Doctor Who: Battles in Time (trading cards)
Doctor Who: Battles in Time were collectable trading cards issued with the similarly-named magazine. They were also available for separate purchase from newsagents and some specialist shops.
Over the course of three years from 2006-2008, 1,075 individual numbered cards were produced, plus three special cards, comprising five main sets - Exterminator, Annihilator, Invader, Ultimate Monsters & Devastator. In addition a further 34 cards were produced comprising two extra sets - Daleks vs Cybermen & Adventurer exclusive to specific issues of the magazine.
Overview
Each standard pack cost £1.50 and contained 9 cards, 8 Common and 1 Rare. Super-Rare and Ultra-Rare cards were included as an extra tenth card in a pack.
Mixed set packs, which were only available free with the magazine, contained 12 cards, 6 from each set - 5 Common and 1 Rare.
Features
The cards shared a number of common features.
| Feature | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Title | Each card was named. |
| Card number | Each card had a unique identification number in the top left-hand corner. |
| Power icons | Each card had three power icons, these were circular Gallifreyan symbols coloured a combination of red, green or silver. |
| Card description | Each card had a sentence describing the character or object featured on the card. |
| Rarity symbol | Each card had a symbol denoting its rarity in the bottom left-hand corner. (C) for Common, (R) for Rare, (SR) for Super-Rare, and (UR) for Ultra-Rare. (This was introduced when the cards went nationwide, cards in the initial trial run did not have this feature.) |
| Set number | Each card had its number within each set in the bottom right-hand corner. |
| Skill categories | Character cards listed the following skills: Intelligence, Agility, Stamina, Special Abilities, and Fear Factor. |
| Double ratings | Character cards had two ratings for each skill category, one in a green circle and one in a red circle. |
| Deck icon | The cards were split into two types - Character cards & Bonus cards. Character cards were categorised into the following decks, with an icon in the top right-hand corner: Alien, Cyberman, Dalek, Hero, Human, Monster, and Robot. |
However two sets had set specific features.
| Feature | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Power bar | Cards from the Daleks vs Cybermen set have this feature to be used with the board game included with DWBIT Daleks vs Cybermen Special. |
| Which Doctor? | Cards from the Ultimate Monsters set indicated which Doctor's era each card came from. |
Sets
| Doctor Who: Battles in Time trading card sets | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set | Release date | No. of cards | C | R | SR | UR | GT |
| Exterminator (trial run) | spring 2006 | 85 | 60 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 1 |
| Exterminator | 20 September 2006 | 275 | 231 | 28 | 10 | 6 | 1 |
| Annihilator | 23 February 2007 | 100 | 75 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| Daleks vs Cybermen | 16 May 2007 | 18 (24) | 16 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Invader | 5 September 2007 | 225 | 184 | 25 | 10 | 6 | 1 |
| Ultimate Monsters | 5 March 2008 | 225 | 185 | 25 | 10 | 5 | 1 |
| Devastator | 17 September 2008 | 250 | 209 | 25 | 10 | 6 | 1 |
| Adventurer | 21 January 2009 | 10 (11) | 10 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Special cards
- Psychic Paper - Special card to read hidden messages in some bonus cards. Available only in the first issue of the magazine.
- Super Rose - There was only one in every 1,000 packets of all five main sets.
- Dalek Blaster - This was a special lenticular card of a Dalek being 'blasted', and came free with the Invader Special magazine.
