Mike Elliott (game designer)

Mike Elliott (sometimes credited as Michael Elliott) is a Seattle-based board game, card game and mobile game designer whose titles include "", "Thunderstone", and "Battle Spirits Trading Card Game". "Magic" head designer Mark Rosewater called him "one of the most prolific "Magic" designers in the history of the game." He was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame at the 2017 Origins Game Fair.
Career.
While living in Phoenix, Arizona in the early 1990s, Elliott and several of his friends were active bridge players and competed regularly in tournaments. One evening after a tournament, a friend introduced the group to the "" trading card game. When Elliott returned home he purchased the game and began playing in "Magic" tournaments. While at a "Magic" tournament at Arizona State University Elliott told two fellow attendees what he thought was wrong with the game. During the conversation they revealed that they worked for Wizards of the Coast. One of them, Joel Mick, invited Elliott to fly to Seattle and interview for a position with the company.
Wizards of the Coast.
Elliott started at Wizards of the Coast in January 1996 as a developer. Afterward he was promoted to designer, and then senior designer. He worked on approximately 30 Magic expansions and introduced new mechanics such as slivers. His "Magic" related expansions and project included:
Designing
Developing
While at Wizards of the Coast he also designed non-"Magic" games including "Harry Potter Trading Card Game", "Neopets Trading Card Game", "Hecatomb", and "Duel Masters Trading Card Game". Elliott left Wizards of the Coast at the end of 2005.
WizKids.
After leaving Wizards of the Coast, Elliott worked for WizKids until the company closed its Seattle office. His titles for WizKids included "Star Wars PocketModel Trading Card Game", "Halo ActionClix", and "DC HeroClix: Batman (Alpha)".
Freelance career.
As a freelance game designer and developer, Mike Elliott, has designed dozens of games. Notable titles include "Battle Spirits Trading Card Game", "Thunderstone", "Quarriors!" and "Star Trek: Fleet Captains" He also designed "Card-Jitsu", an online mini-game in the Club Penguin children's MMO and worked on "Hearthstone" in early 2017.
Battle Spirits.
In 2008 Elliott designed the "Battle Spirits Trading Card Game" for Bandai. Part of the "Battle Spirits" franchise—which also includes several anime series, manga serializations and other merchandise such as toys and video games—the TCG was released in Japan in September 2008. "Battle Spirits" became one of the top selling trading card games of the year.
The game's popularity led to Elliott's appearance in promotional videos, and a new character based on him being added to the anime series "Battle Spirits: Shōnen Toppa Bashin". The "Michael Elliott" character was an eccentric American game designer who created the titular "Battle Spirits" card game played in the series.
"Battle Spirits Trading Card Game" was released in the United States by Bandai of America on August 14, 2009.
Thunderstone.
In 2009 Elliott designed "Thunderstone" card game for Alderac Entertainment Group. The game won several awards and nominations, including 2010 Golden Geek Best Card Game Nominee, 2010 Japan Boardgame Prize Voters' Selection Nominee, 2010 JoTa Best Card Game Audience Award, 2010 JoTa Best Card Game Critic Award and 2011 Fairplay À la carte Winner. Alderac relaunched "Thunderstone" in 2017 as "Thunderstone Quest" with a Kickstarter that raised more than $500,000.
Quarriors! and Dice Masters.
In 2012 Elliott designed the "Quarriors!" dice building game. Published by WizKids, the game won the 2013 Origins Awards for Best Family, Party or Children's Game.
The "Quarriors!" Dice Masters system expanded to include "The Lord of the Rings Dice Building Game", "Marvel Dice Masters, DC Comics Dice Masters", "Dungeons & Dragons Dice Masters", "Yu-Gi-Oh! Dice Masters, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Dice Masters". WizKids reported that "Marvel Dice Masters: Avengers vs. X-Men" sold out within its first week of release and in 2015, "Marvel Dice Masters" won the Origins Vanguard Award.
Shadowrun: Crossfire and Dragonfire.
Eliott helped design "Shadowrun: Crossfire, The Adventure Deck-building Game" for Fire Opal Media and Catalyst Game Labs. Released in August 2014, the game is a cooperative card game that combines elements of roleplaying games and deck-building card games. "Dragonfire", a cooperative deck-builder game based on the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game and using the Crossfire game engine, was launched in 2017.