47: Javier Dominguez Suggests You Play Your Deck a Ton to Know it Inside and Out

Javier Dominguez is the Champion of Grand Prix Paris 2014 (Legacy) and took 2nd place at another Grand Prix. He also has 3 Pro Tour Top 16s (one Worlds). He likes making decks and playing Legacy. Javier lives in Spain.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Javier Dominguez when he shared his story on #MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep47

First Set

Odyssey

Favorite Set

Mirrodin

Favorite Card

Eternal Witness
Meloku the Clouded Mirror

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The people Javier has met has made Magic really fun and sustainable.

Early Challenge

Drafting. To overcome this weakness, Javier would write down his picks and then ask people if  they would make the same ones. That post-game discussion and feedback really helped him improve.

Level Up Moment

When Javier started playing regularly (daily) with his friends and playing all decks against all deck he noticed he really started to improve.

Proudest Magic Moment

Building a Legacy deck and then seeing several team members perform so well in a Pro Tour really meant a lot to Javier.

Javier's Commander

Tasigur, the Golden Fang

Best Format

Legacy

Breaking Into Legacy

Play blue. From there you can identify your style and move from there.

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Consider what has been doing well, pick a deck, then play it a lot so you know it backwards and forwards.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not talking to people enough about the game. Also, keep your mind focused. If you are there to win then focus on winning 100% of the time. It's okay that you miss a land drop or make a misplay, just recalibrate and keep your mind on winning.

You can train yourself to focus by playing against someone while visualizing you are playing for the Top 8 of a Grand Prix. Practice focusing and you'll get better at focusing.

Card Evaluation Tips

Javier looks for enablers when a set is released. He will compare new cards to ones that he's used to. This gives him a baseline.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Make three piles: Wow cards, solid fillers, all the rest. Remember, anything not in your deck is your sideboard.

Draft: When there are two cards that are close, take the bigger one because they are generally better.
Know color combinations and archetypes for the set you're drafting.

How to Effectively Play Test

Link up with other players (find a good group at your local FNM) and practice with them.

It's important to have someone to talk about the meta game with and make critical decisions with.

What's Inside? (Tournament Bag)

Cereal Bar
Nuts
Water

Eat and drink at least every 2 hours. If you are hungry or thirsty then you've waited too long.

Improvement Suggestions

To break into the competitive scene there is always a cheap deck. (Usually red.) Start with this deck.

No matter what you choose, make sure you stick with it and practice a lot.

Magic Resource

Frank Karsten articles (on Channel Fireball)

Connect With Javier

Twitter: @Thalaiet

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