Errata

From LOTR-TCG Wiki
The Mirror of Galadriel (1R55) , which was not the only card to be issued multiple errata, but it was the only card to have had more than one errata physically printed.

For the unofficial Player's Council Errata, see PC Errata.

An Errata is an edit to a card's game text after its printing, usually to nerf a card with too much power or fix a broken looping mechanism. (Errata is technically plural, but nobody ever says "erratum".)


Decipher Era[edit]

Decipher eventually issued about 25 errata over the course of the game's run, such as The Mirror of Galadriel (1R55) , Sting of Shelob (18R35) , and Howl of Harad (4U236) . Decipher issued more errata in Rise of Saruman and Treachery & Deceit than any other sets, due to the hasty production process as the company imploded. Those final errata issued were the last official gasp of communication from Decipher concerning the game, and they occasionally did not actually repair the card or instead made it worse, such as Frenzy of Arrows (18U79) infamously being made literally unplayable (as there were never any Orc archers ever released).

As a rule, Decipher avoided errata when possible, the logic being that nobody wanted to open a fresh new card only to discover that the words printed on that card were not how the card was to be read. If a problematic interaction was discovered, a card was much more likely to be banned (added to the X-List) than to be errata'd, with the only exception being if the problem card was in the most recently released set. This is most clear in situations where a new card combo'd with an old card caused an infinite loop, where the most frequent result was the old card getting X'd (such as Steadfast Champion (7U49) getting banned in the wake of the more recently released Treebeard, Keeper of the Watchwood (10R18) ).

If however a card was simply too good for its own sake, or the detrimental combo was with other cards released in the same set, then errata would reluctantly be issued, usually in the form of additions to the Current Rulings Document.

Clarifications[edit]

Decipher also issued a number of so-called "clarifications" through the same avenues as errata, which were ostensibly to repair inconsistent verbiage, typos, misprints, and other oversights. For instance, Nice Fish (15C46) and Field of the Fallen (10U43) had major typos in their print run which made the cards hard to understand, Axe Strike (1C3) originally referenced "axe" as if it were a keyword, and Úlairë Otsëa, Lieutenant of Morgul (1U235) originally had its title spelled wrong.

In many cases, however, "clarification" was used as a fig leaf to cover up what were essentially errata with actual material changes to the card. For example, Elven Brooch (4U63) as written states "Response: If another possession borne by bearer is about to be discarded, discard this possession instead." The "clarification" alters this wording to instead be "If another possession is about to be discarded by a Shadow card...". This is a material change to how the card is used (i.e. it can no longer be used to block self-discards such as Dwarven Bracers (2U3) ), and yet the ruling wants to pretend it's anything besides an errata.

The major difference between whether a card was issued a clarification or an errata appears to come down to whether the issue was perceived as an actual oversight on Decipher's part (leading to an errata) or poorly worded text that did not capture the actual foreseen intent of the developers (leading to a clarification).

About 42 clarifications were issued by Decipher, which is almost twice as many as errata. Clarifications are included in the below table of errata.

Reprints[edit]

In some situations, cards which had been errata'd were reprinted, and in those cases the card's print version would be incremented and the version letter would be added to the lower right-hand corner (A for first revision, and B for second revision, although no card besides The Mirror of Galadriel (1R55) ever had more than 1 revision).

A handful of clarifications ended up reprinted, such as for Axe Strike (1C3) . Some clarifications ended up essentially reprinted in a later set, such as Drawn to Its Power (1U211) having its clarification inherited by Drawn to its Power (11S209) .


List of Cards With Official Decipher Errata or Clarifications[edit]

CardName Revision Original Errata
Book of Mazarbul (0P7) 1
Axe Strike (1C3) 1
Dwarf Guard (1C7) 1
Dwarven Axe (1C9) 1
Farin, Dwarven Emissary (1C11) 1
Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (1U12) 2
Greatest Kingdom of My People (1R16) 1
Grimir, Dwarven Elder (1U17) 1
Nobody Tosses a Dwarf (1R23) 1
Ancient Enmity (1U29) 1
Curse Their Foul Feet! (1R36) 1
Elrond, Lord of Rivendell (1R40) 1
Galadriel, Lady of Light (1R45) 1
Gift of Boats (1U46) 1
Lórien Elf (1C53) 1
The Mirror of Galadriel (1R55) 3
Shoulder to Shoulder (1C59) 1
The White Arrows of Lórien (1C68) 1
Ottar, Man of Laketown (1R80) 2
No Stranger to the Shadows (1U108) 1
One Whom Men Would Follow (1U109) 1
A Ranger's Versatility (1U113) 1
Hunt Them Down! (1U126) 1
Saruman's Snows (1C138) 2
Savagery to Match Their Numbers (1R139) 2
Uruk Rager (1C150) 1
Uruk Soldier (1C154) 1
Uruk-hai Sword (1C160) 1
Worry (1U162) 1
Relics of Moria (1R195) 1
Through the Misty Mountains (1U198) 1
Drawn to Its Power (1U211) 1
Úlairë Nertëa, Messenger of Dol Guldur (1U234) 1
Band of the Eye (1R240) 1
Desperate Measures (1R245) 1
Forces of Mordor (1C248) 1
The Irresistible Shadow (1R252) 1
Mordor Enraged (1R254) 1
Orc Banner (1R263) 1
Orc Butchery (1R265) 1
Orc Inquisitor (1C268) 1
Tower Lieutenant (1U280) 1
The Weight of a Legacy (1R282) 1
Rosie Cotton, Hobbiton Lass (1U309) 1
Sam, Son of Hamfast (1C311) 2
Sting (1R313) 1
A Talent for Not Being Seen (1U316) 1
Thrór's Map (1R318) 1
Ettenmoors (1C331) 1
Midgewater Moors (1U333) 1
Ford of Bruinen (1U338) 1
Balin's Tomb (1U343) 1
Emyn Muil (1U360) 1
Beneath the Mountains (2R1) 1
Frór, Gimli's Kinsman (2C6) 1
Glóin, Friend to Thorin (2R7) 1
Realm of Dwarrowdelf (2R12) 1
Flaming Brand (2R32) 2
Lurtz's Sword (2R43) 1
No Business of Ours (2C44) 1
Too Much Attention (2R45) 1
Foul Things (2U59) 1
Bill Ferny, Swarthy Sneering Fellow (2R75) 1
Southern Spies (2C91) 1
Filibert Bolger, Wily Rascal (2C101) 1
Not Feared in Sunlight (2U107) 1
O Elbereth! Gilthoniel! (2R108) 1
Gimli, Dwarf of the Mountain-race (2P121) 1
A Royal Welcome (3U4) 1
Galadriel, Lady of the Golden Wood (3R17) 2
Vilya (3R27) 1
Aragorn, Heir to the White City (3R38) 1
Horn of Boromir (3R42) 1
We Must Go Warily (3C48) 1
Hollowing of Isengard (3R54) 1
The Palantír of Orthanc (3R67) 1
Saruman, Keeper of Isengard (3R68) 2
Malice (3U79) 1
News of Mordor (3U82) 1
The Dark Lord Advances (3C87) 1
Get Off the Road! (3U88) 1
Hand of Sauron (3C90) 2
His Cruelty and Malice (3R91) 1
Massing in the East (3U92) 1
Terrible as the Dawn (3R103) 1
Tower of Barad-dûr (3R104) 1
Bill the Pony (3U106) 1
Frying Pan (3C108) 1
Melilot Brandybuck, Merry Dancer (3R110) 1
The Shire Countryside (3R113) 1
Wastes of Emyn Muil (3U120) 1
Ever My Heart Rises (4R46) 1
Elven Brooch (4U63) 1
Legolas, Dauntless Hunter (4R73) 2
Come Down (4R146) 1
Uruk Regular (4C192) 1
Howl of Harad (4U236) 1
Ithilien Wilderness (4R237) 1
Fortress Never Fallen (4U276) 1
Get On and Get Away (4R304) 1
Caves of Aglarond (4U352) 1
Scaling Ladder (5U57) 1
Don’t Look at Them (6R39) 1
They Stole It (6R46) 1
Sword of Dol Guldur (6R85) 1
Loyalty Unshaken (7R10) 1
Slaked Thirsts (7U14) 1
Steadfast Champion (7U49) 1
No Safe Places (7R66) 1
Gondorian Captain (7C96) 1
Pippin's Sword (7R114) 1
Desert Runner (7C133) 1
Desert Scout (7U134) 1
Desert Sneak (7C135) 1
Loathsome (7R182) 1
Morgul Destroyer (7U190) 1
They Sang as They Slew (7C256) 1
Mordor Assassin (7R284) 1
Mordor Defender (7C285) 1
Mordor Savage (7U289) 1
Orc Officer (7U302) 1
Isengard Ruined (7U331) 1
Rohirrim Road (7U332) 1
Morgul Vale (7U357) 1
Northern Ithilien (7U359) 1
Aggression (8C1) 1
Saved From the Fire (8R20) 1
Promise Keeping (8R24) 1
Elessar's Edict (8R33) 1
Shadow Host (8R43) 1
Swept Away (8C48) 1
Castamir of Umbar (8R51) 1
Corsair Marauder (8R57) 2
Corsair War Galley (8U59) 1
Corsair War Galley (8U59) 2
Black Dart (8U69) 1
Rohirrim Army (8R91) 1
Great Hill Troll (8C102) 1
Grond, Hammer of the Underworld (8R103) 1
Glorfindel, Revealed in Wrath (9R+16) 1
Radagast, The Brown (9R+26) 1
Sent Back (9R27) 1
Memories of Darkness (10U2) 1
Círdan, The Shipwright (10R8) 1
Galadriel, Lady Redeemed (10R11) 1
Galadriel, Lady Redeemed (10R11) 2
Glimpse of Fate (10U12) 1
Out of the High Airs (10R17) 1
Field of the Fallen (10U43) 1
Under Foot (10C52) 1
Úlairë Enquëa, Thrall of the One (10R68) 1
Éowyn, Lady of Ithilien (10R72) 1
Mordor Fiend (10C91) 1
Final Account (11C31) 1
Strange-looking Men (11R100) 1
Demoralized (11U114) 1
Orkish Smith (11C132) 1
Anduin Banks (11U227) 1
Cavern Entrance (11S232) 1
Neekerbreekers’ Bog (11S249) 1
Courtyard Parapet (13U188) 1
Focus (15C15) 1
Nice Fish (15C46) 1
Ithilien Blade (15C62) 1
Madril, Defender of Osgiliath (15R64) 2
Mountain-troll (15R112) 1
Little Golden Flower (15R148) 1
Namárië (17U10) 1
A New Light (17U15) 2
Orkish Warg-master (17R87) 1
Éowyn, Northwoman (17R96) 1
Vile Pit (17C118) 1
Elven Armaments (18U8) 1
Galadriel's Silver Ewer (18R11) 1
Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor (18R12) 1
Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor (18R12) 2
Beorning Axe (18R18) 1
Ents Marching (18C20) 1
Perspective (18U25) 1
Deceit (18R29) 1
Sting of Shelob (18R35) 1
Faramir, Captain of Ithilien (18R48) 1
The Faithful Stone (18R50) 2
Ranger of the North (18R55) 1
Whisper in the Dark (18C77) 1
Destroyers and Usurpers (18U78) 1
Frenzy of Arrows (18U79) 2
Gothmog, Morgul Leader (18R80) 1
Grond, Forged With Black Steel (18R82) 1
Cast from the Hall (18C94) 1
Erkenbrand's Horn (18R96) 1
Erkenbrand's Shield (18R97) 1
Prized Lagan (18U110) 1
Robin Smallburrow, Shirriff Cock-Robin (18U111) 1
Scouring of the Shire (18R112) 1
Final Triumph (18R115) 1
Pull of the Ring (18R133) 1
Doorway to Doom (18U134) 1
Mithlond (18U136) 1
Steward's Tomb (18U139) 1
The One Ring, The Great Ring (19P1) 1
Brought Down from Inside (19P24) 1
Pippin, Steadfast Friend (19P30) 1
Úlairë Lemenya, Dark Enemy (19P37) 1
Úlairë Nertëa, Dark Horseman (19P38) 1

The Player's Council[edit]

The Player's Council fan group have issued errata for cards as part of their effort to promote and encourage the game. These errata are issued primarily on the GEMP online platform, first in opt-in playtest formats and then into public release as part of the official PC formats. Images of such cards can be found on the PC image repository.

See PC Errata for more in-depth discussion of each errata and why the card was addressed.

List of Player's Council Errata[edit]

CardName Revision Original Errata
Gimli, Dwarf of Erebor (1U12) 1
Far-seeing Eyes (1C43) 1
The Mirror of Galadriel (1R55) 1
The Mirror of Galadriel (1R55) 2
Ottar, Man of Laketown (1R80) 1
Saruman's Snows (1C138) 1
Savagery to Match Their Numbers (1R139) 1
Sam, Son of Hamfast (1C311) 1
Flaming Brand (2R32) 1
Galadriel, Lady of the Golden Wood (3R17) 1
Saruman, Keeper of Isengard (3R68) 1
Hand of Sauron (3C90) 1
Legolas, Dauntless Hunter (4R73) 1
Corsair Marauder (8R57) 1
Madril, Defender of Osgiliath (15R64) 1
A New Light (17U15) 1
The Faithful Stone (18R50) 1
Frenzy of Arrows (18U79) 1




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