Executioner's Swing MTG Card

Manages threats efficiently at instant speed, swinging the momentum in your favor. Its dual-color requirement may restrict deck versatility compared to mono-color spells. Executioner’s Swing’s unique trigger requirement demands strategic combat planning.

Mana cost
Converted mana cost	2
Rarity	Common
Type	Instant
Released	2013-02-01
Set symbol
Set name	Gatecrash
Set code	GTC
Number	161
Frame	2003
Layout	Normal
Border	Black
Illustred by	Karl Kopinski

Text of card

Target creature that dealt damage this turn gets -5/-5 until end of turn.

"The contract specified an appendage for a missed payment. Read the fine print: the head is an appendage."

Cards like Executioner's Swing

Executioner’s Swing is an interesting spell that adds strategic depth to Magic: The Gathering. Like Doom Blade, which offers efficient creature removal, Executioner’s Swing demands a creature to have dealt damage this turn to become a target. This condition is more restrictive than Doom Blade’s straightforward approach, but it exudes a sense of planning and anticipation within match dynamics.

Comparative to this, Swift Reckoning also has conditional removal but with a different trigger—requiring spell mastery to remove a target creature without the dealt damage precondition. Executioner’s Swing stands in contrast with its focus on creatures that have actively participated in combat.

Meanwhile, we have Rebuke, which is reactive like Executioner’s Swing, but differs as it can only be cast when your creature is under attack, thereby restricting its use to your opponent’s combat phase. Executioner’s Swing offers a bit more flexibility by targeting creatures post-combat in any turn.

In assessing the utility of these removal spells, Executioner’s Swing brings a unique tactical angle to the game, becoming an attractive option for players who favor a more responsive and calculating removal strategy in their MTG deck-building.

Cards similar to Executioner's Swing by color, type and mana cost

Card Pros

Card Advantage: Executioner’s Swing can sway the momentum of the game by dealing with a threat right after it has dealt damage. This ensures that the resource you spend leads to a more favorable board state, tipping the scales in your favor without losing card equilibrium.

Resource Acceleration: While this card doesn’t provide direct mana acceleration, it efficiently conserves resources by handling large threats with a minimal mana investment. This efficiency can indirectly accelerate your game plan by allowing you to allocate more resources elsewhere.

Instant Speed: The strength of Executioner’s Swing lies in its instant speed, offering you the flexibility to remove an opponent’s creature right after it has dealt damage. This timing is critical, as it allows you to wait and understand the full scope of the combat before committing to destroying the creature, ensuring you make the most informed and impactful play.

Card Cons

Discard Requirement: Even though Executioner’s Swing doesn’t force you to discard a card, it has a strict condition requiring that a creature dealt damage this turn for activation, which can be limiting if you lack control over combat damage.

Specific Mana Cost: Executioner’s Swing demands both white and black mana, making it less flexible than generic or single-color removal spells for deck integration, particularly for those utilizing multiple colors or a basic mana base.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a combined cost of two mana including both white and black, there are alternative removal options that cost the same or less and do not impose the damage-dealt-this-turn prerequisite, potentially offering greater immediate board impact.

Reasons to Include in Your Collection

Versatility: Executioner’s Swing offers a reactive tool for decks that aim to control the pace of the game. It’s an effective removal for creatures that survived combat, fitting into defensive strategies across various archetypes.

Combo Potential: This card pairs well with effects that promote combat damage, allowing you to remove key threats post-combat. It can also be a solid addition in decks that focus on damaging creatures without actually destroying them.

Meta-Relevance: In a landscape where aggressive creature-based strategies are prevalent, Executioner’s Swing serves as a low-cost method to punish attackers and protect life totals, maintaining board state equilibrium.

How to beat

Executioner’s Swing represents a tactical response card in Magic: The Gathering, allowing players to deal with threatening creatures after they’ve done damage. To effectively navigate against this card, it’s essential to recognize its reliance on a creature having dealt damage this turn. Hence, the key lies in either preventing damage from your creatures through effects like indestructible or hexproof or by using instant-speed removals or combat tricks that can negate the combat damage before it occurs.

Another approach involves diversifying threats, so that the loss of any one creature doesn’t cripple your game plan. This distributes the risk and diminishes the impact of targeted removal like Executioner’s Swing. Additionally, considering the mana cost and the fact that it’s a multi-colored card, players can anticipate and play around the conditions it requires—specifically the moment after combat damage is dealt when the card can be cast. By employing these strategies, players can minimize the effectiveness of Executioner’s Swing and maintain an advantage on the battlefield.

It’s all about foresight and having the right countermeasures in your deck to ensure your key creatures either evade Executioner’s Swing or make its use a less favorable move for your opponent in your MTG encounters.

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Executioner's Swing MTG card by a specific set like Gatecrash, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Executioner's Swing and other MTG cards:

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Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Executioner's Swing has restrictions

Format	Legality
Commander	Legal
Legacy	Legal
Paupercommander	Legal
Modern	Legal
Oathbreaker	Legal
Pauper	Legal
Vintage	Legal
Duel	Legal
Pioneer	Legal
Penny	Legal

Rules and information

The reference guide for Magic: The Gathering Executioner's Swing card rulings provides official rulings, any errata issued, as well as a record of all the functional modifications that have occurred.

Date	Text
2013-01-24	It doesn’t matter what the creature dealt damage to or if that damage was combat damage.
2013-01-24	You can’t choose a creature that hasn’t yet dealt damage during the turn as the target of Executioner’s Swing, so in most cases it’s not possible for Executioner’s Swing to reduce the amount of combat damage a creature deals. (If a creature has double strike, you could cast Executioner’s Swing after it deals first-strike damage but before it deals regular combat damage.)