Melissa DeTora
| Melissa DeTora | |
|---|---|
| Demographics | |
| Residence | Kent, Washington, United States |
| Nationality |
 American |
| Professional Career | |
| Pro Tour debut | Pro Tour Venice 2003 |
| Top Finishes | 1 (0 wins) |
| GP top 8s | 2 (0 wins) |
Melissa DeTora is a member of the Magic Play Design team at Wizards of the Coast.
Career
She is a former professional Magic player and writer for GatheringMagic. She became the first woman to make the top eight of a Pro Tour when she made the top eight of Pro Tour Gatecrash.
Wizards of the Coast R&D
In 2015-2016 DeTora was hired by Wizards of the Coast as a playtester and occasional designer and developer. In May 2017, she became a full-time employee as part of the Play Design team.[1][2][3] In this capacity, she took over Latest Developments from Sam Stoddard. The column was also renamed Play Design[4] but later petered out of existence. In June 2021, DeTora was promoted to Senior Designer.
Under the lead of DeTora, Casual Play Design was created in the last weeks of 2021.[5][6]
Designing
Developing
- Eldritch Moon
- Kaladesh
- Rivals of Ixalan
- Masters 25
- Core Set 2020
- Throne of Eldraine
- Zendikar Rising
- Kaldheim
- Innistrad: Midnight Hunt
- Secret Lair Drop Series: Stranger Things[7]
- The Brothers' War
- Commander Masters Commander Decks
Pro Tour
Accomplishments
| Season | Event type | Location | Format | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Grand Prix | Santiago | Limited | 22–23 October 2011 | 4 |
| 2012–13 | Pro Tour | Montreal | Standard and Booster Draft | 15–17 February 2013 | 6 |
| 2014–15 | Grand Prix | Orlando | Limited | 4–5 October 2014 | 2 |
→ Source: Wizards.com
Pro Tour Results
| Season | Pro Tour | Format | Finish | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Venice | Block Constructed | 209 | |
| 2003–04 | Boston | Team Limited | 107 | |
| 2005 | Colombus | Extended | 172 | |
| 2006 | Charleston | Team Constructed | 42 | |
| 2007 | Valencia | Extended | 54 | $610 |
| 2008 | Kuala Lumpur | Booster Draft | 62 | $530 |
| 2008 | Hollywood | Standard | 243 | |
| 2008 | Berlin | Extended | 141 | |
| 2008 | Worlds (Memphis) | Special | 285 | |
| 2012 | Dark Ascension in Honolulu | Standard and Booster Draft | 402 | |
| 2012 | Avacyn Restored in Barcelona | Block Constructed and Booster Draft | 232 | |
| 2012–13 | Gatecrash in Montreal | Standard and Booster Draft | 6 | $10,000 |
| 2012–13 | Dragon's Maze in San Diego | Block Constructed and Booster Draft | 64 | $1,000 |
| 2013–14 | Theros in Dublin | Standard and Booster Draft | 133 | |
| 2013–14 | Born of the Gods in Valencia | Modern and Booster Draft | 95 | |
| 2013–14 | Journey into Nyx in Atlanta | Block Constructed and Booster Draft | 302 | |
| 2013–14 | Magic 2015 in Portland | Standard and Booster Draft | 23 | $2,500 |
| 2014–15 | Khans of Tarkir in Honolulu | Standard and Booster Draft | 344 |
→ Source: Wizards.com
References
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 17, 2017). "Play Design". Blogatog. Tumblr.
- ↑ Dan Burdick (June 16, 2017). "On the Shoulders of Giants". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Bryan Hawley (April 24, 2019). "Checking in With Play Design". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Melissa DeTora (June 23, 2017). "Cycle of Torment". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Melissa DeTora (October 21, 2021). "I am leading the new MTG Casual Play Design team at Wizards". Twitter.
- ↑ Melissa DeTora (October 21, 2021.) "AMA". Magic: The Gathering Discord.
- ↑ Melissa De Tora (October 14, 2021). "The Stranger Things secret lair drop was one of the projects I worked on.". Twitter.