Michael G. Ryan

Michael G. Ryan was the senior editor and story manager for Magic: The Gathering at Wizards of the Coast from March 1995 till March 2000. As a writer, he had a major influence on the storyline. From 1994 to 1995, he had been an associate editor for The Duelist. Nowadays, he is the Managing Editor for Pokemon USA.

Weatherlight Saga
With Mark Rosewater, Michael Ryan plotted the original Weatherlight Saga, with additional help from Bob Kruger, Kij Johnson, and Pete Venters. The plot lines were based on universal themes as recognized by the famed scholar Joseph Campbell. Ryan and Rosewater also created all members of the original Weatherlight crew (except for Captain Sisay who was an already existing character).

Ryan and Rosewater were removed as the people in charge of the story during the end of Tempest block (during Exodus) and that event created a schism between R&D and the creative team for a number of years.

Stories

 * The Slowing of His Heart The Duelist #7.
 * Maelstrom The Duelist #17.
 * Torrent The Duelist #18.
 * Tempest Storyboard The Duelist #20 (with Mark Rosewater and Pete Venters).
 * Stronghold Storyboard The Duelist #24 (with Mark Rosewater and Pete Venters)
 * Exodus Storyboard The Duelist #28
 * The Old Way to Vacar Slab Distant Planes anthology.
 * Gerrard's Tale Rath and Storm anthology.
 * In the Blink of an Eye The Myths of Magic anthology.
 * "Destiny" Magicthegathering.com.

Non-fiction

 * The Making of Mirage The Duelist #7.
 * Visions of Glory (The Duelist #15.
 * Fortune Favors the Bold The Duelist #17.
 * Weatherlight Takes Center Stage The Duelist #18.
 * Tempest on the Horizon The Duelist #20.
 * Unlocking the Stronghold The Duelist #20.
 * Exodus File Exposed The Duelist #28
 * Taming the Beast The Duelist #21.
 * A Magic History of Time The Duelist #33.
 * Classic: Magic's Bumper Crop The Duelist #38.
 * Magic: The Naming - Arabian Nights Magicthegathering.com.
 * The Leader of the Banned (2003) Magicthegathering.com.

Editor

 * Fourth Edition Pocket Players' Guide
 * Magic: The Puzzling Mark Rosewater

Trivia

 * Eladamri was named as a tribute to Ryan's mother Irma and his stepfather Dale (Irma/Dale backwards).
 * Orim was originally designed as a very minor character. Stumped for a name Ryan took Mark Rosewater's nickname (Maro), and reversed it. The ‘a’ was later changed to an ‘i’ to make the name easier to pronounce.