Monte Cook is the best in the hobby at fleshing out ideas. (snip)
Ptolus was a superb piece of design, publishing, and marketing. He was the best marketer in the hobby for many years.
I also remain enamoured with the
Complete Book of Eldritch Might or its three constituent books. Sure, some of the ideas are imbalanced but it's refreshingly creative. I've stolen a lot of the ideas for my 4E games.
Numenera, however, left me a bit cold. I don't blame Monte for that; it just wasn't what I was looking for. I did love the art and visual sensibilities, however.