Kenji Tsumura

Kenji Tsumura (津村 健志) is a professional Magic: The Gathering player from Japan. He is one of only eight players to have reached the top eight of a Pro Tour more than five times.

Kenji Tsumura
津村 健志
Born19 August 1986 (1986-08-19) (age 34)[1]
ResidenceHiroshima, Japan[1]
NationalityJapanese
Pro Tour debut2003 Pro Tour Chicago[1]
WinningsUS$191,617[2]
Pro Tour wins (Top 8)0 (6)[3]
Grand Prix wins (Top 8)2 (13)[4]
Lifetime Pro Points261[5]
Highest Constructed Rating2260[1]
Highest Limited Rating2256[2]
Planeswalker Level47 (Archmage)

Career

Tsumura debuted at the 2003 Pro Tour in Chicago. Over the next two seasons, he qualified for most Pro Tours, but never earned more than the minimum two pro points. The 2005 season saw Tsumura make his breakthrough. A twenty-first-place finish at the first Pro Tour of the season in Columbus was a sign of things to come. At Pro Tour Atlanta, he made the final day of a Pro Tour for the first time. Alongside teammates Tomoharu Saitou and Tomohiro Kaji, Tsumura was eliminated in the semifinals by the eventual winners, Nova (consisting of David Rood, Gabe Tsang, and Gabriel Nassif).[6] At the next Pro Tour, held in Philadelphia, Tsumura proved that Atlanta was no fluke. He made the top eight a second time, this time making it all the way to the finals before losing to Gadiel Szleifer.[7] At Pro Tour Los Angeles, Tsumura made the top eight for a third time in one season, once again losing to the eventual winner, Antoine Ruel, this time in the semifinals.[8] In addition to his three Pro Tour top eights, Tsumura also reached the top eight of four Grand Prix events. At the end of the season, he earned the Player of the Year award, besting Olivier Ruel 84 points to 83.[9] He did so without ever having made day two of a Limited format Pro Tour, so he made it his goal to improve in this format the following season.[1] He succeeded with this goal, winning back to back Grand Prix events at Kuala Lumpur and Toulouse, both of which were Limited. In addition, Tsumura also made the top eight of Pro Tour Kobe, losing to Bastien Perez in the quarterfinals.[10] The 2007 season saw Tsumura make the top eight of a Pro Tour for the fifth time in Geneva.[11] After the 2007 season, Tsumura announced that he would take a break from traveling to Magic tournaments in order to complete his studies. Nevertheless, he managed a top eight appearance at a Grand Prix on home turf and another top eight appearance at the 2008 World Championship in Memphis.[12] In 2012, Tsumura was inducted into the Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame at Pro Tour Return to Ravnica.[13] Later that year he made another top eight appearance at Grand Prix Nagoya.[14]

Accomplishments

Top 8 appearances
 Season   Event type   Location   Format   Date   Rank 
2003–04 Nationals Osaka Special 11–13 June 2004 2
2005 Grand Prix Osaka Team Limited 8–9 January 2005 4
2005 Pro Tour Atlanta Team Limited 11–13 March 2005 4
2005 Pro Tour Philadelphia Block Constructed 6–8 May 2005 2
2005 Grand Prix Niigata, Niigata Block Constructed 23–24 July 2005 6
2005 Grand Prix Salt Lake City Block Constructed 27–28 August 2005 3
2005 Pro Tour Los Angeles Extended 28–30 October 2005 3
2005 Grand Prix Beijing Extended 26–27 November 2005 8
2006 Invitational Los Angeles Special 10–12 May 2006 3
2006 Grand Prix Kuala Lumpur Limited 3–4 June 2006 1
2006 Grand Prix Toulouse Limited 24–25 June 2006 1
2006 Grand Prix St. Louis Limited 22–23 July 2006 3
2006 Pro Tour Kobe Booster Draft 20–22 October 2006 5
2007 Pro Tour Geneva Booster Draft 9–11 February 2007 3
2007 Grand Prix Dallas Extended 24–25 February 2007 3
2007 Grand Prix Stockholm Limited 5–6 May 2007 3
2007 Grand Prix Montreal Block Constructed 23–24 June 2007 4
2007 Invitational Essen Special 18–21 October 2007 4
2007 Grand Prix Kitakyuushuu Limited 10–11 November 2007 7
2008 Grand Prix Shizuoka, Shizuoka Standard 8–9 March 2008 3
2008 Worlds Memphis, Tennessee Special 11–14 December 2008 6
2009 Nationals Fukuyama Special 18–20 July 2009 4
2012–13 Grand Prix Nagoya Standard 8–9 December 2012 6
2015–16 World Magic Cup Barcelona National team 11–13 December 2015 8

Last updated: 9 December 2012
Source: Event Coverage at Wizards.com

Other accomplishments

References
  1. Kenji Tsumura 2006 Pro Player card (from the Magic: The Gathering Time Spiral expansion)
  2. Kenji Tsumura 2007 Pro Player card (from the Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn expansion)
  3. "Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  4. "Lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. 2007-06-26. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  5. "DCI & RPGA Rankings and Ratings". The DCI. 2010-02-22. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
  6. "Nova Burns Brightest in Atlanta!". Wizards of the Coast. 2005-03-13. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  7. "Szleifer Seizes Sunday". Wizards of the Coast. 2005-05-08. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  8. "A Starring Role for Antoine Ruel". Wizards of the Coast. 2005-10-30. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  9. Knutson, Ted (2005-12-01). "Feature: Kenji Tsumura, Player of the Year". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  10. "Merkel's Time is Now". Wizards of the Coast. 2006-10-22. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  11. "Hron's Victory Years in the Making". Wizards of the Coast. 2007-02-11. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  12. "Malin, Team USA Crowned Kings of Magic". Wizards of the Coast. 2008-12-14. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  13. "Cifka Savors Pro Tour Breakfast of Champions". Wizards of the Coast. 2012-10-21. Archived from the original on 2015-09-20. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  14. "Okita's Glorious Rise in Nagoya". Wizards of the Coast. 2012-12-09. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
Preceded by
Gabriel Nassif		 Pro Player of the Year
2005		 Succeeded by
Shouta Yasooka
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