How to Maximize your $ZEX Claim in Zeta Market's Gamified Launch

After months of anticipation, Zeta Markets traders will finally be rewarded for their activity on the platform. In a bid to ensure $ZEX stability and a smooth token launch, the Zeta Markets team has devised a creative method of distributing the $ZEX airdrop to users.

A Gamified Launch - Breaking Down the $ZEX Claim Process

Scheduled to go live at 10:45 am UTC, the $ZEX airdrop will distribute 8% of the token’s total supply to Zeta Markets traders, with 7% being allocated depending on a trader’s Z-Score and the remaining 1% being distributed to ecosystem partners.

For better or worse, TGE events and airdrop claiming processes have historically been a frenzied affair. Previous high-profile launches, like $JUP and $TNSR, have put a significant strain on the Solana network, with tens of thousands of participants racing to claim their tokens to immediately front-run other traders and sell their rewards on the open market.

Aiming to soften sell pressure at launch and reward long-term supporters of the platform, Zeta Markets has crafted a unique approach that provides bonus tokens to ‘Diamond Hand’ community members. Here’s how it works:

• A 7-Day bonus period will be applied linearly to all claims. Essentially, the longer users wait to claim their tokens, the greater the bonus they’ll receive.

• A ‘Diamond Hand’ claim feature allows traders to instantly claim and stake their allocation, including the 7-Day bonus. ‘Diamond Hand’ stakers will also earn an increased allocation in an upcoming staking airdrop (worth 2% of the total supply) and enjoy immediate access to boosted incentives and governance.

Ultimately, this thoughtful approach to token distribution suggests that Zeta Markets wants to incentivize long term holders and loyal supporters of the platform. However, claimers should remain aware that the USD value of their allocation may reduce due to market dynamics, despite receiving additional tokens thanks to the 7-Day bonus period.

This strategy is not dissimilar to the method pioneered by Drift Protocol, wherein users were also eligible for greater time-based rewards if they waited six hours before claiming their allocation.

Will History Repeat? Pre-Market vs Launch Prices

Historically, pre-market prices have favored those who opt to sell their allocations before TGE. The majority of newly-launched tokens have dropped in value since launch, with speculative pre-market trading activity on Whales Market pricing unlaunched coins at significantly higher valuations.

$SHARK, the native token of the Sharky NFT Lending platform, is one of the most telling examples. Before $SHARK was listed and traded publicly on decentralized exchanges, pre-market traders were buying and selling $SHARK at over $2.7 per token.

Fast-forward to launch day, and $SHARK made its market debut at $0.4, before trending down over the following months. At press time, $SHARK is now trading hands at just over $0.04, based on Step Finance data.

In another example, $W, Wormhole’s native token, found plenty of volume with pre-market traders. With a high frequency of trades executed between $1.5 and $1.8, the actions of pre-market sellers were validated when at $W launched at around $1.4. 

$W has since trended down steadily, dropping over 75% to its current price of $0.34. Recipients of the $W airdrop blamed the negative price action on a lack of immediate staking incentives or token-locking mechanisms.

However, previous market dynamics are no guarantee of future results. Currently, $ZEX is finding volume at the $0.15 mark in pre-market trading on Whales Market. 

Will the gamified launch tactics employed by the Zeta Markets team provide a smooth and stabilized launch for $ZEX? Or will history repeat itself as airdrop recipients race each other to market?

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