Beta Cards

From LOTR-TCG Wiki

Beta Cards are cards that progressed to the point where visuals and/or a title had been picked out, but were ultimately rejected before release (or in some cases iterated on until they were unrecognizable). The term comes from "beta testing", which is a software development term indicating a program that is mostly-ready but is still pending release.

Such cards are found in myriad sources--print ads that were finalized before the cards were, obsolete promotional material, and in some cases digging into the data hidden on Decipher's website or within the Lord of the Rings Online TCG client. In most cases the story behind the rejection is completely unknown, as the card image itself is all we have to go on. We can speculate, but in the vast majority of cases we must simply be left to ponder what might have been.

The most impressive collection of beta cards comes from the Mines of Moria Card Proofs, which were a section of the New Line Fax Proofs that were sent between New Line and Decipher. This is an exceptionally unique insight into the development and approval process of the game. The full faxes include more than just card images, and go over packaging and other related material.

Below are all known beta cards with their sources listed. If you know of any cards and have any visual proof of any kind, please upload them to the wiki and add them here!

Card Approximate Target Set Source
Of Very Little Importance (Beta) Mines of Moria-era Mines of Moria Card Proofs
Fortune of Fate (Beta) Mines of Moria-era Mines of Moria Card Proofs
Always a Baggins in Bag End (Beta) Mines of Moria-era Mines of Moria Card Proofs
Maiden of the Golden Ale (Beta) Mines of Moria-era Mines of Moria Card Proofs
Ripples in the Pool (Beta) Mines of Moria-era Mines of Moria Card Proofs
Of Very Little Importance (Beta) Mines of Moria-era Mines of Moria Card Proofs
It's the Beard (Beta) The Two Towers-era Mined from the Wayback Machine
There are NO Dwarven Women! (Beta) The Two Towers-era Mined from the Wayback Machine


Physical Products
Card Product Booster Packs
The Fellowship of the Ring • Mines of Moria • Realms of the Elf-lords
The Two Towers • Battle of Helm's Deep • Ents of Fangorn
Return of the King • Siege of Gondor • Mount Doom
Reflections
Shadows • Black Rider • Bloodlines
The Hunters • Rise of Saruman • Treachery & Deceit
Starter Decks The Fellowship of the Ring • Mines of Moria • Realms of the Elf-lords
The Two Towers • Battle of Helm's Deep • Ents of Fangorn
Return of the King • Siege of Gondor • Mount Doom
Shadows • Black Rider • Bloodlines
The Hunters • Rise of Saruman
Deluxe Starter Sets The Fellowship of the Ring • The Two Towers
Draft Packs Fellowship Draft Pack • Towers Draft Pack • Expanded Middle-earth
Card Variants Print Runs (First Edition, A Revision, B Revision, Duplicate Version) • Reprints • Foil • Tengwar • Legends (RF) • Legends Masterworks
Tengwar Anthologies The Fellowship of the Ring Anthology • The Two Towers Anthology • The Return of the King Anthology • The War of the Ring Anthology
Complete Packs The Nine Riders Collection • The Wraith Collection • Age's End
Prizes League Kits • DGMA Prizes • Tournament Prize Support • Tournament Foils
Promo Distribution Oversized Cards • Magazine Inserts • DVD Inserts • Retail Reward Incentives • Event Promos • The Countdown Collection • The Weta Collection • LOTRO Promos
Other Two-Player QuickStart Set • Race to Mount Doom • Weta Book Cards • Product Box Counts • Uncut Sheets • Spacer Cards • Customizable League Cards • Hunters Design-a-Card Contest
Unreleased Beta Cards Of Very Little Importance (Beta) • Fortune of Fate (Beta) • Always a Baggins in Bag End (Beta) • Maiden of the Golden Ale (Beta) • Ripples in the Pool (Beta) • Of Very Little Importance (Beta) • It's the Beard (Beta) • There are NO Dwarven Women! (Beta)
Non-card Product Merchandise Hats • T-shirts • Pins • Posters • Postcards • Binders • Ad Spots • Dice
Magazines Scrye Magazine • InQuest Magazine • Fan Club Official Movie Magazine

Scrye TTT Player's Guide • Scrye ROTK Player's Guide

Unreleased Merch 2002 Toy Fair Calendar • Film Cell Cards • Official Signed Cards
New Line Fax Proofs Lithograph Proofs • Balrog Promo Proof • Mines of Moria Booster Pack Proofs • Mines of Moria Card Proofs • Mines of Moria Packaging Proofs • Mines of Moria Poster Proof • Toy Fair Calendar Proposal • Mines of Moria Sell Sheet Proof • Realms of the Elf-lords Promo Proofs • Film Cell Card Proposal
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