Runicore: Splinterlands’ First Ever Generative NFT

Splinterlands announced their first ever generative NFT called Runicore which is a legendary card with six different and 100% unique attributes.

The term generative NFT was popularized by outstanding NFT projects such as Bored Apes (Bored Ape Yacht Club or BAYC), Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC), CryptoPunks, and etc. These projects are widely regarded as “PFP” or “Profile Picture” projects in the blockchain industry. Holders of the said NFT projects often use their beloved minted NFTs as their PFP in social media platforms such as Twitter and Discord.

You might be wondering, what can this type of NFT add to the Splinterlands universe? Let us provide you with the things you need to know!

What is Runicore?

Runicore (will also be called “Runi” for short) will be a new limited-edition card in the Splinterlands game. Unlike the other cards in the game, Runi cards will be 100% unique to themselves and will feature six different attributes that will be randomly generated.

The Runi cards will have similar stats and abilities within the game but every time a Runi card is shown throughout the game, its unique artwork will be displayed. The unique artwork will be shown in screens such as during battles, battle history, and even in your collection tabs. It will be such a marvel to see your very own unique Runi NFT card in your own collection!

What is the Use of a Runi in Splinterlands?

The primary utility of the Runi NFT card will be the unique artwork that can be seen during battles, in battle histories, and collection screens. The Splinterlands team is also looking forward to seeing multiple Runi NFTs being used as PFPs in social media platforms such as Twitter and Discord. Imagine scrolling through Twitter and you see someone using their own Runi PFP just like you are!

The Runi NFT card will have the following in-game stats and abilities:

• Neutral Legendary 6-Mana Monster Card
• Speed: 1
• Melee Attack: 4
• Health: 5
  Armor: 1
• True Strike Ability (Doesn’t Miss an Attack!)
• Opportunity Ability (Attack the Enemy with Lowest Health)
• Reflection Shield Ability (Protection from Indirect Damage)
• Rebirth Ability (Resurrect with 1 Health After Death)

How Can I Mint a Runi?

The team announced that minting a Runi will cost roughly $500 in Ethereum. The Runi NFTs will be minted in the Ethereum blockchain and the exact amount of ETH needed for mint will be announced and fixed based on the current market price of Ethereum by the mint date. Players will be able to mint Runi NFTs as long as they have enough ETH in their wallets to pay for the mint price plus the additional gas fees.

The mint date is scheduled to start on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 at exactly 2:00 p.m. ET (or 6:00 p.m. UTC). There will be a total of 6,500 Runi NFTs available to be minted and after that, no additional Runi NFTs can be minted and the only way to acquire one is through purchasing or trading with another owner through the OpenSea marketplace.

Minting a Runi NFT will also include a 2% chance of minting a gold foil Runi. These gold foil Runi NFTs will be extremely rare because only an approximate amount of 130 gold foil Runi NFTs will ever exist!

How Can I Get a Whitelist?

The Splinterlands team confirmed that the current community members and players will be prioritized first therefore, 2000 whitelist spots will become available through the official Splinterlands website for the community. Once whitelisted, you will be able to reserve your Runi minting and get a 50% discount on the mint price!

Note that whitelist spots will cost 100 VOUCHER tokens which will be available through the Splinterlands game shop starting on Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. ET (or 6:00 p.m. UTC).

When reserving a whitelist spot, the user will be asked to enter their Ethereum wallet address that will be used for minting the Runi NFT. As promised, the whitelisted mints will only cost half of the standard mint price, or approximately $250 in ETH plus gas fees.

Will Runi have Other Utilities?

Aside from the similar features offered by other generative NFT projects in the space, the Runi NFTs can be staked in the Ethereum blockchain making it unavailable to be transferred or sold until it is unstaked. Staking the Runi NFTs will maintain the players’ or holders’ control over their NFT and they will be able to unstake it anytime so that it can be transferred or sold once again.

The Splinterlands team is planning to create a simple and easy way for players and users to be able to access their Runi NFTs through the official Splinterlands website and perform actions such as staking and unstaking as easily as possible.

When staking the Runi NFT, the player will be asked to input a Hive wallet address wherein the Runi NFT will be delegated. And yes, users with multiple Runi NFTs will be able to delegate their Runi to different Hive wallet addresses. This feature will allow holders to rent out their Runi NFTs to other players while maintaining control over the Runi NFT in the Ethereum blockchain.

The Splinterlands team also stated that they are looking forward to third-party rental markets for Runi NFTs that will emerge in the future.

Lastly, the Runi NFT will also offer full commercial rights to all Runi NFT holders for the artwork and graphics for the specific Runi they own. This means that holders will be able to sell the rights to their minted Runi NFT images and derivatives for commercial gains.

Note that the commercial rights only pertain to the Runi character itself and NOT the card frame used in game for the Runi, the Runicore name, or anything related to the NFT project and the Splinterlands game. More information regarding the licensing rights will be released by the team before the mint date.

Conclusion

With Splinterlands announcing their first step towards diversifying their reach from just focusing on play-to-earn to incorporating generative NFTs in the game, numerous doors of opportunities opened for the blockchain gaming industry.

This also opens a lot of opportunities for already existing and thriving generative NFT projects such as Bored Apes, Mutant Apes, CryptoPunks, and etc. to expand their NFT utilities towards gaming.

It is only a matter of time until we see more use cases, project interactions and expansions in the industry. We cannot wait to see your Runi PFPs in Twitter and Discord!