Counterfire, eBit, Punk6529, Black Mirror Experience, Degen Plays, Crypto & Ordinal Digest

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🕵️ UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: COUNTERFIRE

Counterfire is already playable and being tested by the community and the public, the CEO Micheal is the cofounder of Giant interactive the fastest Chinese company to get listed on the NY stock exchange, and the creators of ZT online. With more than 5 billion in revenue from this game alone and technically having it being the first free to play game to ever go viral in China is obviously very reassuring. He is fully doxxed and finding this information is very easy. Yet I don't see people talking about counterfire on the timeline, most likely because it's only a 500 supply collection and they probably can't get WL.

They will be pushing out their application campaign now which will encourage more people to interact for their chance to participate. So I'm sure you'll see a lot more mention of them from now till their mint in march. They are working with the same proven growth team that launched L3E7, and Ultiverse and have built out a giant community in China, and globally.

Recognizing that the first viral web3 game will need to be mobile friendly they are launching the first anime MOBA and battle royale blockchain game on mobile. The gameplay is already on the timeline, and the test play live for all to participate in is wild. Something that is attractive to serious and casual gamers, and it's only 300 MBs so it can be run on even the lowest end smartphones. This game play, design strategies, and mobile friendly approach position them to solve the consumer acquisition issue that web3 games are facing. Plain and simple there aren't enough players here in the space to launch a "blockchain game" that can go viral.

With a built in non custodial wallet, gasless asset acquisition, low system requirements to play, a tokenized reward system for players, an in game marketplace, and some amazingly family friendly IP and world building this one could really do it.

The roadmap is essentially, development and testing (done), Applications for WL, Founders pass launch(500), Play to earn token airdrop campaign for mass onboarding, Second gen mint, and then official launch.

It's a little wild how quickly this can actually happen in web3, with the proper funding and build things can be explored here, and then IRL. The team has traditional game marketing experience which they will be using to spread this title to the world, and with a 5-10 minute per round hyper engaging/rewarding game play loops this looks like it could spread like wildfire.

The team has very stable sources of revenue built into the game that do not feel extractive to the player, and in fact the reward loops and team play style can even feel strategic and natural with game rooms, streamer modes, and animated video scenes to help facilitate viral content creation. This along with the lack of pay to win levelling capabilities should keep things very fair, and allow for no barriers of entry when new players decide to jump in over time.

The funding, backers, team, over 65 hours played, and 40k peak daily transactions ALREADY definitely give a sense of confidence to anyone looking over the information available. In the fourth round of game testing, with over 1.5 million quest points achieved and finally now launching to drive it all home.

This model of Amazingly fun games, that are free for EVERYONE to enjoy. But accruing value back to the NFT holder by allowing them to earn/be rewarded passively with assets that can be sold to gamers in game, as well as used to enhance their experience, luck and airdrop capabilities is really quite simple. It's something everyone should be looking at as a model.

The fact that the game is essentially finished pre launch is however one of my biggest green flags. The NFT is a means to expansion, not a means to fund a build which is reassuring to say the least.

The IP incorporated into the game is represented everywhere by this team, and will surely lead to successful monetization of the IP itself, even outside of the game. Looking forward to watching this one play out.

TLDR:
Sick game
Amazing team
Huge investors
Beautiful IP/gameplay
Web3/Web2 success strategies and viral friendly game build
Proprietary in game non custodial wallet, which is also exportable
Very small founders collection FREE
Gamified WL experience
Free to play airdrop campaign coming soon
Free to play/Paying player options
Fair game, no upgrades to win option
Higher barrier to farm as a free player (protects token and long term growth)
The success of this game could lead to CEBG Studio becoming one of the largest game publishers in the space.
Brand sponsorship, broadcasting/streaming rights, IP plays, as well as in game revenue even outside of gamer purchased items

X / Website / Discord

🎉COUNTERFIRE COMPETITION🎉

alphaTLDR one of a very EXCLUSIVE group given WL spot to the The Founder's Collection (500 total supply, free mint). If you know you know!

The 1st anime MOBA + Battle Royale blockchain game on mobile. Backed by @YoubiCapital @HashKey_Capital @BingVentures amongst others.

According to the above article
1) Who is the CEO of Counter Fire?
2) How many daily transactions at its peak? 20k, 30k, or 40k
3) How man million quest points have been achieved? 1m, 1.5m, or 2m?

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

Must be following Alphabot, Seven & @playCounterFire

👀 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:

Microstrategy purchases additional Bitcoin

Social platform Reddit invests in ETH and BTC.

Avalanche experiences outage.

Blast is set to unlock large liquidity into the market.

🔮 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. The most awaited MAGIC EDEN ETH marketplace in collaboration with "Yuga Labs" is launching on 27th February

2. "Okay Dogs", a new NFT collection from the company that created "Okay bears"... is launching on 27th February, on MAGIC EDEN

3. "Laliga NFTs" - GameOn LALIGA War Chest NFT collection minting on 28th february, 12 PM ET. Each NFT grants you OG status benefits within the GameOn LALIGA ecosystem and much more utilities

4. Web3 game "Tatsumeeko" is launching a new web event called - "THE UNCHARTED DREAM EVENT" on 28th February

5. The most hyped web3 gaming token "$Portal" will officially launch on Binance... on 29th February, 10 AM UTC

6. "Qorpo World", the web3 gaming company behind games like CITIZEN CONFLICT and ANEEMATE is listing their ecosystem token $Qorpo on Bybit on 29th February, 10 AM UTC

🎉BLACKMIRROR ALLOWLIST🎉

(1/2) Hack happiness with @blackmirror_xp and reach your 5 star destiny.

The allowlist for Smile Club is now open, all you have to do is check in and smile daily to earn XP.
Invite your friends for an extra bonus!

(2/2) How to refer a friend:
Go to blackmirrorexperience.com
Register (or sign-in if you have already registered)
Complete your daily smile check in
Refer via our link share pop up upon completion
If you’ve already completed your smile check-in, you can just hit the “refer a friend” button on your dashboard

🪙 CRYPTO DIGEST 🪙

Bitcoin’s recent performance has given investors and enthusiasts reason for cautious optimism. Achieving a second weekly close within the upper band of its Zone Structure and breaking above the pivotal $53,000 mark signals what many refer to as the "confirmation candle." This development is pivotal, suggesting a potential bullish continuation for Bitcoin and, by extension, a favourable environment for altcoins, which could see another week of notable gains.

However, it's crucial to temper enthusiasm with a healthy dose of realism. The crypto market is notorious for its volatility, and while the "up only" mentality can be enticing, history teaches us that pullbacks are a natural part of the market's ebb and flow. The possibility that "this time is different" does exist, but so does the risk of a reversion to mean. As Bitcoin teeters on the brink of potentially setting a new all-time high before the next halving, the implications for the market cycle’s duration cannot be ignored.

Should Bitcoin establish a new all-time high before the halving, we may need to recalibrate expectations for the market cycle's peak. Traditionally speculated to culminate around December 2025, the timeline could advance to as early as the end of 2024 to Q2 of 2025 if the current momentum sustains.

Several key economic indicators deserve attention this week. The PCE Index, Initial Jobless Claims, and Home Sales are critical data points that will provide further insight into the health of the economy as we transition from February into March. These indicators will not only influence traditional financial markets but could also affect the crypto space, particularly in how risk is perceived.

The interplay between Bitcoin’s technical milestones and broader economic indicators will be instrumental in shaping market sentiment. While the potential for unprecedented market dynamics exists, a balanced approach—mindful of both opportunities and risks—will be essential for those looking to navigate the complexities of the crypto market and the wider economic landscape.

🚀 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!

Clashub 

Launching on Magic Eden but with a twist. Magic Eden is launching Ethereum on their marketplace and has added a Mint-to-Earn incentive for users. Simply, mint the project on their launchpad and earn diamond rewards which will have their uses in the future.

It's an NFT-based on-chain card game which isn't exactly new within the scene as there's been an influx of TCG games recently so it's hard to differentiate which is good or not. However, this is a free mint and I wouldn't fade this one as there's a lot of interest in the drop.

Mint Price: Free
Mint Date: 28th February
Mint Supply: 999
Mint Time: TBA

PMB by MKUltra

This is a derivative project on Ordinals, a mix of OMB combined with Bitcoin Puppets. There's a fairly big meme culture within the Ordinals community so I wouldn't sleep on this as the WL is very sought after as well as the very cheap mint price this should be a fairly easy flip for those who mint and if secondary is low enough too.

Mint Price: Free / 0.0002 BTC ($10)
Mint Date: 29th February
Mint Supply: 10,000
Mint Time:
- Phase 1 (OMB and Puppet Holders): 8AM - 10AM EST
- Phase 2 (Guaranteed WL): 10AM - 12PM EST
- Phase 3 (Waitlist): 12PM - 2PM EST
- Phase 4 (Public): 2PM EST

Keep an eye on the following projects that are also releasing this week:
- GameOn LALIGA War Chest 
- Global Conquest 
- Blastopians 

₿ ORDINALS: DEEP DIVE ON RUNES ₿

Introduction to Runes:

Casey Rodarmor, the creators of the Ordinals protocol, is launching a new protocol called Runes. It will go live on the Bitcoin mainnet at block 840000 (halving block) expected in April 2024.

Runes are a new type of fungible token, which are UTXO-based like Bitcoin, but they have a unique feature. When transferred, all Runes go to the first output by default. Runestones carry instructions that can change the way that the Runes move from the inputs to the outputs.

Each Rune has a unique name, consisting of uppercase letters A-Z, and a separate currency symbol, which can be a dollar sign or an emoji. Rune names will initially have many characters but over time, the lower character Rune names will slowly become available.

Creating a Rune is called an etching, and claiming a Rune is a mint.

To visualize the process of a transaction, imagine the UTXO as a flat surface with multiple pouches, each containing different Runes. To transfer Runes, a Runestone would be used to carry out instructions on how to allocate them. Runestones can also create new Runes, and create more units of an existing Rune.

Upcoming Launches:
“Runes 0-9 may be hard-coded, all with fair and open mints with no pre-mine or pre-allocation of any kind.” -Casey Rodarmor

So it seems like the first Runes will be launched by Casey himself.

And sometime between now and Wednesday, February 28, the ordinals community is anticipating a free airdrop of Runestone. This community-run project, initiated by @LeonidasNFT, has no team allocation or utility. It is intended to be a fair launch for first-year ordinals enthusiasts.

The airdrop is going to 112,383 eligible addresses that held at least 3 inscriptions at time of snapshot on block 826600. It will be the largest non-text ordinals collection ever inscribed.

Fifteen volunteers/projects have committed 0.15 BTC each with no reward or extra allocation, to make this possible. Holding a Runestone at a future snapshot will make the address eligible for a certain amount of the Rune token, quantity depending on how many Runestones are held.

Check your eligibility here → https://runestone.lfg.cash

Given how many holders will get a chance to be a part of this, and the fair launch nature of the project, it will be one of the biggest events to happen for the Bitcoin ordinals community thus far.

At time of writing, 1 Runestone is selling for between $400-500 USD on Whales Market.

Other Runes related projects have surfaced as well including but not limited to RSIC, Rune Guardians, Genesis Runes, etc. It will be interesting to see how Runes will impact the fungible ecosystem on Bitcoin. More to come until it launches on mainnet on block 840000!

🕵️ UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: EBIT?

An online crypto casino. This is something we are seeing more and more of as the integration of tech becomes easier, and the simplicity of raises and rewards increases. Playebit has shifted their focus during the bear, initially launching in 2022 and building towards an NFT drop, they are now releasing a token as their first break out step into web3 immersion.

For some much needed background, the founder Matt was originally a Counterstrike youtuber. With a very large audience he was able to begin advertising for online casinos with the trading of Counterstrike skins being a foot in the door for him he was introduced to crypto casinos and worked with stake in 2016 doing promotions. Then after working with Rollbit and other casinos he was able to invest into building his own casino, licensed and built they were ready to go.

Since then they have built their own proprietary games, as well as onboarded multiple providers to provide over 100 games and experiences on their platform. Ebit from a small team of 3 has grown to 15 people. Aside from their Credit card functionality, they of course accept crypto and have been fine tuning their site with their community of almost 200 daily active users.

They have started their marketing roll out now, and are already seeing an increase in daily players by using the same tactics many platforms have used before them. Tried, tested and true I suppose. Currently they are offering a free to claim FCFS airdrop which can be mined simply by connecting socials and creating an account on their platform. However you can also earn an allocation for their upcoming token by gambling on their site now as it is live, functioning well and engaging this shouldn't be a problem for most users who enjoy these games.

To lay it out, they will be having a token sale, to their community of users as well as the public, and also allowing the token to be mined by gamblers on the site and farmers participating in the social engagement tasks. An obvious upside for everyone seeing as Ebit casino already boasts a 10 percent rake back to players and they have built in fairness verification tools to keep things clearly on the up and up.

The token itself does have sinks and burns, as a part of the mining tax, buybacks and other opportunities to spend the token. However there is a KYC on the site, regardless of playing you will need to soft KYC (no ID submission but full name, address, date of birth etc) in order to participate in farming the token, or gambling under 10k. Once you surpass that 10k limit you are required to submit an ID and proceed with further verification that will allow you to deposit and withdraw freely.

With rake back, rewards, security, and privacy this system is one that will be fun people to enjoy. However in my personal opinion it is uninspired. Another gambling platform, with another social engagement/play to earn airdrop of a token coming.

In the future, with this token raise and the boost of daily users from this campaign they are planning on implementing streaming, live play with friends, more games, and an overall better experience for users. But will they make it that far?

Once this airdrop is complete, there will be staking options to earn revenue share through sweepstakes and mining rewards consisting of 45 percent of the total supply. If the experience is good enough for players, and they are able to create their own innovative games that set them apart from other Crypto Casinos they could flourish with the influx of users this airdrop/farming will bring.

On the other hand, with Blast competitors set to launch I do this the team has their work cut out for them. With the founders background in streaming and promoting Casinos I look forward to seeing what they can do to bring attention to their ecosystem.

Presumably the hook of their future 777 NFT collection and what rewards it will offer to holders/who will be able to mint it (probably token stakers and top users), they technically have a second shot at this after building out with their token raise funds.

Visiting the Casino, signing up for your account to farm the FCFS free token claim, as well as using your daily spins is of course free. If you don't mind KYC'ing I would suggest you try that at least(never fade free). Degen responsibly, and know that this system was built out with their active players, and for their active players so it should be fun for anyone that hops in. For those who won't be gambling on the site, holding the Ebit token will technically allow you to earn passive income from the sweepstakes which are funded by the Casinos profits.

X / Website 

📜 FOR THE CULTURE 📜

Punk6529's Vision for Web3

Punk6529, a pseudonymous figure, has emerged as a significant influence in the Web3 space. While his real identity remains unknown, his impact is felt across the NFT community and beyond.

From what we know, he is originally from the United States and has a background in tech and finance. He bought his first Bitcoin for $20 in 2013. This early involvement in cryptocurrencies laid the foundation for his later work and influence in the Web3 space.

Punk6529 has since positioned himself as a leading voice advocating for an open metaverse. To avoid potentially catastrophic consequences, he thinks that a small number of powerful companies, like Meta, should not have control over the metaverse.

To remedy this, Punk6529 launched the Open Metaverse (OM) project with the intention of creating a decentralized and easily accessible virtual environment. Launched on OnCyber, the project features museums of art and photography chosen by Punk6529, as well as galleries showing collections from other well-known collectors. The artwork selected for these museums demonstrates Punk6529's expertise in the field of curated digital art as well as his keen sense of innovation and quality.

One of Punk6529's most notable projects is The Memes, a comprehensive collection that attempts to popularize meme culture online. This project, which features collaborations with prominent artists and encourages the use of its images for side collections, reflects Punk6529's creative approach to NFTs and cultural engagement.

Punk6529 is well-known for his decentralization support and philosophical X threads, in addition to his contributions to the field of digital art. Beyond just gathering and organizing, he actively promotes open and interoperable standards in the Web3 domain. Punk6529 actively works to onboard people into the world of NFTs and crypto, making these technologies more accessible to a broader audience. By fostering inclusivity and welcoming new builders and communities, he contributes to the growth and diversification of the Web3 ecosystem.

Punk6529 has made a significant contribution to the Web3 community through his work by promoting open and interoperable standards. His emphasis on the importance of NFTs as cultural objects and his efforts to onboard people into a crypto-based metaverse have contributed to the growth and development of a more inclusive and decentralized digital future.