Kenji Tsumura

Kenji Tsumura (津村 健志) (born 19 August 1986) 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
Born	(1986-08-19) 19 August 1986 (age 38)[1]
Residence	Hiroshima, Japan[1]
Nationality	Japanese
Pro Tour debut	2003 Pro Tour Chicago[1]
Winnings	US$191,617[2]
Pro Tour wins (Top 8)	0 (6)[3]
Grand Prix wins (Top 8)	2 (13)[4]
Lifetime Pro Points	261[5]
Highest Constructed Rating	2260[1]
Highest Limited Rating	2256[2]
Planeswalker Level	47 (Archmage)

Career

Tsumura debuted at the 2003 Pro Tour in Chicago, United States. 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, United States was a sign of things to come. At Pro Tour Atlanta, United States, 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, United States, 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, Malaysia and Toulouse, France, 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, Switzerland.^[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, United States.^[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, Japan.^[14]

Accomplishments

Top 8 appearances

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

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

Other accomplishments

• Pro Tour Player of the Year 2005

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. Archived from the original on March 14, 2006. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
4. "Lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. 2007-06-26. Archived from the original on January 17, 2006. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
5. "DCI & RPGA Rankings and Ratings". The DCI. 2010-02-22. Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-02.
6. "Nova Burns Brightest in Atlanta!". Wizards of the Coast. 2005-03-13. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
7. "Szleifer Seizes Sunday". Wizards of the Coast. 2005-05-08. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
8. "A Starring Role for Antoine Ruel". Wizards of the Coast. 2005-10-30. Archived from the original on October 3, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
9. Knutson, Ted (2005-12-01). "Feature: Kenji Tsumura, Player of the Year". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on September 4, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
10. "Merkel's Time is Now". Wizards of the Coast. 2006-10-22. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
11. "Hron's Victory Years in the Making". Wizards of the Coast. 2007-02-11. Archived from the original on October 11, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
12. "Malin, Team USA Crowned Kings of Magic". Wizards of the Coast. 2008-12-14. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. 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. Archived from the original on June 23, 2014. Retrieved 2015-10-24.

Preceded by Gabriel Nassif	Pro Player of the Year 2005	Succeeded by Shouta Yasooka