THE DAY I WENT APE!
Why I Am So Excited About the Polygonapes Project
By The MATIC MAN
Music icons Eminem, Madonna, Justin Bieber, and Snoop Dogg got one. Legends from the sporting world like Stephen Curry, Tom Brady, Shaquille O’Neal, Serena Williams, and Neymar each snagged one. Entertainers like Jimmy Fallon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Paris Hilton decided they couldn’t live without one. Even billionaires like Mark Cuban invested in one. All these luminaries got one, but The MATIC MAN did not.
What they obtained that I missed out on was an NFT from the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) collection. This set of 10,000 apes created by Yuga Labs was released in April 2021 and originally sold for .08 Ethereum each (about $190 at the time), but a number of them eventually sold for over $1 million. The lucky ones who snagged a Bored Ape NFT at the launch experienced phenomenal profits, which for many amounted to lifechanging gains.
Although most missed out on this seemingly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the majority of people in the crypto space are very familiar with the myriad of portraits of these irrepressible apes. Imagine my surprise several months ago when I saw a tweet promoting an NFT project that looked very similar to the BAYC but one that had launched on my favorite protocol, Polygon. This project was appropriately named the Polygonapes.
I was intrigued and had to look deeper into this project. The more I discovered about these Polygon primates, the more excited I became about the project.
Why am I so bullish on the Polygonapes?
I. The People
In this day and age of scams, rug pulls, and crypto crooks, it’s hard to overstate the importance of trusting a project’s core team when deciding to support them. When billionaire Kevin O’Leary (aka Mr. Wonderful) was asked why he invested heavily in Polygon Matic, he spoke about the importance of the people behind the project. “First is team. If I check the box on team — smart guys, good engineers, good strategy, good group — I’m interested…”
The magnet that first drew me to the PAPES (as the Polygonapes are affectionately known) were the people behind the project. The first of the PAPES People with whom I became acquainted was Manny V, Social Media Manager and Marketing Advisor, and his enthusiasm, kindness, and desire to help others is the embodiment of all that is so exciting about Web3. Manny (aka Kraken) is a tireless worker who has quickly become well-loved among Polygon People and in the crypto community at large, and he is always excited to discuss the Polygonapes. “My business partner and I decided to create the NFT counterpart from one we followed and loved the most, the BAYC.”
The business partner he referenced was Tom, CEO and Head of Marketing. Although only in his mid-20s, he is a tech guru who is wise well beyond his years. “Tom is the mastermind behind our project,” commented Manny. “He is the one that transports the magic we conceive in our brains to the metaverse.”
The Polygonapes core team is multi-cultural, and they value inclusion, diversity, and respect for all people. Other team members are Mehran (software engineer), Sarah (Community Manager), and Ramin (CTO and Blockchain Lead).
To borrow the vernacular of Mr. Wonderful, when it comes to team, the Polygonapes easily check the box.
II. The Project
Manny revealed the impetus for creating this amazing set of 10,000 NFTs, each possessing unique characteristics with varying degrees of rarity. “The Polygonapes pays homage to Bored Ape Yacht Club and is not affiliated with Yuga Labs. We just really loved the BAYC project, so we decided to create Polygonapes that were affordable, had zero gas fees, and would be a community driven project within the Polygon blockchain.”
While I am not a MATIC Maximalist, my name definitely reveals my crypto of choice. A huge draw for me to the PAPES Project was their choice to launch on Polygon, as this protocol is seeing mass adoption in not only the NFT space but is also a major player in DeFi, dApps, gaming, and the metaverse. Polygon has taken a prominent role in Web3, and it seems that all roads may eventually lead to Polygon. While it is not auto-MATIC, it is entirely possible that Polygonapes becomes the NFT set of choice on the Polygon blockchain.
The project has a clear roadmap, a nice website where you can even mint your ape, a thriving community (Discord, Telegram, and Twitter), and a game called Ape Slapper that has regular competitions in which users can earn rewards for high scores.
III. The Price
Another draw for me to the project was the low price of minting, originally only 50 MATIC. With the crypto world mired in a bitter crypto winter, the price of the MATIC token recently tumbled all the way to .31. At the 50 MATIC mint, you could have snagged a PAPE then for the equivalent of $15, about the price of two Big Mac meals.
With the transition to the 3D version, the price will increase to 150 MATIC on Monday, June 27, at 10:00am PST. As this launch approaches, there has been a mad dash to mint at the 50 MATIC price level. In essence, those who minted at 50 MATIC got their PAPES for a third of the mint price, a significant 67% discount.
“If you owned or minted a Polygonape before the update, you will automatically get your 3D version dropped to your address,” said Manny. “You just need to be a member.” Many are rushing to become a member of the PAPE family, eager to lock in the low 50 MATIC price. Even the 150 MATIC mint price after the 3D launch looks attractive when considering the promise of the project.
IV. The Potential
Rather than rest on their early success with the project, this tireless team has worked around the clock, brainstorming ways to propel the PAPES to even greater heights. “To increase the value of the NFTs, we decided to develop a play-to-earn mechanism, a 3D gallery, and a mutant stage,” the effervescent Manny said. “We are building a couple of play-to-earn games, and the 3D gallery will be a metaverse concept where the members can interact with each other. Each 3D ape will have unique features like clothing, background, eyes, mouth, etc. No two of the 10,000 will be the same, and some will be rarer than others.”
In addition to the option to mint your PAPE on the website (www.polygonapes.com), the beautiful set is also listed on OpenSea and Luxy.io and may be featured on other sites in the future as well. Manny has indicated that July will be the most exciting month to date, with game-changing announcements on the way, including some exciting new partnerships.
Going Ape for the PAPES
Hampered by recent controversy, the BAYC finally lost the top spot on the perch of the NFT world. Many in the NFT community finally seem to be bored with the Bored Apes. What will be the next hot project that takes the NFT space by storm? Could it be another simian set?
The Polygonapes is a potential-packed project, promising to be one of Polygon’s premier NFT collections. I missed out on the Bored Apes, but I’m glad I aped in on the PAPES.
