An Open Letter for Bram Snepvangers in the HoF

by Eelco Van Ruth | posted at 2010-07-21 23:27:00
tagged: MTG, Magic, Magic the Gathering, Hall of Fame, HOF, Eelco Van Ruth, Bram Snapvangers

 

The Dutch are at it again...

 

After the Orange Upset at the 2010 FIFA World Championship, in which the Dutch were able to defeat everyone except Spain, The Dutch Magic scene unites to make sure the next Prince of Orange takes the world’s center stage, this time in the Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame Ballot. The target of this particular effort? Judge, T.O. and Pro Player extraordinaire Bram “Snapplebangers” Snepvangers. Bram is eligible for the 2010 Hall of Fame Ballot and he’s very popular in the Netherlands. The message is still under construction, but read this letter written by Level 2 Judge Teun Zijp:

 

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Dear member of the Hall of Fame 2010 Selection Committee or Players Committee,

 

It's that time of year - you get to cast your vote for the Hall of Fame, one of the most important pieces of Magic: The Gathering recognition. We have no doubt you will give out your votes to the five players who deserve it the most. However this year we, as representatives of the Magic: The Gathering community in the Netherlands, would like you to give special consideration to one player in particular: Bram Snepvangers. This is why we think Bram should definitely be one of this year's Hall of Fame inductees:

 

First, the playing statistics. Right now, Bram has earned 313 lifetime Pro Points. That makes him 11th in the world, including amongst the 23 players already inducted into the Hall of Fame! Bram has attended 63 (!!) Pro Tours and World Championships, the most of anyone eligible, made it to Top 8 in four of them, and was a judge at two. His first Pro Tour appearance was in 1996 and he has missed few of them since. As you see, Bram isn't just any player. He's been a constant fixture on the Tour for the better part of two decades.

 

There's more, though. His playing skills are not the main reason we, as the Dutch community, speak up. We'd like to make an additional case for Bram because he's made some great contributions to the game in general. Bram is one of the leading tournament organizers in our country, running dozens of tournaments each year. That's not just anything from FNM to PTQ; Bram also runs City Opens and Draft Days. And during the year, we all try to get invites for his two season finales: the "Bramvitational," affectionately named by his players, and the Dutch Masters. The Bramvitational puts competitive players in a casual atmosphere playing wacky formats like Duplicate Sealed, Auction of Something, Chaos Drafts and the like. The Dutch Masters is a high profile tournament where players battle for their share of big money.

 

Finally, Bram has played an important role in the worldwide judge community having certified both Jaap Brouwer and Gijsbert Hoogendijk - who are Emeritus level judges right now.

 

We dare to say that the Dutch Magic scene, which is responsible for three Hall of Famers already, would not be as thriving as it is today if not for Bram's work. That's why we'd like you to double check your ballot and think about including Bram. We think he lives and breathes the game, fits all the criteria and should be in.

 

This August, please cast one of your votes for Bram Snepvangers and have him inducted in this year's class!

 

Kind regards,

 

On behalf of the Dutch Magic Community

 

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The letter came into existence mainly on the website www.kvdeckmasters.org where the effort found its origin with several other movements coming into being as soon as this letter was published. Micky Surisay, a local player from Bram’s hometown of Utrecht, designed a banner in which Ranger (Ruel) of Eos, Elspeth, and Sengir Vampire discuss the fact that Bram hasn’t been inducted yet. The letter, while still under construction, has already been signed by quite a number of Dutch Magic players, Judges, and T.O.’s. 

 

 

Personally, as the Dutch Organized Play Manager between 2002 and 2004, I would certainly want to add that I estimate that Bram has probably organized at least 1,000 sanctioned tournaments over the years. However, since he’s also a big fan of wacky Magic formats I wouldn’t be surprised if he has organized another 1,000 non-sanctioned tournaments.

 

If you think that’s a lot or perhaps even impossible, trust me: it can easily be done, because every 8-player single elimination booster draft that Bram would organize as a side event to a PTQ, Prerelease, or Trial counts towards these numbers and I’m fairly sure that I’ve played in at least 50 of them between ’99 and ’08…

 

It’s incredible that a player of Bram’s caliber has been able to gather 300+ Pro Points from 60+ Pro Tours and probably an equal amount of GP’s, but if you take into account that Bram has also allowed a whole country to play in so many tournaments, that’s almost mind numbing. Add to that the many Dutch judges that have been able to wear zebra stripes because Bram took the time to test and certify them and you’ll be able to understand why the whole Magic scene in the Netherlands stood up to support this fine gentleman.

 

And that’s the last thing I want to mention. Besides the fact that Bram is a solid Pro Player, he’s also a gentleman. Of course he plays the game to win, but I’ve witnessed him call a judge on himself multiple times if he thought or knew he made a mistake. In my opinion, that’s how you play the game. 

 

Thanks for voting this year.

 

Eelco van Ruth

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