The Shiba Inu crash has left many investors looking for new opportunities. While the dip may have been caused by external market forces, it certainly seems as though this dog coin has a long way to go if it is ever to reach its previous highs.

Metacade, however, is enjoying major success, even in poor market conditions. Investors are keen to make some gains, so the MCADE presale seems like the place to be right now.

What are market cycles in crypto?

Market cycles are the result of market forces alternately pushing prices up (during a bull market) and then down (during a bear market). It is widely believed that crypto markets follow the same 4-year market cycle that involves a relatively short bull market and then a prolonged period of bad prices.

In crypto, market cycles tend to be driven by the price of Bitcoin. Bitcoin has a 4-year halving cycle in which the total number of tokens mined per block is cut in half. This increases the level of scarcity for the existing Bitcoin circulating supply, which means each token becomes more valuable. This typically results in a price reversal, and the next bull market usually happens the following year.

The key drivers of market cycles are investor psychology and market fundamentals. When investors are optimistic about the future prospects of a cryptocurrency, they are more likely to buy it, driving prices up. As prices start to rise at the beginning of a bull market, more and more investors are attracted to the space, which can keep prices rising for a long time.

Likewise, when market fundamentals are strong (for example, there is high demand for a cryptocurrency because it is being used extensively in transactions), prices will also tend to rise. If investors believe that a project is solving key problems in an industry, then they are more likely to make big investments over time as they look to get a high percentage return.

On the flip side, bubbles can burst quickly. If prices keep on rising, at some point investors will become too optimistic and prices will get ahead of themselves, leading to a sell-off that causes prices to crash back down again. This creates a market cycle in which prices fluctuate between periods of optimism and pessimism.

Shiba Inu’s tail isn’t wagging anymore

2022 has seen a major decline in prices after some explosive action during 2021. Following the Shiba Inu crash, SHIB’s price has fallen over 90% since it reached its all-time high and investors are becoming less and less convinced that it is a good long-term hold.

What is Shiba Inu (SHIB)?

Shiba Inu (SHIB) is a decentralised cryptocurrency that was created with the Shiba Inu dog breed in mind. Launched in August 2020, the Shiba Inu team believes that cryptocurrencies should be fun and easy to use and they created a token that is designed to mock the popular crypto token Dogecoin for being too serious.

SHIB is a classic meme coin. This type of token is usually created simply for the sake of creating a digital asset but the intrinsic value of a peer-to-peer digital currency is the same nonetheless. Meme coin holders can send currency to one another across the blockchain, as well as take advantage of active online communities that share a laid-back approach to the wider crypto ecosystem.

Shiba Inu has no central authority or prescribed governance model. Instead, the Shiba community decides how to use SHIB through decentralised voting. Since its inception in 2020, the Shiba Inu project has been aiming to introduce some utility into the Shiba Inu ecosystem.

As well as sending money peer-to-peer and voting in governance proposals, the Shiba Inu platform offers the community the chance to explore a dog-inspired NFT art gallery. Additionally, there will soon be an immersive virtual reality world that offers the chance to purchase digital real estate with either ETH or SHIB tokens.

Tokenomics

SHIB has a total supply of 1 quadrillion (1 000 000 000 000 000). With such a high number of tokens in circulation, the Shiba Inu team intended to give all SHIB holders the chance to feel like a millionaire, and looking at recent figures during its Shiba Inu crash - that’s as close as they’re ever likely to get.

There is currently just over 50% of the total supply in circulation.

Why is SHIB underperforming?

The project has utility on the horizon yet so many investors have been left perplexed about why the Shiba Inu crash took place at all during recent months. From November’s highs to July’s lows, there was a 91% dip for Shiba Inu.

The key thing to remember is that altcoins typically suffer from reduced demand during bear markets, as investors move into assets that can better protect their financial wellbeing throughout the drawdown.

At this stage, investors are wondering whether Shiba Inu can ever return to its previous all-time high. The truth is, it will be difficult. That would require the price to rise by over 10x. It has certainly been a rough period for holders during the Shiba Inu crash period.

The silver lining is that the Shiba Inu project is introducing brand-new methods of enjoying the ecosystem. The team is developing Shibarium, a Layer 2 scaling solution for the Shiba Inu chain, which is in itself a fork of Ethereum. Once completed, the community will be able to enjoy a brand-new metaverse world.

The Metaverse: The Future?

The metaverse is a brand-new area of blockchain-based development. Decentralised applications (dApps) can utilise the metaverse to provide token holders with all kinds of benefits. Some prominent use cases for metaverses are vast open-world games but they can also be used for art galleries, music concerts, and creating user-generated content.

The metaverse itself expands beyond the confines of crypto. Some say that the metaverse is the entire collection of digital services that currently exist, which includes all Web2 platforms as well as all Web3 services. If you use social media regularly, it is widely believed that you are already a resident of the metaverse.

Over time, it is expected that digital services will continue to become more realistic, which is where virtual reality metaverses start to play a part. These vast open worlds are usually set in sensational digital environments and they are perfectly suited to blockchain technology for one key reason: virtual reality can be combined with self-owned digital assets for an enhanced sense of realism.

One project that looks set to take blockchain-based services to new extremes by utilising self-owned assets is Metacade. The project aims to become the biggest metaverse arcade in the world and will provide players with MCADE token rewards as they play on and engage with the platform.

What is Metacade (MCADE)?

More to offer

Metacade will be home to a long list of different arcade-style games on the platform, and many of them will have integrated earning mechanics. Like SHIB, Metacade is built on Ethereum and intends to provide a complete ecosystem that delivers vast earning potential for blockchain gamers.

Players can also take part in tournaments and gain access to a more competitive playing experience than can be found on other platforms. With Metacade, you can connect with avid GameFi enthusiasts and compete directly against each other online for ultimate victory.

Rewarding the community

As well as connecting GameFi players across the world of crypto, Metacade will provide direct MCADE token rewards for people who contribute to the community in a number of ways. Community members can gain MCADE tokens for sharing all that they know about the world of blockchain gaming. If other players enjoy the contributions, some decent returns can be made.

This is a fascinating method of encouraging the community to get together, and Metacade looks set to attract a broad following of gamers as a result. Whether you are looking to find the latest GameFi titles or uncover some of the most valuable alpha that can be found anywhere in Web3, then Metacade is the place to be.

Building the future

Metacade will become a decentralised autonomous organisation (DAO) once it becomes self-sustaining. This will provide MCADE token holders with the chance to vote on governance proposals and influence the future of the project itself. One key area that gamers are showing an interest in is the Metagrants program.

Metagrants will enable developers to submit their GameFi project proposals to the Metacade community. Gamers will be able to vote on the proposals and funding will be allocated to the games they want to see brought to life. By providing funding, the Metacade community will be able to directly influence the future of the platform and the wider GameFi industry as a whole.

SHIB vs MCADE: Which should you buy?

Being right in the middle of a crypto bear market, gains can be hard to uncover. SHIB has dipped massively during the Shiba Inu crash and larger issues with the crypto market and it is uncertain whether it can ever reach its previous highs again.

While the project is introducing more utility into the ecosystem, the Shiba Inu community may still be recovering from the Shiba Inu crash for a long time before they see significant gains being made. Over the mid-term, it is expected that Shiba Inu could rise 10% and by the next bull market, prices could reach up to $0.00003.

In contrast, Metacade is a brand-new project with immense potential for growth. Since the project is only just starting its presale, investors have a unique opportunity within these bear market conditions to make some major gains. The MCADE token is launching at $0.008 initially and this total will rise up to $0.02 by the final stage of the presale – and that’s before the project is offered to the general public.

Crypto investors are eagerly awaiting Metacade and have lost interest in SHIB. The dog-based meme coin seems to have had more bark than bite and has been positively whimpering since the Shiba Inu crash this year.

The Metacade platform has the potential to rival the biggest GameFi projects in the crypto space with big names such as Decentraland and Axie Infinity looking over their shoulders and worrying whether their time at the top is nearing its end.

Metacade certainly has excellent potential, as a vast community of gamers is already taking interest in this brand-new Play-to-Earn platform. If you had to choose between SHIB and MCADE, then MCADE is undoubtedly the more promising option.

You can buy SHIB on eToro here.

You can participate in the MCADE presale here.

Disclaimer: Insights provided by crypto industry players and is not a part of the editorial content of BanklessTimes.