For Prospero’s a Jolly Good Fellow

[RitNecroWin]

Most of the community has come to know Prospero (aka Nick Detwiller)…heck, I’d go as far as to say that he’s become synonymous with Eternal MTG in the last few years.

He’s championed the Eternal formats and done so in a way that welcomes new players and makes them each feel of value to the community. His enthusiasm and encouragement can be found throughout TMD and he’s really become one of the most active moderators of the site.

Nick has an extreme passion of original MTG art and has done a wonderful job of raising awareness of this once niche area of the hobby. He is a big fan of the Saga block in particular and it holds some dear memories for him personally.

Recently, Nick was able to purchase the original art for Giancola’s Disenchant from me….This wasn’t an easy piece for me to give up as I collect Disenchants- but I knew that it was important to him. (http://thedisenchantproject.weebly.com/)

I know what you’re probably thinking… big deal?! People buy and sell things in this hobby all of the time and everyone already knows Nick is a good dude….

Here’s the thing gang, unprovoked Nick took it upon himself to provide me an additional ‘thank you’ gift for selling him a painting that meant so much to him.

He sent me a package with about 12 Disenchants. – Again, big deal…12 MTG cards…<people roll eyes, scoff>

It took me a good 10 minutes of holding the cards that it really sunk in… I’ve spent YEARS trying to track down a single PORTUGESE foil Mercadian Masques Disenchant…. YEARS and countless hours of searching the internet, sending emails, chasing dead end leads….that’s not even including the other cards!

And here’s a guy that had nothing to gain by helping me, that felt such an appreciation that he wanted to do something special for someone else… I was holding a stack of pure selflessness….. the guy is aces, even beyond what I originally thought.

I know writing this and sharing it with the community is a small drop in the bucket as to how much time, energy and thought Nick put into his ‘thank you’ gift but I feel strongly that this is something everyone should be aware of…

He says it enough to all of us; I think it’s time he hear it back…

Nick Detwiller- you’re a good man.

[Commandant]

+1000

[The M.E.T.H.O.D]

I logged in since god knows when to verify this is true.

[JPettie]

[KrauserKrauser]

Here here!

[The Atog Lord]

Nick is a great guy and a vital member of this community.

[quicksilvervii]

I can't state anything that hasn't already been said, but I wanted to chime in as well.

Nick, you are good people.

[Twaun007]

[Greg]

Excellent and fitting thread, Brian.

To put it briefly, Nick is one of the kindest and most caring people that I've ever known, both on a small scale and a large scale. We met when I first began playing Magic at 12 years old. He was 17, treated me as an equal, and was a fun member of our local Magic community whose company I enjoyed. Fifteen years later, our friendship has grown exponentially.

There's a lot of stress that comes with being such an important person in the community, so it's important every once in a while that we let him know how much we appreciate his efforts and friendship, as he is usually doing it all for us and not himself. You're a good man, Nick.

[Prospero]

Guys, I'm honored and humbled by the kind words. Thank you all.

[Eastman]

Absolutely agree with this. Lots of efforts behind the scenes in site management too that might not be so visible. Cheers.

[Samoht]

I first met Nick roughly five years ago at Brothers Grim at one of the original NYSE series events. At the time he was just a Yankee clad tall gentlemen with an erudite demeanor. Over the next five years our relationship grew significantly. We shared ups and downs with one and another, and he helped me in ways he doesn't even know. I count him amongst my close friends. He was one of only two local M:tG players there for my sons first birthday (which is a big deal if you know about my sons) despite me sending an open invite. Nick is always there to try to pick you up if you're down. I try to emulate Nick as best I can when I see downtrodden players and pick them up with encouraging words or amusing anecdotes.

Though to me his biggest impact is one that is oft overlooked. Nick had the ability to change my perception of who I wanted to be just by being himself. When I first joined this community I was a Spike of the tallest order, and proud of it. Winning trumped everything else, Machiavellian to the extreme. Nick showed me there was another way to succeed, a better way. It wasn't just that you won, but how you won that defined you as a part of the community. He did it through his deeds, not his words. Over the years that it took me to learn that and incorporate it into myself(still a work in progress), Nick was always there to encourage me. I still slip up from time to time and lose sight of the man I've come to be (and want to be), and it's at those times I'm the most disappointed in myself.

Nick makes magic personal. Anyone who has had the privilege of interacting with him knows that superficiality is off the table. Exploring the deeper passages of theory and crafting are common when picking Nick's brain. It's part of what makes Vintage my home. Integral to that is the focus on the individuals in the community. Commonly Decks, Cards, Lines of Play, etc. define a Magic community. Ours is governed by the players themselves. I believe Nick has a big part in that.

[Godder]

Absolutely agree with this. Lots of efforts behind the scenes in site management too that might not be so visible. Cheers.

+1 to that - I see how much he does behind the scenes here, and it's considerable.

Thank you for everything, Nick, it is very much appreciated.

[John Cox]

Thank you Prospero (Nick) for all you've done for the community. I doubt there would be much of one with out you.

John.

[Hrishi]

There could not be a better spokesperson for vintage. Nick is awesome, and he pretty much defines what is great about playing this format. It's the community and people like him. I was just another new player, but he went the extra mile to ensure I had a smooth transition into playing and helped me with integrating myself with stuff happening here. I couldn't have done it without him. Thank you for everything.

[Changster]

Nick, thank you for all you have done for the community!  I don't think it can be said enough and I'm glad that we are able to recognize his contributions to this awesome format.  Without Nick's encouragement to get me back into the game over the years, I would have likely not come back to the game after selling out in 2008.  It took me over 6 years to rediscover the community and I credit Nick for reigniting my passion for the game late last year.  And, I can also thank him for enabling the Japanese foil bug to bite me again... *chomp*!

Looking forward to this weekend's NYSE II.  If you can't make it, you are seriously missing out on a wonderful series of events organized by a stand-up guy!

[Will]

It is hard for me to put into words the effect that Nick has had on my life. When I first reached out to Nick back in September 2009 I was looking for sideboard help with my Workshop deck, what I received was much more than that. Nick is the most selfless person I know and has been the best mentor, teammate and friend that I could ever ask for. On countless occasions Nick has gone out of his way to help me for no reason at all. Whether it was volunteering to edit an essay, giving deck advice, listening to my problems or anything else imaginable, Nick has always been eager to help. Thank you for responding to my private message in 2009, without you I would be lucky to be half the man that I am today.