Author: Aylo, author of alpha please; Translation: Jinse Caijing xiaozou
This article will delve into the vertical integration of collectible card games (TCGs) and crypto. If you were a childhood fan of collecting trading cards (especially Pokémon) or still maintain this hobby, this article is tailor-made for you.
The craze for trading cards (Pokémon, One Piece, Magic: The Gathering, etc.) has been going on for years and is gaining momentum. This is due to a combination of factors:
1. Financial nihilism: Many young people are excluded from traditional assets like housing. Cards have become an easily accessible store of value, and nostalgia imbues them with meaning. 2. Cultural Status: Rare cards are like Rolexes or Audemars Piguet watches, but for a different demographic. Scarcity combined with social media flaunting equals cultural capital. 3. Speculation Driven: Big money chasing the card market is accelerating. While we're not yet in the early stages of this trend, there's still a short-term bubble. A medium-term pullback is possible (providing a better entry point), but I remain bullish on the category's long-term prospects. Crypto Compatibility? Crypto Twitter has recently rediscovered the TCG craze. The synergy is clear: Crypto technology solves the liquidity and immediate availability issues of TCG cards. TCGs inherently have gambling attributes, and deep-pocketed crypto natives relish the dopamine rush of opening high-priced card packs. The sector is clearly taking off. Therefore, I've highlighted a curated list of TCG-crypto apps worth watching. Courtyard is currently the most popular TCG-crypto marketplace, leading in user engagement and trading volume. The platform has also launched a mobile app (critical for attracting mainstream collectors). 1. Courtyard Courtyard is currently the most popular TCG crypto exchange, leading in user engagement and trading volume. The platform has launched a mobile app (critical for attracting mainstream collectors). Users can open packs of varying price points to obtain graded cards or physical graded comics. Each opening will result in a buyback offer. The draw probabilities for collectibles at different price points are transparently displayed, giving you a consistent approximately 1% chance of receiving a top-tier item. On the Courtyard platform, you can also buy and sell graded cards through the marketplace. You can request a physical graded box redemption at any time, but a processing fee will apply. Overall, the product is well-designed, easy to understand, and highly reliable, making it a market leader. Earn points by purchasing card packs. Daily check-ins also earn 30 points. Points can now be used directly to pay for card packs. Courtyard's key advantages are as follows: • The largest platform by trading volume • A wide selection of TCGs • Seamless user experience and mobile app • Pre-tokenization with active leaderboards The conclusion is clear: If you're passionate about TCGs, Courtyard is the undisputed choice for early adopters. The platform recently raised $30 million in funding, demonstrating its impressive growth. It's currently in its pre-tokenization phase.
I have secured an exclusive discount code for all interested users:
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Rip.Fun is an emerging Pokémon card collection app that I personally like very much. The platform currently offers two core products: • Purchase physical Pokémon card packs and open them in the app (including both modern and classic series packs) • Trade cards on its marketplace The Rip.Fun team will open your packs on your behalf in a secure and transparent manner, making them available for viewing on the platform. Additionally, Rip.Fun provides a secure escrow vault to store your cards and supports redemption of physical cards. I think Rip.Fun has the best and most engaging user interface/experience. The interaction flow is smooth, card trading is convenient, and it also comes with practical tools for tracking collection dynamics and showing them to others, which enhances the social nature of the game. I've met with the founders, and they have a clear vision and a promising product roadmap: • Mystery card packs • Grading service - grade cards with the click of a button (addressing a core pain point for many collectors) • Booster boxes While still in its early stages, Rip.Fun is one of my favorite emerging TCG crypto applications. Rip.Fun is currently in closed beta. 3. Phygitals Phygitals is built on the Tensor Protocol, allowing it to focus on distribution rather than market infrastructure development. The project is still in its early stages (currently in beta), but it already boasts a robust product offering and a well-polished experience. I particularly appreciate the simple dashboard design for exploring collectibles, which will undoubtedly inspire users to collect. In addition to the trading market, Phygitals also offers two ways to collect cards: a claw machine mode (paying to open packs, similar to Courtyard) and a lucky draw mode (a card lottery system). I really appreciate how Phygitals displays the fair market value (FMV) of each card in the marketplace, giving you a reference price even if you're new to Pokémon collecting. The user interface/experience is also excellent. Phygitals has seen 10x growth in the past month, gaining significant traction and accounting for one-fifth of Courtyard's revenue. Finally, it's worth noting that Phygitals is in its pre-token offering phase, which provides an added incentive to try it. 4. CollectorCrypt My fourth application (and first additional recommendation) is CollectorCrypt (CC). This is another platform for trading physical and digital collectible cards through the Solana on-chain marketplace. Features include a virtual capsule machine where users can open card packs online. Here's how it works: • You ship your cards to a secure vault (PSA, PWCC, ALT) for storage and insurance. • Your cards are authenticated, scanned, and linked to your wallet or account. • You can then securely buy, sell, and transfer cards at a fraction of the cost of competing cards. • Finally, you can try the Gachapon machine—pay a fee to unlock random card packs (with clearly defined probabilities). The platform has seen strong growth in recent weeks. CollectorCrypt is currently ranked among the top 30 highest-earning crypto projects over the past seven days. The platform currently specializes in Pokémon cards (it's actually one of eBay's largest buyers of cards, purchasing $500,000 worth of cards per week). If you're into TCGs, this is definitely another platform worth trying. The only caveat: the platform has issued CARDS tokens. This means you won't earn any extra income from simply using the app, but CARDS itself is worth adding to your watchlist. 5. Beezie The final TCG crypto app in this article is Beezie. Its core services are similar to other platforms: it offers a trading marketplace, a collectible vault, and a claw machine-style pack opening feature. However, the platform currently has relatively little user appeal. I haven't invested much time in Beezie, but it does offer a diverse range of card games.
Beezie is in the pre-token issuance phase, which means there may still be room for early adopters to earn bonuses.
If you're serious about TCG collecting, be sure to register on all of the above platforms. Certain cards may only be available in certain markets, and accessing multiple platforms allows you to compare prices and get the best deal. More options means better opportunities and greater airdrop opportunities.
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