Kenji Tsumura
Encyclopedia
is a professional Magic: The Gathering
player from Japan
. He is one of only seven players to have reached the top eight of a Pro Tour more than five times.
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 semifinal by the eventual winners, Nova (consisting of David Rood, Gabe Tsang, and Gabriel Nassif
). 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 final before losing to Gadiel Szleifer. 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 semifinal. 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, beating out Olivier Ruel
84 points to 83 over the season. 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. He succeeded with this goal, winning back to back Grand Prix events in Kuala Lumpur
and Tolouse, both of which were limited. In addition Tsumura also made the top eight of Pro Tour Kobe
, losing to Bastien Perez in the quarterfinals. The 2007 season
saw Tsumura make the top eight of a Pro Tour for the fifth time in Geneva
. After the 2007 season Tsumura announced that he would take a break from travelling to Magic tournaments 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.
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
player from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. He is one of only seven players to have reached the top eight of a Pro Tour more than five times.
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 seasonMagic: The Gathering Pro Tour season 2005
- Final standings :- Pro Player of the year standings :- Grand Prixs – Helsinki, Brisbane, Yokohama, Porto Alegre, Paris, Chicago, Osaka :GP Helsinki # Olivier Ruel# Mikko Leiviskä# Jean Charles Salvin# Ulrik Tarp# Anton Jonsson...
saw Tsumura make his breakthrough. A twenty-first-place finish at the first Pro Tour of the season in Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
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
Tomoharu Saitou
is one of the most successful professional Magic: The Gathering players.-Career:Saitou debuted at Pro Tour Chicago 2000. An 83rd place finish meant he fell just short of making money. Later the same season, he made his first standout finish by reaching the top eight of the Asia Pacific...
and Tomohiro Kaji, Tsumura was eliminated in the semifinal by the eventual winners, Nova (consisting of David Rood, Gabe Tsang, and Gabriel Nassif
Gabriel Nassif
Gabriel Nassif is a French professional card player. He is known for his continuous success on the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour and was the 2004 Pro Tour Player of the Year. He also enjoys playing poker, having moderate success at the World Series of Poker in recent years...
). 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 final before losing to Gadiel Szleifer. At Pro Tour Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Tsumura made the top eight for a third time in one season, once again losing to the eventual winner, Antoine Ruel
Antoine Ruel
Antoine Ruel is a professional Magic: The Gathering player. He has reached the top eight at the Pro Tour four times, including a win in Los Angeles in 2005...
, this time in the semifinal. In addition to his three Pro Tour top eights, Tsumura also reached the top eight of four Grand Prix
Grand Prix (Magic: The Gathering)
Grands Prix are professional Magic: The Gathering tournaments, awarding cash prizes, Pro Points and invitations to Pro Tours. They are open to all players and are usually the biggest Magic tournaments. The first Grand Prix was held on 22–23 March 1997 in Amsterdam...
events. At the end of the season, he earned the Player of the Year award, beating out Olivier Ruel
Olivier Ruel
Olivier Ruel is one of the most successful professional Magic: The Gathering players. He holds the record for most Grand Prix Top 8’s, and is one of twenty players with five or more Pro Tour top 8’s. After 2010 Pro Tour San Juan Olivier surpassed Kai Budde as the leader in lifetime Pro Points...
84 points to 83 over the season. 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. He succeeded with this goal, winning back to back Grand Prix events in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
and Tolouse, both of which were limited. In addition Tsumura also made the top eight of Pro Tour Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, losing to Bastien Perez in the quarterfinals. The 2007 season
Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour season 2007
The 2007 Pro Tour season was the twelfth season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. On 9 February 2007 the season began with Pro Tour Geneva. It ended on 9 December 2007 with the conclusion of the 2007 World Championship in New York. The season consisted of 16 Grand Prixs and 5 Pro Tours, held in...
saw Tsumura make the top eight of a Pro Tour for the fifth time in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. After the 2007 season Tsumura announced that he would take a break from travelling to Magic tournaments 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
Magic: The Gathering World Championship
The Magic: The Gathering World Championships have been held annually since 1994. It is the most important tournament in the game of Magic: The Gathering, offering to the winner a cash prize of $45,000. Originally open to all competitors, Worlds is now an invitation-only event and the last Pro Tour...
in Memphis.
Top 8 appearances
Other accomplishments- Pro Tour Player of the Year 2005