Premiere Edition
Release Date
- Black Border: 11/94
- Alpha White Border: 12/94
- Beta Black Border: 1995
Packs per Booster: 36 Cards per Pack: 15
Decks per Starter: 12 Cards per Starter: 60
The first few sets released by Decipher are a variation of the same cards with a few differences:
- Premiere Edition-Black Bordered set with a 1994 copyright.
- Limited Alpha Set-This is the version of the Premiere Edition CCG set with a 1994 copyright date. It is white bordered.
- Unlimited Beta Set-This is the version of the Premiere Edition CCG set with a 1995 copyright date. It is white bordered.
- Silver Bordered Tin Set- a limited edition tin that contains all 363 cards from the Premiere Edition set but have a silver border and is limited to 30,000 tins, with a U.S. distribution of only 20,000 tins. Released in November 1995.
The Premiere Edition set was released in 1994. It was a limited edition black bordered card set of 363 cards. There are 121 common cards, 121 uncommon and 121 rare cards.The Starter Deck has 45 Commons, 13 Uncommons and 2 Rares. Each Expansion Pack has 11 Common, 3 Uncommon and 1 Rare. The size of the set, and the fact one had to get 121 rares (one per pack and two per deck), made it a tough set to collect. Though this product was considered a limited release with initially high prices, the prices came down quite a bit as supply exceeded demand. Some starter decks had interesting combinations in the two rares that were together, like the two Klingon sisters together in one deck and a Riker and a Troi together on another deck (which just adds to the fun, whether intentional or not). One thing that WAS intentional was something called Easter Eggs, hidden surprises in the images for the eagle eyed collector.
A gift boxed set was produced with the BB. There were only 250 copies of this set and is therefore very rare. Box contains: Size 9x7x13 cm (H x W x D) 363 Black bordered Limited Premium Edition Card1 Rule book (Identical to the ones included in the starter decks)1 Card (double a card size) with the following text: “This complete set of 363 limited edition cards from Star Trek: The Next Generation Customizable Card Game is one of 250 sets manufactured as gifts for supporters and fans. Please accept this gift with our sincere appreciation for your encouragement, friendship and assistance.”
Shortly after the release of the limited edition, in 1994, a White border alpha edition was released. This set was exactly like the BB set, except for the color of the border. All the statistics and print runs are exactly the same, so in effect, the 1994 alpha set is as rare as the BB set. The intention had been to release both a limited, Black Border set, followed by an unlimited White Border Set, but after this release, they never did any more WB sets, except for Preview/Promo cards. They felt the interest from collectors and gamers wasn’t there to support it. Decipher’s website sells WB uncut sheets are available.
In 1995, a BETA version was released. This allowed Decipher to fix some errors in the text that were on 17 cards.They also changed the copyright date on all the cards. The plan is to reprint the beta cards as many times as was needed to continue to offer the product to collectors.
Adjusted cards:
- LWAXANNA TROI, WIND DANCER & THE JUGGLER … corrected misspelling of “Lwaxanna” to “Lwaxana”
- GIUSTI… corrected misspelling of “consol” to “console”
- DISTORTION FIELD… changed “prevents any beam down here” to “…prevents beam down/up here…”
- MENDON… added “s” to specialist
- INVESTIGATE TIME CONTINUUM… corrected misspelling of “Dividia” to “Devidia”
- TSIOLKOVSKY INFECTION… added “(Not cumulative.)”
- ARMUS – SKIN OF EVIL… changed lore from “Malevolent being formed when the inhabitants of Vagra II rid themselves of all the evil they have inside.” to “A malevolent being was formed when the inhabitants of Vagra II rid themselves of all the evil they had inside.”
- TORAL… changed “…bidding of half sisters, Lursa and B’Etor.” to “…bidding of Duras’s sisters, Lursa and B’Etor.”
- EVACUATION MISSION… changed “Strength” to “STRENGTH”
- WESLEY CRUSHER… removed apostrophe from “protege” to match style on Ro Laren and Tog personnel cards
- U.S.S. OBERTH… shifted staff icon to center of art block.
T’PAN… added mindmeld skill - KHITOMER RESEARCH… changed to both a Romulan and Klingon mission
- EMERGENCY TRANSPORTER ARMBANDS… changed “Beam Personnel up or down at any time, even during a battle before the winner is determined.” to “Beam your Personnel up or down at any time, except during a dilemma (unless specifically permitted). May be used during battle before the winner is determined.”
- FIRESTORM… changed “… unless thermal deflectors present. Discard dilemma.” to “…unless thermal deflectors present OR Away Team escapes using emergency transporter armbands. Discard dilemma.
Alternate Universe
Release Date :11/1995
Cards in the Set: 122
Cards per Pack: 15
Packs per Box: 36
Card Images
The first expansion set released by Decipher was the Alternate Universe, with a theme of alternate time lines and universes. This allowed the use of characters and themes from episodes such as All Good Things and Yesterday’s Enterprise. It was released only as an booster/expansion pack. This card set had what is called an ultrarare card; The Future Enterprise!! This card was found in every 122 packs and is three times as rare as any one rare. The Ophidian Cane is printed on the uncommon sheet and appears in an uncommon slot of the pack, but it as rare as any other rare and any pack with the Ophidian Cane actually has two rares.
There were 42,335 of the ultra-rare card printed. Print run for Alternate Universe is 142,294 boxes
Q-Continuum
Release Date: 10/1996
Cards in the Set: 121
Cards per Pack: 15
Packs per Box: 36
Card Images
This 121 Black-border expansion set centers around Q and the Continuum. It allows for some fun Q type antics (Crusher as an Irish Setter) and game play that included the first use of “Station” cards.
There are two versions of the Amanda’s Parents card:
- Version A – Opponents may place that Amanda Rogers…
- Version B – Opponents may take that Amanda Rogers…
First Contact CCG
Release Date : 12/1997
Cards in the Set : 130
Cards per Pack: 9
Packs per Box: 30
Card Images
This Black-bordered set is based on the movie First Contact and brings in a new villain…the Borg. The First Contact set also offered a chance to collect the main bridge crew again. The Box size changed to 30 packs rather than 36 and cards per pack changed to 9. (1R 3U and 5C). It also introduced the Objective-type card.
DS9 CCG
Release Date : 7/1998
Cards in the Set : 276
Cards per Pack: 9
Packs per Box: 30
Cards per Deck: 60
Decks per Box: 12
This is the first DS9 set and introduces collectors and gamers to Sisko and
crew. There are 276 cards in the set with the DS9 station card being two-sided. The cards include core crew cards and other cards specific to DS9. This set came with a ‘twist’… Decipher kept under wraps the addition of a WB Preview card of the USS Defiant until the day of release. The decks and packs used at gaming shows and such were actually created without the WB Defiant in order to keep the secret until the very day of release. The set introduced the HQ and site cards, as well as the Bajorans and Gamma Quadrant cards.
Dominion CCG
Release Date : 1/20/1999
Cards in the Set : 130
Cards per Pack: 9
Packs per Box: 30
Card Images
The Dominion introduces the Dominion affiliation in a 130-card expansion set. Cards from First Contact and TNG also appear in this set. The Defiant card, originally a WB Preview card, appears in this set as a Black-border card. There are four special white-border preview cards.They are 7 of 9, Admiral Riker, Worf, Son of Mogh and Captain Kirk.
Blaze of Glory
Release Date : 8/18/1999
Cards in the Set : 130
Cards per Pack: 9
Packs per Box: 30
Card Images
This expansion product centers around battle/warfare personnel, tactics,
equipment and objectives. It consists of 130 cards; 50 Rares, 40 Uncommons and 40 Common cards. The 9 card booster packs have 1 Rare, 3 Uncommons, 5 Common cards. The set blends cards from TNG, DS9 and Voyager. It also introduces the Tactic-type cards.
This set also features 18 foil cards, the first of their kind from Decipher. The foils are no different than the cards in the regular card except for a light foil effect on the front. In some cases, the foil effect can go unnoticed in certain light, so sort in a brightly lit room?!
The rarity of the foils is as follows:
VRF = Very Rare Foil (1:106)
SRF = Super-Rare Foil (1:225)
URF = Ultra-Rare Foil (1:450)
Foil cards appear in approximately 1:9 Blaze of Glory expansion packs.
Rules of Acquisition
Release Date : 12/1/1999
Cards in the Set : 130
Cards per Pack: 9
Packs per Box: 30
Card Images
This installment from Decipher adds a new race to the Trek gaming universe,
Ferengi! It adds new tactics and missions as only a Ferengi could appreciate. This 130 card set has 50 rares, 40 commons and 40 uncommons. Unlike the last few sets, there are no foils or preview cards.
Trouble With Tribbles
Release Date : 8/9/2000
Cards in the Set : 141
Cards per Pack: 11
Packs per Box: 30
Cards per Deck: 60
Decks per Box: 12
Card Images
Finally, a TOS set! Up until recently, the license for the first seven movies and
TOS was with SkyBox and Decipher couldn’t use those characters (unless they appeared in one of the series Decipher did have). Now, all Trek was with Decipher and to celebrate they released the Trouble With Tribbles CCG.
This series of cards feature TOS and DS9 characters, places and things
(Tribbles!) found on TOS Trouble With Tribbles and Trials and Tribulations. It
included an ultra-rare, Dr. McCoy, found in about one in every 121 packs. Some rares (R+) are 33% more rare than other rares. He was selected as the UR as a tribute to the actor’s death the year before.
The cards came as either booster packs or one of two pre constructed starter decks; a Federation and Klingon deck, with two exclusive cards, Sisko and Koloth.
As a surprise, many of the cards in the starter decks had Tribbles added by
Decipher in the scene, some easy to find, some not. Cards include printed card number and rarity
Tribbles Stand Alone Game
After the release of TWT, a stand-alone Tribbles Game, called “Tribbles” was
released. The game contains 112 Tribble cards, 8 reference cards, a Tribble pad of paper and a Decipher pencil. The cards are similar to cards found in the CCG set except for a small icon in the text box on the front of the card.
Reflections
Release Date : 10/2000
Cards in the Set : 105
Cards per Pack: 18
Packs per Box: 30
Foil cards 1:1
Card Images
Released in Sept. 2000, this set takes a look back at the most popular of all the past CCG cards. A pack has 18 cards. One is a foil card and can be one of three rarities, Very Rare, Super Rare and Ultra-rare. The other 17 cards are random, they can be a mix of commons, uncommon and rares from the Premiere set through Dominion, including WB Preview cards and EFC premiums. The foils cards are some of the most popular cards with an added foil effect, like the Future Enterprise, or Picard from the first set. There was one case topper of 7 of 9 and 4 box toppers (100,000 Tribbles (Clone), Admiral Riker, Dr. Telek R’Mor and Gowron of Borg).
From a collector perspective, this set caused problems. First of all, the addition of Future Enterprises, WB Previews and EFC premiums greatly diminished the value of the cards collectors already had in their collections. Future Enterprises, which had held a value of $50 for many years could be picked up for $15. The games are, of course, pleased at the infusion of more *good cards*, but for a company who says they are marketing to collectors as well, this is more of a negative then a positive. Cards have a copyright date of 2000.
Mirror, Mirror
Release Date : 12/6/2000
Cards in the Set : 131
Cards per Pack: 11
Packs per Box: 30
Card Images
Released in December 2000, this set is based on episodes featuring the Mirror Universe first explored in TOS and then again in DS9. Decipher made the set `heavy” on personnel. It also introduces two new deck types- Terran Empire and Klingon/Cardassian Alliance. They are sold in booster packs only. As in The Trouble With Tribbles, rarity and card number is designated on each card in the lower right in very small print. Also like Trouble with Tribbles, there are two types of rares…with a certain category of rares (R+) being 33% more rare than other rares. The set includes cards from TOS and DS9 mainly, with a few from Voyager.