Application -Tom Risdon

-Your Name and age:
Tom Risdon, 27

-How you found out about Team Unknown Stars:
I actually was once a member a couple years ago, but a forum crash coincided with a work related decision to take a break from Magic, so I never reapplied to have my user name restored. Now I have time to dedicate to Magic again and want to be better than I was.

-Your Magic accomplishments:
3 PTQ top 8s and top 8 at Michigan States 2007

-The last three major tournaments you attended and your record at each of them (Major tournaments are considered to be large events such as PTQ's, Regionals, Champs, Nationals, the Pro Tour, and other events on those levels or higher.):
PTQ Austin 2-2, SCG $5k Richmond, VA 4-2, PTQ Hollywood 5-2

-A link to your DCI Rating page:
http://webapp.wizards.com/ratings.aspx?dcinumber=49557053&Demographic=1%7C1&BrandRatedSeasons=55&ratingseasonid=55&Page=1&action=Search_Member

-Why you play competitive Magic
I play it for the challenge and the feeling of accomplishment which comes with performing well. Wish it was deeper then that.

-What your main reasons are for wanting to join the team:
I want to absorb as much info about Magic as possible and I love to discuss everything about it. I also want to improve my play and deck construction skills, which is best done with players more skilled then yourself.

-What you think you would bring to the team that makes you stand out above other applicants:
I tend to put more effort and thought into my sideboarding then most, maybe even more then I do the maindeck construction. While I may not be introducing any new wacky new deck ideas, I'll come up with the best board plan for that wacky idea possible, which is good considering that covers about 66% of your games played.

-What your strengths as a Magic player are:
As I mentioned earlier, I think my real strength comes from my attention to details when it comes to sideboarding. I feel that it's the second most important thing to consider in deck construction (the first being a stable manabase) and that it's usually not taken into consideration until the night before the event. Being intimately familiar with what you'll be taking out and boarding in for each match not only reduces the risk of playing the wrong deck configuration for 2/3rds of your games, knowing what to take out and put in for each match ahead of time helps to reduce mental fatigue over the course of a long tournament.

-What your weakness as a Magic player are:
I think my main weakness is that I tend to misjudge a deck's good or bad matchups by just looking at its decklist. I'll pick up on obvious things, like I would know that Mike Flores' cascade deck has a bad matchup against Boros Bushwhacker, but some I'll just have no clue. Example: Before the Philly $5k, I thought Naya would be favored against Jund because of its larger creatures and Ranger of Eos. Obviously not the case. Once I have a chance to play the match or to watch it played, I'll judge it correctly, but my initial misjudgment often causes me to spend my playtesting time improperly.

-What the main formats that you play and focus on are:
The main format I play is standard on account of FNM, but during a constructed PTQ season, I'll focus on the format needed to qualify.

-Which format you think you're most proficient in:
Block Constructed. The limited card selection means it's usually easier to metagame and test against the field.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to contributing to the team (again )