GameFi, token drops, Sol and Avax coins, high gas fees—We're totally back, baby! 🚀

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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:

Ledger goes through a security breach as a hacker steals ~$520k worth of assets.

Giant messaging platform Line raises $140 million to put towards their NFT venture.

Arbitrum sufferers outage as users flock the chain for inscriptions.

FIFA launches the NFT collection on the Algorand chain.

🔮 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. 'Farcana', a multiplayer web3 shooter game backed by 'Animoca brands' Dropping a limited NFT collection. December 19th from 9 AM EST.

2. The next hyped 'polygon' mint - Web3 entertainment brand, 'Smoofs' announced their WL phase. December 19th from 2 pm UTC.

3. The public sale of '$Grape' coin is launching on 'launchblock.com'. December 19th from 11 am UTC.

4. 'Solana' Trading platform - 'FlashTrade' is launching an NFT collection on 'Tensor'. December 19th.

5. 'Zokioverse', a web3 entertainment company backed by 'Netflix' and 'TOEI Animation' is minting an SBT collection in a pre-sale round. December 20th from 7 pm EST.

6. 'Webverse', an NFT project created by the interoperable blockchain, 'Entagle' is dropping their first set of collection. December 20th.

🪙 CRYPTO DIGEST: MARKET OUTLOOK 🪙

In the pre-halving years for Bitcoin (BTC), historical patterns have shown a rally that not only approaches but also often surpasses the "Zone Structure" midpoint (Yellow Line). This typically leads to a trajectory that aims for the upper band. However, in previous cycles, price tends to face rejection around this upper band, with each cycle achieving slightly less against this upper threshold than the last. True acceptance in the upper band—the red zone—has historically not materialized until after the halving for BTC. This pattern suggests a cautious approach as we approach similar junctures, with the market watching to see if the current cycle will follow historical precedent or chart a new path.

As Ethereum (ETH) navigates its own pivotal levels, particularly after the recent fallback below the $2,300 mark, it must reclaim and hold this price to validate the potential for continued upward movement. The ETH/BTC pair's performance remains a key indicator, with the 0.049 level in sharp focus; a drop below this could signal a significant downturn and an opportune moment for investors.

The altcoin landscape continues to exhibit vibrancy, with ICP, BONK, and OSMO notching remarkable gains. While some had significant gains there were numerous alts that quickly gave back gains from prior weeks with sharper corrections.

With recent Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) insights indicating that the current rate hike cycle may have reached its peak, the market is at a pivotal moment. A reversal in rate hikes could pave the way for increased risk on market activity. Some are anticipating the first cuts to materialize as early as March 2024.

🕵️ UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF A RUG? 🕵️

As we are enticed by project launches, flashy videos, and influencer marketing it can become more and more difficult to attach yourself to a new project.

We find multiple strategies of entry into an ecosystem like WL grinding, applications, games of skill or chance, a public or fcfs gas war, single secondary buy ins, and the heavy handed secondary sweeps of whales too big and busy to worry about WL, or the flip that comes from instant sell out liquidity.

But what are we buying?

It is more often than not very unclear as we interact with their content what a team is actually building or offering to minters as well as their true intentions and post mint plans. Obviously it's mostly roses until they collect the mint funds and the sales process ends with you holding something you didn't even want and trying to sell it to people that shouldn't really be buying it.

This should not take away from your exploratory nature, or our shared interest in discovering and exploring new tech, experiences, and hidden gems. However it should put you on edge, and help you understand the importance of researching, asking questions, and deep diving the answers.

A rug is when someone without any intent of building provides a false narrative and steals from the supporters that buy into it. But then there are slow rugs, where companies either run out of money or run out of the will/ability to continue, these are often even more painful as you can find catching a falling knife and conviction buying the whole way down.

There are also projects that fail, where the team wasn't prepared or the vision was not solid, or perhaps there are external factors involved. But they essentially end up with no demand, and thus no value.

I would love to say it's easy to spot these scams in bluechip clothing but it isn't and it continues to get harder.

Be vigilant, be fierce, be unwavering in your instincts and but also be understanding of the fact that most businesses fail.

📜FOR THE CULTURE: PIONEERING WEB3 GAMING📜

Bryce Johnson, better known online as Brycent, is leading the way in a new era of gaming and streaming where Web3 convergence is the main attraction. With a background rooted in software engineering, Brycent's journey into the world of Web3 gaming and streaming has been both unexpected and ground-breaking.

His deep involvement in streaming Axie Infinity served as a cornerstone in his journey as a gaming influencer. Embracing the game through Twitch, Brycent found his footing as a content creator and actively contributed to the rise in popularity of Axie Infinity. His captivating live streams not only catered to his audience but also played a crucial role in popularizing the game itself.

His efforts to produce content for the Web3 gaming environment quickly brought him recognition. Knowing that this market was lacking in engaging material, Brycent cleared his way, taking actions that catapulted him into the forefront of Web3 streaming and gaming. Along the way, he founded Loot Squad, a business that houses Loot Bolt, an application that gamifies participation in Web3 communities. With the help of a wide range of investors, the company successfully raised about $5 million in 2022.

Brycent recently achieved a major career milestone when he partnered with XSET, a well-known gaming and lifestyle company. His collaboration with XSET marks a turning point in the history of Web3 gaming as well as a significant personal achievement. Being the first web3 content creator to work with XSET, Brycent's partnership shows how progressive the company is and how dedicated it is to embracing the new gaming industry.

Brycent's impact in the Web3 gaming and streaming spheres resonates as a testament to innovation, foresight, and a commitment to pushing the boundaries of gaming culture into uncharted yet promising territories.