Cryptopunks, Ultiverse, Solano, Yuga Labs, ENS Domains and more

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👀 WHAT’S THE META.. 👀

GM, GA, or GN wherever you may be.

Want to stay ahead of the curve? Don't worry we got you. The market has been brewing, here's what's currently happening:

Solana experiences yet another major outage.

Ridder Ripps to pay Yuga Labs $9M in lawsuit.

ENS.eth announces partnership with GoDaddy.

Solana chapter 2 crypto phone presorders rise exponentially.

🔮 NFT EVENTS & DROPS 🔮

So many mints, so little time. Don't worry Mani's got you covered. Eight gems to keep an eye on this coming week.

1. "Flora Forms", a BTC gen art project is minting on 14th February.

   It's a collaboration drop between digital artist "Harto" and "Belvedere Museum"

2. "Proscenium" by remnynt, an ETH gen art project is dropping on 14th February. Curated by "Art Blocks"

3. "Claynosaurz" partnered with Magic Eden wallet to drop a free open edition on 14th February, open till 21st February. Minted exclusively in the Magic Eden wallet

4. BTC ordinal project "BlockOut" minting their WL phase on 16th February, 1:00 PM EST

5. Web3 game "Champions Ascension" presents "The emperor's legendary crystal" event from 16th - 23rd February $15k+ in cash and prizes.

🪙 CRYPTO DIGEST 🪙

Bitcoin's recent rally beyond the crucial $44,500 level has propelled it towards the key $50,000 mark, aligning with the upper boundary of the Zone Structure's Red Zone—a historically significant resistance area.

This week is pivotal, as the crypto sphere watches whether BTC can maintain its position above $50,000. A close above this threshold may signal a departure from past cycles, challenging the expected bearish retracement.

Should BTC confirm $50,000 as support, the recent retreat to $38,500 may represent the full correction. If not, the Zone Structure's $34,500 midpoint may be revisited in the coming months.

BTC's tenuous position above $50,000 puts market watchers on alert. A weekly close within the Red Zone hints at a cycle deviation, potentially setting $34,500 as a possible floor for the next bear market bottom. Conversely, dipping below after a close within could still keep a retest of $34,500 in play. This week's closing price is critical and could very well set the tone for BTC's path for the foreseeable future.

Amid Bitcoin's impressive rally, BTC Dominance has also ascended, approaching the local upper range and nearing the current peak.

The 13.49% surge in Bitcoin's price last week was not mirrored by most altcoins, as evidenced by the BTC Dominance chart. This divergence highlights the performance lag within the broader altcoin sector. If Bitcoin continues significant volatility—either ascending or descending—its dominance is expected to rise, overshadowing altcoins. Bullish volatility could see Bitcoin outperform altcoins, while a downturn might limit Bitcoin's losses compared to potentially harder-hit altcoins.

🚀 DEGEN HIGHLIGHTS (DYOR/NFA) 🚀

Notable Degen Mints

This is the segment where I will be keeping you all updated on the most notable releases throughout the upcoming week!

Flora Forms by Harto

I have seen a lot of mixed reaction on this upcoming release mainly due to the collection size being large however I don't see any issues with this as Harto is a very notable artist within the scene now and his past collection have all done well especially his first release on ETH and Bitcoin.

It's a free mint and gas fees will be cheap so I am looking forward to this release and I have no doubt there will be opportunities to flip for profit too.

Mint Price: FREE on Bitcoin
Mint Date: 14th February
Mint Supply: 10,000
Mint Time:
- Inner Circle Phase: 6AM EST
- Guaranteed Phase: 11AM EST
- FCFS Phase: 2PM EST
- Public: 3PM EST

Art Blocks: Proscenium by remnynt

This is an Art Blocks Curated release meaning the artist has some notability and it's always worth keeping an eye on the pending transactions to see if it picks up during the dutch auction or once it reaches its resting price.

Judging purely off his twitter engagement, there seems to be a lot of interest in this upcoming collection and I would definitely have it on your radar. Additionally, the artist has over 100+ mutual followings with me which is always a good sign.

Mint Price: This descending auction with settlement starts from 5.0Ξ and will exponentially decrease until the resting price of 0.1Ξ

Mint Date: 14th February
Mint Supply: 400
Mint Time: 1PM EST

Mittaria WayToGods

Mittaria is on a lot of people's radar and rightfully so. Their genesis collection reached an all-time-high of around 1.3-1.5 ETH but there was a lot of FUD surrounding the whitelist allocation which caused a lot of holders to sell their holdings and crash the floor to 0.65 ETH (currently).

Regardless of the FUD, i would recommend trying for this release as it should be a fairly easy flip if you have presale or whitelist as well as the public raffle. You will have 48 hours to deposit ETH and wait for the raffle to conclude before claiming on the 19th.

Mint Price: 0.088 ETH
Mint Date: 15th February
Mint Supply: 6,888
Mint Time:
- WL: 8AM EST - 8PM EST
- Public Raffle: 8AM EST - (February 17th) 8AM EST
- Mint Claim: February 19th at 8AM EST
- February 25th 8AM EST

🕵️ UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: ULTIVERSE?

From what was originally launched as a metaverse play, is born a healthy game publishing/nft ecosystem with almost 7 million active users and a team/foundation utilizing player reward loops and AI to prove they are second to none.

Diving into Ultiverse, their collection Electric sheep and their upcoming event launch. Although their first round included names like Sequoia, Binance labs, Definance, and Skyvision there is news releasing on February 14th about their next round and latest partnerships that has me waiting anxiously after learning more about their ecosystem.

The conversation of play to earn vs. play for fun has been something teams in the space have been a part of for years. Although clear solutions have been attempted it is safe to say that the formula has not yet been found. Sustainable rewards, engaging games, and a fulfilling holder's experience has been lacking thus far. Ultiverse has been able to show they're actively working at solving this problem through a few different methods.

The existing games within their ecosystem have captured an insane user base already, all while mostly flying under the radar of traditional web3 gamers and the North American market. While they're OG NFT Electric Sheep is sitting at a very respectable floor of over 5k USD. and gives access and opportunities into everything they are building. To break it down simply, the strategy of the Studio is to launch fun to play engaging interactive experiences as well as AI enhanced NPC/MC gaming experiences and challenges while launching major AAA and expansive games through traditional means like Steam, as well as L2 solutions.

They work with L2's to build and launch games on their platforms, while using a revenue share model to redistribute rewards to players, and holders within their ecosystem. For instance, they will launch a game on BlastL2, the dev rewards and revenue generated in game, is used to buy back their native token, which is then distributed to players as rewards, on top of this of course there will be asset rewards in game, and an NFT to mint that will act as a memory card/experience curator. They are using an AI companion trained to act as your guide/journey creator in their ecosystem, remembering your past interactions to help shape your future experiences.

Interesting to say the least as we see the genuine cost of training and operating AI's is heavy, especially with the user base they have across their games. They will now be incorporating Vision pro versions into their experiences and combining AR/VR to expand their experiences even further.

This team has raised capital, they minted out an NFT for .5 during peak bear market conditions that now sits at a 2 eth floor, they have built and published multiple games and have 7 million users. So why have you most likely never heard of them?

Well with a holders base mostly from Asia, and not the most aesthetic PFP they aren't talked about or seen much on crypto twitter. They have not had the same engagement farm to get WL tactics we are used to, and their community is made up of core believers and whales who support the build. They are taking a tech forward strategy in providing gaming experiences people enjoy as the numbers prove they can do. However they have not focused on their voice or presence, which to me is actually a big green flag. Knowing that they have built a healthy ecosystem before "marketing" or being evangelized on crypto twitter means there is true substance here, and it is not a flash in the pan pump and dump where people fomo'd in to follow influencers.

With multiple games and investors already released, and way more in the pipeline they are launching ULTI-PILOT on February 19th. Through this experience players will earn Soul (for $ULTC airdrop) and potential WL spots for their upcoming NFT collection. This will be an engaging experience that you can get a head start in by receiving an invite code, but will also be open to the public after the first 7 days. Players will explore microworlds with their personalized AI agent in order to earn rewards, and explore the possibilities of the tech, while also training those AI agents to be their gaming partners in future releases and experiences.

This sense of personalized game play seems like a process that will encourage player loyalty and retention, while we have also seen examples of individuals training their AI's making the system itself more intelligent and engaging through the AI feedback loop.

All in all, this is a free experience that will launch through steam and I cannot find any redflags at all. This seems like a perfect onboarding method for an ecosystem built on a shared reward loop, and interactive experiences. Coupled with a strong team, I think we will see a lot of content, and growth for Utilverse as this launches. Free gaming experiences from a team with enough VC funding and resources to truly execute is something We need more of.

🎉COMPETITION TIME🎉

Now the chance to win with @UltiverseDAO.

Win a Pilot Code which is the ONLY way to access Ulti-Pilot …. A Pilot Code includes 5 more invite codes for you to invite your friends. Get a head-start earn valuable rewards and earn a whitelist spot for the upcoming mint.

Send your answers, twitter username and Eth address to [email protected] with email subject UltiverseDAO. Winners will be drawn in 48 hours, and notified by X DM.

According to the above article…
1) Where is the existing holder base from Asia or Europe?
2) How many million users do they have within their ecosystem 5, 6, or 7m?

Must be following Alphabot, Seven & @UltiverseDAO for a chance to win.

📜 FOR THE CULTURE: THE LEGACY OF CRYPTOPUNKS📜

CryptoPunks were in the news last week with the introduction of a new initiative: “Punks in Residence." As the inaugural artist, Nina Chanel Abney will collaborate with the CryptoPunks team to create a limited series of digital collectibles, infusing her distinct style and perspective into the CryptoPunks traits and universe. We can expect to see art in the coming months.

Over the past few years, Larva Labs has pioneered several groundbreaking initiatives, including the creation by Matt Hall and John Watkinson of the first 10,000 unique CryptoPunks NFTs in 2017, which paved the way for the widespread adoption of NFTs and the ERC-721 standard. These iconic pixelated portraits have become symbols of art, technology, and culture. Punks have proven the potential for digital assets to command significant value, reshaping perceptions of art and collectibles in the digital age. Punk #5822 set a record with sales of 8KΞ ($23.7M).

CryptoPunks' acquisition by Yuga Labs in 2022 marked a significant milestone. Yuga Labs' strategic vision has propelled the Punks to new heights, with initiatives like the transfer of commercial and exclusive licensing rights to individual NFT holders, empowering the community and reinforcing the importance of ownership in the digital realm.

Punks influenced culture by joining forces with Tiffany & Co. Demonstrating its leadership in the NFT space and paved the way for future collaborations between digital creators and established luxury houses. We have seen many other projects to the same

Being a CryptoPunk is about more than just owning a digital collectible; it's about embracing a cultural movement that celebrates innovation, creativity, and individuality. Artists and builders are encouraged to push the limits of artistic expression in the digital sphere by CryptoPunks, who continue to shape the identity of web3 culture.

There is no question that CryptoPunks have undeniably been a driving force in shaping the web culture we have today and will continue to have a lasting impact on the digital art landscape.