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Talking Art with the World Champ

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Have we not talked art with Javier Domínguez yet? Maybe it's about time we do that.

Javier made it to the World Championships in Las Vegas in 2018 on the back of being the Top Pro Point earner. Then he won the whole thing. Neat.

But that's not the whole story.

Who is this guy? What're his thoughts on dogs vs. cats? Does he ever play lands in front? While I can't answer everything, I definitely can answer some things in my corner of our little Magic community. I talk about art and that's what we'll be covering today. What are Javier's views on art?

Javier, hello! The people are curious, what the first piece of Magic artwork you remember?

Mesa Pegasus. I found it relaxing.

When making a deck for modern, legacy, or vintage...can you think of any examples where you have many choices for an artwork and you choose a specific one on purpose?

[For my winning bug Delver deck at GP Paris], I used mismatched Hymns, because I happened to own two different ones. Nowadays, I just try to keep all my playsets with the same art. I usually try to stick to the one that comes to my mind first when I think of the card. For example, when I think of Ponder, it's the Lorwyn one, and when I think of Brainstorm, it's mostly the Mercadian Masques.

Brainstorm by Tony DiTerlizzi

Acryligouache on Paper

In a private collection

Brainstorm sketch by Tony DiTerlizzi

Pencil on paper

Via Patrick Scalisi

Ponder by Mark Tedin

Acrylic gouache on board

What are your preferred basic lands?

Why those choices?

I like my basic to have a strong element of their color in the picture. For example, I like the picture of the Islands to be mostly blue. Swamp is a classic. :)

Have you ever changed which basic land artworks you like?

I used to like some cool arts for my decks like the below. But now, I try to keep my mountains as red as possible.

Do you own any Magic paintings? Any Magic prints? Any Magic art on your walls at all?

I don't, but I'm on my way to owning a Hazoret the Fervent one.

What is your favorite playmat and why? Does it have a story or do you just like the art?

The Glint-Sleeve Siphoner playmat. Going to a GP I just grabbed the first one I had around (which happened to be the Siphoner). At that GP, Andrea Mengucci found it funny that I was playing with it for some reason. After that I just kept bringing it to every GP for troll value so he could keep making the joke again and again. And that's how it became my tournament playmat.

What is your favorite deckbox and why?

I use the Hareruya deckboxes!

Do you use any specific tokens when you play? If so, what ones and why?

I used to use some Pro Player tokens. Then, I got involved in a match where I needed a Thopter, a Plant, a Knight Ally, a Warrior and a Clue token. Since then, I just try to use the tokens that come in boosters.

Good luck the rest of your career Javier. You can find him on Twitter at @Thalaiet and ask him more about his art choices.

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