The 2005 Pro Tour season was the tenth season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. On 10 September 2004 the season began with Grand Prix Rimini. It ended on 4 December 2005 with the conclusion of the 2005 World Championship in Yokohama and was thus the longest Pro Tour season ever. The season consisted of 31 Grand Prixs and 7 Pro Tours, held in Columbus, Nagoya, Atlanta, Philadelphia, London, Los Angeles, and Yokohama. At the end of the season Kenji Tsumura was proclaimed Pro Player of the year as the first Japanese player. Also the first class of the Hall of Fame was inducted. The inductees were Jon Finkel, Darwin Kastle, Tommi Hovi, Alan Comer, and Olle Råde.
Grand Prixs – Rimini, Vienna, Austin
Pro Tour – Columbus (29–31 October 2004)
Pierre Canali from France won the inaugural Pro Tour of the season, which was also the first Pro Tour he attended. His deck was an aggressive all-artifact deck called "Affinity". For the first time Japan had three players amongst the final eight while the USA had in the Top 8 for the first time in three Pro Tours.[1]
Tournament data
Prize pool: $200,130
Players: 286
Format: Extended
Head Judge: Jaap Brouwer[2]
Top 8
| Quarter-finals
| | | Semi-finals
| | | Finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | |
| 1
| Pierre Canali
| 3
| |
|
| 8
| Geoffrey Siron
| 1
| |
| | Pierre Canali
| 3
| |
|
|
| | Olivier Ruel
| 2
| |
| 5
| Masashi Oiso
| 0
| |
| |
| 4
| Olivier Ruel
| 3
| |
| | Pierre Canali
| 3
| |
|
|
| | Shuhei Nakamura
| 0
| |
| 2
| Nicholas West
| 3
| | |
| |
| 7
| Ryuichi Arita
| 0
| |
| | Nicholas West
| 0
| |
|
|
| | Shuhei Nakamura
| 3
| |
| 3
| Gadiel Szleifer
| 1
| |
| |
| 6
| Shuhei Nakamura
| 3
| |
|
|
Final standings
| Place |
Player |
Prize |
Pro Points |
Comment |
|---|
| 1 |
 Pierre Canali |
$30,000 |
25 |
Pro Tour debut |
| 2 |
 Shuhei Nakamura |
$20,000 |
20 |
|
| 3 |
 Nicholas West |
$15,000 |
16 |
Pro Tour debut |
| 4 |
Olivier Ruel |
$13,000 |
16 |
3rd Final day |
| 5 |
 Gadiel Szleifer |
$9,000 |
12 |
|
| 6 |
Masashi Oiso |
$8,500 |
12 |
4th Final day |
| 7 |
Ryuichi Arita |
$8,000 |
12 |
2nd Final day |
| 8 |
.svg.png) Geoffrey Siron |
$7,500 |
12 |
|
Pro Player of the year standings
Grand Prixs – Helsinki, Brisbane, Yokohama, Porto Alegre, Paris, Chicago, Osaka
Pro Tour – Nagoya (28–30 January 2005)
Pro Tour Nagoya was the last Pro Tour employing the Rochester Draft format. Shu Komuro from Japan defeated Anton Jonsson in the finals to win the tournament.[3]
Tournament data
Prize pool: $200,130
Players: 236
Format: Rochester Draft (Champions of Kamigawa)
Head Judge: Collin Jackson[2]
Top 8
| Quarter-finals
| | | Semi-finals
| | | Finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | |
| 1
| Masashiro Kuroda
| 1
| |
|
| 8
| Anton Jonsson
| 3
| |
| | Anton Jonsson
| 3
| |
|
|
| | Terry Soh
| 1
| |
| 5
| Frank Karsten
| 1
| |
| |
| 4
| Terry Soh
| 3
| |
| | Anton Jonsson
| 1
| |
|
|
| | Shu Komuro
| 3
| |
| 2
| Jarno Harkonen
| 1
| | |
| |
| 7
| Murray Evans
| 3
| |
| | Murray Evans
| 1
| |
|
|
| | Shu Komuro
| 3
| |
| 3
| Vasilis Fatouros
| 1
| |
| |
| 6
| Shu Komuro
| 3
| |
|
|
Final standings
| Place |
Player |
Prize |
Pro Points |
Comment |
|---|
| 1 |
Shu Komuro |
$30,000 |
25 |
|
| 2 |
 Anton Jonsson |
$20,000 |
20 |
5th Final day |
| 3 |
 Terry Soh |
$15,000 |
16 |
2nd Final day |
| 4 |
 Murray Evans |
$13,000 |
16 |
2nd Final day |
| 5 |
Masashiro Kuroda |
$9,500 |
12 |
2nd Final day |
| 6 |
 Frank Karsten |
$8,500 |
12 |
|
| 7 |
 Jarno Harkonen |
$7,500 |
12 |
|
| 8 |
 Vasilis Fatouros |
$6,500 |
12 |
1st Greek in a Top 8 |
Pro Player of the year standings
Grand Prixs – Boston, Eindhoven, Seattle
Pro Tour – Atlanta (11–13 March 2005)
The Canadian French cooperation team "Nova" won Pro Tour Atlanta, defeating the American team "We Add" in the final. "Nova" consisted of Gabriel Tsang, David Rood, and Gabriel Nassif. For Nassif it was the first Pro Tour victory after five previous final day appearances including three second places.[4] Atlanta was the last Pro Tour using the three-person team Limited format, although it was still used for the team competition at the World Championship that year and the next.
Tournament data
Players: 357 (119 teams)
Prize Pool: $200,100
Format: Team Kamigawa Block Sealed (Champions of Kamigawa, Betrayers of Kamigawa) – first day, Team Kamigawa Block Rochester Draft (Champions of Kamigawa-Betrayers of Kamigawa) – final two days
Head Judge: Sheldon Menery[2]
Top 4
| Semifinals
| | | Semi-finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | |
| |
| 1
| Les baltringues de Ludipia
| 0
| |
|
| 4
| We Add
| 2
| |
| | We add
| 0
| |
|
|
| | Nova
| 2
| |
| 3
| One Spin
| 1
| |
| |
| 2
| Nova
| 2
| |
|
|
Final standings
| Place |
Team |
Player |
Prize |
Pro Points |
Comment |
|---|
| 1 |
Nova |
Gabriel Tsang |
$60,000 |
20 |
3rd Final day |
| David Rood |
20 |
2nd Final day |
| Gabriel Nassif |
20 |
6th Final day |
| 2 |
We Add |
Don Smith |
$30,000 |
16 |
Pro Tour debut |
| Andrew Pacifico |
16 |
|
| Adam Chambers |
16 |
|
| 3 |
Les baltringues de Ludipia |
Benjamin Caumes |
$18,000 |
12 |
2nd Final day |
| Nicolas Bornarel |
12 |
|
| Camille Fenet |
12 |
|
| 4 |
One Spin |
Tomohiro Kaji |
$15,000 |
12 |
|
| Kenji Tsumura |
12 |
|
| Tomoharu Saitou |
12 |
|
Pro Player of the year standings
Grand Prixs – Singapore, Leipzig, Lisbon, Detroit
Pro Tour – Philadelphia (6–8 May 2005)
Pro Tour Philadelphia featured a tournament system different from those of other Pro Tours. While Swiss system was still used all players with three or more losses and/or draws were automatically dropped from the tournament. Prizes were given out not in relation to the final standings, but for the individual matches won, where matches in later rounds of the tournament were worth more than those in the earlier rounds.[5] It was also announced in the week prior to Pro Tour Philadelphia, that the end of the year payout based on Pro Points would be dropped after the season in favor of the Pro Club. Under the new system a player would receive special benefits based on the total amount of Pro Points he had acquired in a season.[6]
16-year-old Gadiel Szleifer defeated 18-year-old Kenji Tsumura in the final to win the tournament. Szleifer played a control deck built around Gifts Ungiven.[7] Former Pro Player of the year Kai Budde received a lot of attention for being undefeated after day one, but was eliminated after he picked up three losses in the first three rounds of day two.[8]
Tournament data
Players: 311
Prize Pool: $194,898
Format: Kamigawa Block Constructed (Champions of Kamigawa, Betrayers of Kamigawa)
Head Judge: Mike Guptil[2]
Top 8
| Quarter-finals
| | | Semi-finals
| | | Finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | |
| 1
| Steven Wolfman
| 3
| |
|
| 8
| André Müller
| 2
| |
| | Steven Wolfman
| 0
| |
|
|
| | Gadiel Szleifer
| 3
| |
| 5
| Jeff Novekoff
| 1
| |
| |
| 4
| Gadiel Szleifer
| 3
| |
| | Gadiel Szleifer
| 3
| |
|
|
| | Kenji Tsumura
| 2
| |
| 3
| Ryan Cimera
| 2
| | |
| |
| 6
| Kenji Tsumura
| 3
| |
| | Kenji Tsumura
| 3
| |
|
|
| | Olivier Ruel
| 0
| |
| 7
| Olivier Ruel
| 3
| |
| |
| 2
| Mark Herberholz
| 1
| |
|
|
Final standings
| Place |
Player |
Prize |
Pro Points |
Comment |
|---|
| 1 |
Gadiel Szleifer |
$21,725 |
25 |
2nd Final day |
| 2 |
Kenji Tsumura |
$12,275 |
20 |
2nd Final day |
| 3 |
Steven Wolfman |
$7,475 |
16 |
2nd Final day |
| 4 |
Olivier Ruel |
$6,950 |
16 |
4th Final day |
| 5 |
Ryan Cimera |
$2,825 |
12 |
Pro Tour debut |
| 6 |
Jeff Novekoff |
$4,750 |
12 |
Pro Tour debut |
| 7 |
Mark Herberholz |
$3,175 |
12 |
2nd Final day |
| 8 |
 André Müller |
$2,075 |
12 |
|
Pro Player of the year standings
Grand Prixs – Matsuyama, Bologna
Pro Tour – London (8–10 July 2005)
Geoffrey Siron from Belgium won Pro Tour London, defeating Tsuyoshi Fujita in the finals. In the Top 8 Siron did not lose a single game.[9]
Tournament data
Players: 314
Prize Pool: $200,130
Format: Booster Draft (Champions of Kamigawa-Betrayers of Kamigawa-Saviors of Kamigawa)
Head Judge: Jaap Brouwer[2]
Top 8
| Quarter-finals
| | | Semi-finals
| | | Finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | |
| 1
| Antti Malin
| 3
| |
|
| 8
| Tomi Walamies
| 1
| |
| | Antti Malin
| 1
| |
|
|
| | Tsuyoshi Fujita
| 3
| |
| 5
| Arnost Zidek
| 2
| |
| |
| 4
| Tsuyoshi Fujita
| 3
| |
| | Tsuyoshi Fujita
| 0
| |
|
|
| | Geoffrey Siron
| 3
| |
| 2
| David Larsson
| 1
| | |
| |
| 7
| Johan Sadeghpour
| 3
| |
| | Johan Sadeghpour
| 0
| |
|
|
| | Geoffrey Siron
| 3
| |
| 3
| Masashi Oiso
| 0
| |
| |
| 6
| Geoffrey Siron
| 3
| |
|
|
Final standings
| Place |
Player |
Prize |
Pro Points |
Comment |
|---|
| 1 |
Geoffrey Siron |
$30,000 |
25 |
2nd Final day, 1st Belgian to win a Pro Tour |
| 2 |
Tsuyoshi Fujita |
$20,000 |
20 |
2nd Final day |
| 3 |
Johan Sadeghpour |
$15,000 |
16 |
|
| 4 |
Antti Malin |
$13,000 |
16 |
|
| 5 |
Masashi Oiso |
$9,000 |
12 |
5th Final day |
| 6 |
Tomi Walamies |
$8,500 |
12 |
3rd Final day |
| 7 |
 Arnost Zidek |
$8,000 |
12 |
|
| 8 |
David Larsson |
$7,500 |
12 |
|
Pro Player of the year standings
Grand Prixs – Minneapolis, Niigata, Taipei, Salt Lake City, Mexico City, Nottingham
Pro Tour – Los Angeles (28–30 October 2005)
Antoine Ruel defeated Billy Moreno in the finals to become champion of Pro Tour Los Angeles. He played a blue-black control deck, built around Psychatog.[10]
Tournament data
Players: 340
Prize Pool: $200,130
Format: Extended
Head Judge: Gijsbert Hoogendijk[2]
Top 8
| Quarter-finals
| | | Semi-finals
| | | Finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | |
| 1
| Kenji Tsumura
| 3
| |
|
| 8
| Ryuichi Arita
| 1
| |
| | Kenji Tsumura
| 0
| |
|
|
| | Antoine Ruel
| 3
| |
| 5
| Antoine Ruel
| 3
| |
| |
| 4
| Tsuyoshi Fujita
| 1
| |
| | Antoine Ruel
| 3
| |
|
|
| | Billy Moreno
| 0
| |
| 2
| Billy Moreno
| 3
| | |
| |
| 7
| Ervin Tormos
| 2
| |
| | Billy Moreno
| 3
| |
|
|
| | Chris McDaniel
| 2
| |
| 3
| Chris McDaniel
| 3
| |
| |
| 6
| Chih-Hsian Chang
| 1
| |
|
|
Final standings
| Place |
Player |
Prize |
Pro Points |
Comment |
|---|
| 1 |
Antoine Ruel |
$30,000 |
25 |
3rd Final day |
| 2 |
Billy Moreno |
$20,000 |
20 |
|
| 3 |
Kenji Tsumura |
$15,000 |
16 |
3rd Final day |
| 4 |
Chris McDaniel |
$13,000 |
16 |
|
| 5 |
Tsuyoshi Fujita |
$9,000 |
12 |
3rd Final day |
| 6 |
 Chih-Hsiang Chang |
$8,500 |
12 |
1st Taiwanese Player in a Top 8 |
| 7 |
Ervin Tormos |
$8,000 |
12 |
Pro Tour debut |
| 8 |
Ryuichi Arita |
$7,500 |
12 |
3rd Final day |
Pro Player of the year standings
Grand Prixs – Melbourne, Copenhagen, Kitakyuushuu, Philadelphia, Bilbao, Beijing
2005 World Championships – Yokohama (30 November – 4 December 2005)
The tournament began with the first Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Jon Finkel, Darwin Kastle, Tommi Hovi, Alan Comer and Olle Råde were honored for their accomplishments and their determination to the game. In the final of the 2005 World Championship Katsuhiro Mori defeated Frank Karsten, thus completing an all-Japanese Worlds in Yokohama. The Top 4 also included Japanese players Akira Asahara and Tomohiro Kaji, shortly before Japan had won the team competition, and even the Pro Player of the year went to Japanese Kenji Tsumura.[11]
Tournament data
Prize pool: $208,130 (individual) + $195,000 (national teams)
Players: 287
Formats: Standard, Booster Draft (Ravnica), Extended
Head Judge: Collin Jackson, Sheldon Menery[2]
Top 8
| Quarter-finals
| | | Semi-finals
| | | Finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | |
| 1
| Marcio Carvalho
| 1
| |
|
| 8
| Akira Asahara
| 3
| |
| | Akira Asahara
| 2
| |
|
|
| | Frank Karsten
| 3
| |
| 5
| Ding Leong
| 2
| |
| |
| 4
| Frank Karsten
| 3
| |
| | Frank Karsten
| 1
| |
|
|
| | Katsuhiro Mori
| 3
| |
| 2
| Tomohiro Kaji
| 3
| | |
| |
| 7
| André Coimbra
| 1
| |
| | Tomohiro Kaji
| 1
| |
|
|
| | Katsuhiro Mori
| 3
| |
| 3
| Katsuhiro Mori
| 3
| |
| |
| 6
| Shuhei Nakamura
| 0
| |
|
|
Final standings
National team competition
- Japan (Ichiro Shimura, Takuma Morifuji, Masashi Oiso)
- United States (Jonathan Sonne, Antonino De Rosa, Neil Reeves)
Pro Player of the year final standings
After the World Championship Kenji Tsumura was awarded the Pro Player of the year title as the first Japanese player.
References
Marcio Carvalho
Ding Leong