Economy
Overview
Incarnation's economy is built around three core elements: $CARD tokens, Card NFTs, and Vault NFTs. Unlike traditional games where developers control everything, our economy is player-driven and transparent.
$CARD Token
What is $CARD? The main currency in Incarnation. You use it to mint cards, pay tournament fees, and participate in governance.
How to Get $CARD:
Play Matches: Win 5-10 $CARD per victory
Complete Quests: 10-50 $CARD per quest
Tournament Prizes: 100-10,000+ $CARD depending on event
Creator Fees: Earn fees when players mint your cards
Vault Yields: Passive income from card holdings
Buy on DEX: Trade other tokens for $CARD
What You Use It For:
Mint Cards: Deposit $CARD into vaults to get card NFTs
Tournament Entry: Pay fees to join competitive events
Governance: Vote on card pools and game changes
Trading: Buy cards from other players
Card NFTs
Every Card is an NFT: Each card you own is a unique NFT token on the blockchain. You truly own it—not the game developers.
Card Value: Cards have value from three sources:
Vault Backing: Minimum redeemable value (e.g., "Fire Phoenix" always redeemable for at least 50 $CARD)
Gameplay Power: Strong cards in the meta cost more
Collectability: Rare artwork, historical significance
Getting Cards:
Mint from Vault: Deposit $CARD, get card NFT at bonding curve price
Buy from Marketplace: Trade with other players
Quest Rewards: Earn cards from completing challenges
Tournament Prizes: Win exclusive cards
Selling Cards:
Redeem to Vault: Burn card NFT, get $CARD back (includes accumulated yield)
Sell on Marketplace: Trade directly with other players
Vault NFT System
What is a Vault NFT? Every card has an associated vault—a smart contract that holds $CARD tokens. Think of it as a bank that backs the card's value.
How Minting Works
Example: Minting "Fire Phoenix"
You want a Fire Phoenix card
Check vault: Current price is 50 $CARD (bonding curve)
You deposit 50 $CARD into the vault
You receive Fire Phoenix NFT #123
Next person pays 55 $CARD (price increases on curve)
Original creator earns 2% fee (1 $CARD)
Bonding Curve: Price increases as more cards are minted:
Card #1: 50 $CARD
Card #10: 55 $CARD
Card #100: 105 $CARD
Card #1000: 550 $CARD
Early minters get better prices!
How Redemption Works
Example: Redeeming Fire Phoenix
You decide you don't need Fire Phoenix anymore
You burn your Fire Phoenix NFT
Vault calculates your share: 50 $CARD initial + 3 $CARD yield = 53 $CARD
You receive 53 $CARD
Price decreases for next redemption (bonding curve goes down)
Yield: Vault tokens are lent to DeFi protocols, earning 3-8% APY. This yield is distributed to card holders.
Creator Economy
When You Create a Card:
Design card (art, stats, abilities)
Create vault with parameters:
Base price: 50 $CARD
Bonding curve: Exponential 1.1x
Creator fee: 2% on mints, 1% on redeems
Submit card to testing pool
If approved, enters official pools
Earning as Creator:
Someone mints your card for 100 $CARD → You earn 2 $CARD
Someone redeems your card for 95 $CARD → You earn 0.95 $CARD
If 1,000 people mint → You earn 2,000 $CARD over time
Popular cards = ongoing passive income!
Player Economic Journey
New Player (Week 1-4)
Starting Out:
Receive free starter deck (20 basic cards)
Play casual matches: Earn 5-10 $CARD per win
Complete daily quests: Earn 20 $CARD per day
After 1 week: ~150 $CARD saved
First Purchase:
Browse card vaults
Find "Lightning Bolt" (aggressive spell): 30 $CARD
Mint card, improve starter deck
Win rate improves, earn more $CARD
Intermediate Player (Month 2-6)
Building Collection:
Earned 2,000 $CARD from playing
Mint 15-20 competitive cards
Build 3-4 different decks
Start earning vault yields (~50 $CARD/month)
First Tournament:
Join weekly community tournament: 20 $CARD entry
Finish top 16: Win 100 $CARD prize
Net profit: 80 $CARD + experience
Advanced Player (Month 6+)
Optimized Portfolio:
Collection worth 10,000+ $CARD
Vault yields: 300-800 $CARD/month passive
Tournament winnings: 200-500 $CARD/month
Total monthly income: 500-1,300 $CARD
Multiple Income Streams:
Playing matches
Tournament prizes
Vault yields
Maybe created 1-2 popular cards (creator fees)
Card Creator
Creating Popular Card:
Design "Ice Dragon" card
500 players mint it at average 100 $CARD each
You earn 2% = 1,000 $CARD total
Plus ongoing redemption fees
Plus reputation in community
Practical Examples
Example 1: Building a Fire Deck
Goal: Build competitive fire-element deck
Budget: 800 $CARD (saved from 1 month playing)
Strategy:
Research top fire decks in meta
Identify core cards:
Fire Phoenix (80 $CARD) - Mint 2 copies = 160 $CARD
Flame Sword (40 $CARD) - Mint 3 copies = 120 $CARD
Burn Spell (30 $CARD) - Mint 4 copies = 120 $CARD
Fire Imp (20 $CARD) - Mint 5 copies = 100 $CARD
Other commons (10 $CARD each) - 6 copies = 60 $CARD
Total spent: 560 $CARD
Remaining: 240 $CARD for future upgrades
Result:
Competitive fire deck complete
Win rate increases from 45% to 60%
Earn more $CARD per day from wins
Deck value backed by vault (can redeem if needed)
Example 2: Vault Investment Strategy
Goal: Generate passive income
Capital: 2,000 $CARD
Strategy:
Research card vaults by APY:
Fire Phoenix vault: 6% APY, very liquid
Ice Dragon vault: 8% APY, medium liquid
Rare Artifact vault: 10% APY, low liquid
Diversify:
1,000 $CARD → Fire Phoenix (safe, liquid)
600 $CARD → Ice Dragon (higher yield)
400 $CARD → Rare Artifact (highest yield, keep small)
Set up auto-claim agent to collect yields weekly
Monthly Yield:
Fire Phoenix: 1,000 × 6% / 12 = 5 $CARD/month
Ice Dragon: 600 × 8% / 12 = 4 $CARD/month
Rare Artifact: 400 × 10% / 12 = 3.33 $CARD/month
Total: ~12 $CARD/month passive
After 1 year: 144 $CARD earned, plus compound if reinvested!
Example 3: Tournament Grinding
Goal: Profit from tournament play
Skill Level: Advanced (65% win rate)
Strategy:
Weekly community tournaments:
Entry: 20 $CARD
Prize pool: Top 8 get prizes
Your average finish: 4th place = 80 $CARD prize
Play 4 tournaments per month:
Cost: 80 $CARD entry fees
Earnings: 320 $CARD prizes
Net profit: 240 $CARD/month
Use winnings to upgrade deck further
Improved deck → better results → bigger prizes
Progression:
Month 1: Average 4th place, 240 $CARD profit
Month 3: Average 2nd place, 400 $CARD profit
Month 6: Qualify for monthly championship, 2,000 $CARD prize!
Card Lifecycle Example
"Shadow Assassin" Card Journey:
Week 1 - Launch:
Creator Alice designs Shadow Assassin
Sets base price: 40 $CARD, 2% creator fee
Submits to testing pool
10 early testers mint at 40-44 $CARD each
Alice earns 8 $CARD in fees
Month 1-2 - Growth:
Card performs well in testing (55% win rate)
Community votes to add to Ranked Pool
200 players mint the card
Price rises to 80 $CARD on bonding curve
Alice earns 200 $CARD in creator fees
Vault has 10,000 $CARD backing
Month 3-6 - Maturity:
Card becomes meta staple
1,000 total mints, price stabilizes around 100 $CARD
Active trading on marketplace (85-115 $CARD range)
Vault generates 600 $CARD/year in yields
Alice earns 50-100 $CARD/month ongoing fees
Month 7-12 - Equilibrium:
Some players redeem (meta shifts slightly)
New players still minting (discovering card)
Price range stable: 90-110 $CARD
Vault maintains 15,000 $CARD backing
Card remains in official pools
Year 2+ - Longevity:
Even if card becomes less popular
Vault backing protects value
Players can always redeem for fair price
Alice continues earning small but steady fees
Economy Security
Anti-Manipulation:
Bonding curves prevent pump & dump schemes
Vault backing ensures minimum value
On-chain transparency (all transactions visible)
Community governance can intervene if needed
Player Protection:
Can always redeem cards to vault
Yields provide passive returns
No developer can rug pull
Decentralized marketplace
Risk Management:
Don't invest more than you can afford to lose
Diversify across multiple cards
Start with liquid, popular cards
Understand bonding curves before minting
Economic Tools
Portfolio Tracker:
See total collection value
Track vault yields earned
Monitor individual card performance
Compare to other players (optional)
Deck Value Calculator:
Calculate cost to build any deck
Find budget alternatives
Optimize cost vs power
Vault Analytics:
Compare APY across vaults
Track historical prices
Monitor liquidity levels
Alert when target prices reached
Summary
Incarnation's economy is:
Player-Owned: You control your cards and earnings
Transparent: All on blockchain, verifiable
Sustainable: Vault backing + yields create long-term value
Fair: Early supporters benefit, but anyone can participate
Key Principles:
Cards have real, redeemable value (not just speculation)
Creators earn ongoing income (not just one-time sales)
Players can earn through skill (play-to-earn)
Community governs economy (not corporation)
Whether you're a casual player earning a few $CARD per week or a serious competitor with a large portfolio, Incarnation's economy is designed to reward participation and skill over time.
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