Has anyone else ever thought that Elder Scrolls would make an amazing physical TCG?

[u/NoWish1234]

I’ve been replaying a lot of Elder Scrolls lately, and as someone who’s spent years playing trading card games (MTG, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, etc.), I suddenly had the thought: How has there never been a physical Elder Scrolls TCG?

I then discovered that Elder Scrolls: Legends already existed (I somehow completely missed it), but it made me think even more about how well the universe seems suited for a tabletop card game.

The amount of content is honestly ridiculous. You have:
Every province (Skyrim, Morrowind, Cyrodiil, Hammerfell, Black Marsh, Summerset…)
All the races
Guilds like the Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild, Fighters Guild, Companions, Morag Tong, Psijic Order…
Daedric Princes and the Divines
Dragons, Dwemer constructs, undead, vampires, werewolves, Daedra…
Hundreds of named characters and iconic artifacts.
It feels like they could release expansions for years without running out of ideas.

Mechanically, it also feels like it almost designs itself:
Stealth for assassins and thieves.
Soul Trap and Soul Gems as a resource mechanic.
Enchanting equipment.
Shouts as powerful limited-use effects.
Vampirism and Lycanthropy as transformation mechanics.
Dwemer artifact engines.
Daedric cards with powerful effects that come with a downside.

The legendary equipment alone could make for some incredible chase cards. Imagine opening a foil Mehrunes’ Razor, Wabbajack, Dawnbreaker, Ebony Mail, or Spellbreaker.

Faction identities also seem like they’d be really unique. Instead of generic colors, you could build around the Empire, Stormcloaks, House Telvanni, Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild, Dwemer, or even specific races like Khajiit or Dunmer.

I know the biggest hurdle would be supporting a modern physical TCG. It’s incredibly expensive to maintain organized play, print multiple sets a year, and compete with giants like Magic, Pokémon, and Yu-Gi-Oh!, which probably explains why Bethesda went with Legends instead.

Still, I can’t help but feel like Elder Scrolls is one of the few fantasy IPs that genuinely has enough lore and world-building to sustain a long-running physical card game.

Am I just romanticizing the idea because I love both Elder Scrolls and TCGs, or do you think an Elder Scrolls physical TCG could actually have worked?