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The Invader Set (2007)
The Invader Set stands as the third major release in the Battles in Time series (excluding the standalone Daleks vs Cybermen mini-set). Officially announced in a press release from GE Fabbri on the 14th of August 2007, the set launched just a month later on the 5th of September 2007.
The launch issue was a massive retail event, coming packed with:
Two booster packs of Invader cards (one of which contained a guaranteed, exclusive Dalek Blaster card).
A premium, A4-sized collector's album with dedicated slots to house up to 432 cards.
Individual booster packs made available for standalone purchase at newsagents simultaneously.
Expanded Checklist & Television Tie-Ins
The Invader series expanded the archive dramatically by introducing 225 new cards, numbered sequentially from 376 to 600. This block of cards focused heavily on the televised adventures of Series 3, spanning from Martha Jones' debut in Smith and Jones all the way through to the dramatic season finale, Last of the Time Lords.
The design team maintained the established, iconic aesthetic of the previous sets, distributing the 225 cards across the familiar rarity structure:
184 Common Cards (C): 8 per pack
25 Rare Cards (R): 1 per pack
10 Super-Rare Cards (SR): 1 in every 6 packs
6 Ultra-Rare Cards (UR): 1 in every 24 packs
1 Golden Ticket Card: 1 in every 1,000 packs
Promotional art from the Invader series showing what the boxes in retail settings looked like where you could purchase single packs.
My Render of what the packs for this set looked like, as it is incredibly hard to scan the packs themselves due to the foil packaging. Please do not re-use without permission as alot of work went into re-mastering these. Thank you.
The Modern Collectors' Market: An Overprinted Classic
Within the collecting community, it is widely acknowledged that Invader was the most heavily produced set in the entire history of the Battles in Time franchise.
Because GE Fabbri drastically increased print runs to meet peak demand, the market was somewhat oversaturated. This historical overproduction has a fascinating impact on the modern hobby: even decades later, sealed Invader booster boxes and individual packs remain relatively common and affordable. It stands in stark contrast to earlier or later expansions, where sealed product has become exceptionally scarce and expensive.
How to Identify Invader Cards
To distinguish the Invader cards from previous sets, GE Fabbri shifted the accent colors to match the vibrant branding of Series 3 of the television show. When sorting through your collection, you can instantly pick out an Invader card using these four visual indicators:
Yellow Rarity Bubbles: The circular rarity symbol in the bottom-left corner features a bright yellow oval background (replacing the green from Annihilator and the red from Exterminator).
Yellow Set Numbering: The card number in the bottom-right corner is printed in yellow ink, counting up to the new set total of 225.
The "Invader" Logo: The word INVADER is prominently branded in stylized text right along the bottom-center border of the card artwork.
Copyright Details: The back of the card features the updated "© BBC 2007" copyright text, positioned neatly directly underneath the main Battles in Time logo.
Invader Special
The Invader Special Issue.
To kick off the Invader era, GE Fabbri published a massive, card-mounted bumper edition on 5 September 2007. This served as the second official special issue in the Doctor Who: Battles in Time franchise.
Retailing at £5.99, this heavy-duty special was designed to give collectors everything they needed to kickstart their Series 3 collection.
What Was Included:
Two Packs of Invader Trading Cards: Giving collectors an immediate 16-card head start on the brand new set.
An Exclusive "Dalek Blaster" Card: A rare, standalone promotional lenticular card that was exclusive to this issue and could not be found in standard booster packs.
An A4 Collector's Card Album: A heavy-duty, presentation binder with integrated plastic sleeves featuring enough space to store and display over 300 cards.
Digital Preview Gimmick
As part of the nationwide marketing campaign for the new card launch, GE Fabbri uploaded the first 11 pages of the special issue directly to the official Battles in Time website. This allowed young collectors and parents to browse a digital preview of the new rules, checklist changes, and artwork features before buying the physical magazine at newsagents.
The Digital Era: The Invader Flash Website.
Coinciding with the nationwide launch of the new cards, GE Fabbri rolled out a completely redesigned, standalone digital hub for the game located at (https://www.battlesintimeinvader.com).
Because the site was built entirely using Adobe Flash media, a significant portion of its interactive features, mini-games, and animated card checklists are unfortunately inaccessible today. However, the archival screenshot preserved below provides a rare glimpse into exactly how the digital command center looked to young collectors logging on back in 2007.
Scanned Cards:
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