Neither did i, till i watched protour gatecrash, I was like "WTF, you can do that..."Don't get me wrong executioner's swing is a great card, I just prefer a smite :)
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If your goal is to life leech may be adding blood artist to the mix may be a good idea. It means that while there stuff dies to blocks, spells etc your leeching life from them.Personallly I prefer smite over executioners swing, as you can block, then cast smite before damage is dealt. Thus saving an extort guy and killing off their dude for one less mana means more extort :D
For cheap counterspell, Izzet charm, Spell rapture or negate, they're only 2 drops. I would personally go Izzet charm as it allows you to damage target creature for 2 or allow you to draw/discard a card as well.With Nivmagnus Elementals you cast the spell and then exile it to get the 2 +1/+1 counters. This allows you to get them pretty big, pretty quickly. Keymaster rogues are unblockable and are 3/2. Also you could take red bloodrush creatures to cause some big damage before you attack.
I like it, I reckon some counterflux or cancels would be pretty good idea. But other than that looks solid for a budget optionSort of what I'm running at the moment, but cheaper :)http://www.mtgvault.com/deznil/decks/izzet-standard-1st-attempt/
I recommend either Cancel or counterflux to dispel. Why redirect damage, when you can nullify it?I would add another mizzium of mortars, its a great spell to kill off high toughness monsters and with overload its even better.Izzet charms are also something to consider, gives you more counterspell, allows you to shock creature or draw 2, discard 2.I would also swap Frostburn Weird for NivMagnus Elementals, you can cast a spell, shock opponent with guttersnipe, put a drake in play with Talrand. Sacrifice the spell and put 2 +1/+1 counters on the elementals.The problem I have with my deck is ability to get the right cards. I recommend also trying to add some Augur of Bolas or Think Twice.Anyway check out my deck for idea'shttp://www.mtgvault.com/deznil/decks/izzet-standard-1st-attempt/