
+	}
+	s.mutations[addr].applied = false
+	s.mutations[addr].typ = update
+}
diff --git a/core/state/statedb_fuzz_test.go b/core/state/statedb_fuzz_test.go
index 65cf278108..6317681a7f 100644
--- a/core/state/statedb_fuzz_test.go
+++ b/core/state/statedb_fuzz_test.go
@@ -96,7 +96,9 @@ func newStateTestAction(addr common.Address, r *rand.Rand, index int) testAction
 		{
 			name: "CreateAccount",
 			fn: func(a testAction, s *StateDB) {
-				s.CreateAccount(addr)
+				if !s.Exist(addr) {
+					s.CreateAccount(addr)
+				}
 			},
 		},
 		{
diff --git a/core/state/statedb_test.go b/core/state/statedb_test.go
index bc8c634479..c4ba63c3a5 100644
--- a/core/state/statedb_test.go
+++ b/core/state/statedb_test.go
@@ -225,6 +225,78 @@ func TestCopy(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestCopyWithDirtyJournal tests if Copy can correct create a equal copied
+// stateDB with dirty journal present.
+func TestCopyWithDirtyJournal(t *testing.T) {
+	db := NewDatabase(rawdb.NewMemoryDatabase())
+	orig, _ := New(types.EmptyRootHash, db, nil)
+
+	// Fill up the initial states
+	for i := byte(0); i < 255; i++ {
+		obj := orig.getOrNewStateObject(common.BytesToAddress([]byte{i}))
+		obj.AddBalance(uint256.NewInt(uint64(i)), tracing.BalanceChangeUnspecified)
+		obj.data.Root = common.HexToHash("0xdeadbeef")
+		orig.updateStateObject(obj)
+	}
+	root, _ := orig.Commit(0, true)
+	orig, _ = New(root, db, nil)
+
+	// modify all in memory without finalizing
+	for i := byte(0); i < 255; i++ {
+		obj := orig.getOrNewStateObject(common.BytesToAddress([]byte{i}))
+		obj.SubBalance(uint256.NewInt(uint64(i)), tracing.BalanceChangeUnspecified)
+		orig.updateStateObject(obj)
+	}
+	cpy := orig.Copy()
+
+	orig.Finalise(true)
+	for i := byte(0); i < 255; i++ {
+		root := orig.GetStorageRoot(common.BytesToAddress([]byte{i}))
+		if root != (common.Hash{}) {
+			t.Errorf("Unexpected storage root %x", root)
+		}
+	}
+	cpy.Finalise(true)
+	for i := byte(0); i < 255; i++ {
+		root := cpy.GetStorageRoot(common.BytesToAddress([]byte{i}))
+		if root != (common.Hash{}) {
+			t.Errorf("Unexpected storage root %x", root)
+		}
+	}
+	if cpy.IntermediateRoot(true) != orig.IntermediateRoot(true) {
+		t.Error("State is not equal after copy")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestCopyObjectState creates an original state, S1, and makes a copy S2.
+// It then proceeds to make changes to S1. Those changes are _not_ supposed
+// to affect S2. This test checks that the copy properly deep-copies the objectstate
+func TestCopyObjectState(t *testing.T) {
+	db := NewDatabase(rawdb.NewMemoryDatabase())
+	orig, _ := New(types.EmptyRootHash, db, nil)
+
+	// Fill up the initial states
+	for i := byte(0); i < 5; i++ {
+		obj := orig.getOrNewStateObject(common.BytesToAddress([]byte{i}))
+		obj.AddBalance(uint256.NewInt(uint64(i)), tracing.BalanceChangeUnspecified)
+		obj.data.Root = common.HexToHash("0xdeadbeef")
+		orig.updateStateObject(obj)
+	}
+	orig.Finalise(true)
+	cpy := orig.Copy()
+	for _, obj := range cpy.mutations {
+		if have, want := obj.applied, false; have != want {
+			t.Fatalf("Error in test itself, the 'done' flag should not be set before Commit, have %v want %v", have, want)
+		}
+	}
+	orig.Commit(0, true)
+	for _, obj := range cpy.mutations {
+		if have, want := obj.applied, false; have != want {
+			t.Fatalf("Error: original state affected copy, have %v want %v", have, want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestSnapshotRandom(t *testing.T) {
 	config := &quick.Config{MaxCount: 1000}
 	err := quick.Check((*snapshotTest).run, config)
@@ -308,7 +380,9 @@ func newTestAction(addr common.Address, r *rand.Rand) testAction {
 		{
 			name: "CreateAccount",
 			fn: func(a testAction, s *StateDB) {
-				s.CreateAccount(addr)
+				if !s.Exist(addr) {
+					s.CreateAccount(addr)
+				}
 			},
 		},
 		{
@@ -709,18 +783,19 @@ func TestCopyCopyCommitCopy(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// TestCommitCopy tests the copy from a committed state is not functional.
+// TestCommitCopy tests the copy from a committed state is not fully functional.
 func TestCommitCopy(t *testing.T) {
-	state, _ := New(types.EmptyRootHash, NewDatabase(rawdb.NewMemoryDatabase()), nil)
+	db := NewDatabase(rawdb.NewMemoryDatabase())
+	state, _ := New(types.EmptyRootHash, db, nil)
 
 	// Create an account and check if the retrieved balance is correct
 	addr := common.HexToAddress("0xaffeaffeaffeaffeaffeaffeaffeaffeaffeaffe")
-	skey := common.HexToHash("aaa")
-	sval := common.HexToHash("bbb")
+	skey1, skey2 := common.HexToHash("a1"), common.HexToHash("a2")
+	sval1, sval2 := common.HexToHash("b1"), common.HexToHash("b2")
 
 	state.SetBalance(addr, uint256.NewInt(42), tracing.BalanceChangeUnspecified) // Change the account trie
 	state.SetCode(addr, []byte("hello"))                                         // Change an external metadata
-	state.SetState(addr, skey, sval)                                             // Change the storage trie
+	state.SetState(addr, skey1, sval1)                                           // Change the storage trie
 
 	if balance := state.GetBalance(addr); balance.Cmp(uint256.NewInt(42)) != 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("initial balance mismatch: have %v, want %v", balance, 42)
@@ -728,25 +803,38 @@ func TestCommitCopy(t *testing.T) {
 	if code := state.GetCode(addr); !bytes.Equal(code, []byte("hello")) {
 		t.Fatalf("initial code mismatch: have %x, want %x", code, []byte("hello"))
 	}
-	if val := state.GetState(addr, skey); val != sval {
-		t.Fatalf("initial non-committed storage slot mismatch: have %x, want %x", val, sval)
+	if val := state.GetState(addr, skey1); val != sval1 {
+		t.Fatalf("initial non-committed storage slot mismatch: have %x, want %x", val, sval1)
 	}
-	if val := state.GetCommittedState(addr, skey); val != (common.Hash{}) {
+	if val := state.GetCommittedState(addr, skey1); val != (common.Hash{}) {
 		t.Fatalf("initial committed storage slot mismatch: have %x, want %x", val, common.Hash{})
 	}
-	// Copy the committed state database, the copied one is not functional.
-	state.Commit(0, true)
+	root, _ := state.Commit(0, true)
+
+	state, _ = New(root, db, nil)
+	state.SetState(addr, skey2, sval2)
+	state.Commit(1, true)
+
+	// Copy the committed state database, the copied one is not fully functional.
 	copied := state.Copy()
-	if balance := copied.GetBalance(addr); balance.Cmp(uint256.NewInt(0)) != 0 {
+	if balance := copied.GetBalance(addr); balance.Cmp(uint256.NewInt(42)) != 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected balance: have %v", balance)
 	}
-	if code := copied.GetCode(addr); code != nil {
+	if code := copied.GetCode(addr); !bytes.Equal(code, []byte("hello")) {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected code: have %x", code)
 	}
-	if val := copied.GetState(addr, skey); val != (common.Hash{}) {
+	// Miss slots because of non-functional trie after commit
+	if val := copied.GetState(addr, skey1); val != (common.Hash{}) {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected storage slot: have %x", sval1)
+	}
+	if val := copied.GetCommittedState(addr, skey1); val != (common.Hash{}) {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected storage slot: have %x", val)
 	}
-	if val := copied.GetCommittedState(addr, skey); val != (common.Hash{}) {
+	// Slots cached in the stateDB, available after commit
+	if val := copied.GetState(addr, skey2); val != sval2 {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected storage slot: have %x", sval1)
+	}
+	if val := copied.GetCommittedState(addr, skey2); val != sval2 {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected storage slot: have %x", val)
 	}
 	if !errors.Is(copied.Error(), trie.ErrCommitted) {
@@ -1103,40 +1191,6 @@ func TestStateDBTransientStorage(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestResetObject(t *testing.T) {
-	var (
-		disk     = rawdb.NewMemoryDatabase()
-		tdb      = triedb.NewDatabase(disk, nil)
-		db       = NewDatabaseWithNodeDB(disk, tdb)
-		snaps, _ = snapshot.New(snapshot.Config{CacheSize: 10}, disk, tdb, types.EmptyRootHash)
-		state, _ = New(types.EmptyRootHash, db, snaps)
-		addr     = common.HexToAddress("0x1")
-		slotA    = common.HexToHash("0x1")
-		slotB    = common.HexToHash("0x2")
-	)
-	// Initialize account with balance and storage in first transaction.
-	state.SetBalance(addr, uint256.NewInt(1), tracing.BalanceChangeUnspecified)
-	state.SetState(addr, slotA, common.BytesToHash([]byte{0x1}))
-	state.IntermediateRoot(true)
-
-	// Reset account and mutate balance and storages
-	state.CreateAccount(addr)
-	state.SetBalance(addr, uint256.NewInt(2), tracing.BalanceChangeUnspecified)
-	state.SetState(addr, slotB, common.BytesToHash([]byte{0x2}))
-	root, _ := state.Commit(0, true)
-
-	// Ensure the original account is wiped properly
-	snap := snaps.Snapshot(root)
-	slot, _ := snap.Storage(crypto.Keccak256Hash(addr.Bytes()), crypto.Keccak256Hash(slotA.Bytes()))
-	if len(slot) != 0 {
-		t.Fatalf("Unexpected storage slot")
-	}
-	slot, _ = snap.Storage(crypto.Keccak256Hash(addr.Bytes()), crypto.Keccak256Hash(slotB.Bytes()))
-	if !bytes.Equal(slot, []byte{0x2}) {
-		t.Fatalf("Unexpected storage slot value %v", slot)
-	}
-}
-
 func TestDeleteStorage(t *testing.T) {
 	var (
 		disk     = rawdb.NewMemoryDatabase()
diff --git a/core/vm/evm.go b/core/vm/evm.go
index 36bbf0d3da..07cb8f51bb 100644
--- a/core/vm/evm.go
+++ b/core/vm/evm.go
@@ -434,14 +434,15 @@ func (evm *EVM) create(caller ContractRef, codeAndHash *codeAndHash, gas uint64,
 		return nil, common.Address{}, gas, ErrNonceUintOverflow
 	}
 	evm.StateDB.SetNonce(caller.Address(), nonce+1)
-	// We add this to the access list _before_ taking a snapshot. Even if the creation fails,
-	// the access-list change should not be rolled back
+
+	// We add this to the access list _before_ taking a snapshot. Even if the
+	// creation fails, the access-list change should not be rolled back.
 	if evm.chainRules.IsBerlin {
 		evm.StateDB.AddAddressToAccessList(address)
 	}
 	// Ensure there's no existing contract already at the designated address.
 	// Account is regarded as existent if any of these three conditions is met:
-	// - the nonce is nonzero
+	// - the nonce is non-zero
 	// - the code is non-empty
 	// - the storage is non-empty
 	contractHash := evm.StateDB.GetCodeHash(address)
@@ -454,9 +455,13 @@ func (evm *EVM) create(caller ContractRef, codeAndHash *codeAndHash, gas uint64,
 		}
 		return nil, common.Address{}, 0, ErrContractAddressCollision
 	}
-	// Create a new account on the state
+	// Create a new account on the state only if the object was not present.
+	// It might be possible the contract code is deployed to a pre-existent
+	// account with non-zero balance.
 	snapshot := evm.StateDB.Snapshot()
-	evm.StateDB.CreateAccount(address)
+	if !evm.StateDB.Exist(address) {
+		evm.StateDB.CreateAccount(address)
+	}
 	if evm.chainRules.IsEIP158 {
 		evm.StateDB.SetNonce(address, 1)
 	}
diff --git a/tests/block_test.go b/tests/block_test.go
index 43e3d99b3e..be4b6ee37d 100644
--- a/tests/block_test.go
+++ b/tests/block_test.go
@@ -49,6 +49,11 @@ func TestBlockchain(t *testing.T) {
 	// using 4.6 TGas
 	bt.skipLoad(`.*randomStatetest94.json.*`)
 
+	// The tests under Pyspecs are the ones that are published as execution-spect tests.
+	// We run these tests separately, no need to _also_ run them as part of the
+	// reference tests.
+	bt.skipLoad(`^Pyspecs/`)
+
 	bt.walk(t, blockTestDir, func(t *testing.T, name string, test *BlockTest) {
 		execBlockTest(t, bt, test)
 	})