Animalia, a trading card game based on crypto memes, just made a giant step forward. Not only did they decide to create their own Layer 1 (L1) chain, but they chose to build it on Avalanche. Sounds great, right? More agency for the players, more ownership, bluer skies, a cooler $ANIM token. Before we uncork the champagne, let's ask a tough question: Is this really freedom, or is it just a new form of crypto-colonialism?

Who Benefits? Who Controls?

The official narrative paints a rosy picture: improved scalability, a better user experience, and a chance to earn rewards through staking and node operation. Zoom out for a second. Animalia, a smaller project by comparison, is very much so migrating to Avalanche, a larger, more established blockchain. It’s not necessarily creating something wholly self-sufficient from scratch. That's the key difference.

Think of it like this: it's like a small island nation declaring independence... by becoming a protectorate of a much larger empire. Okay, they might get a little more autonomy, a few more fun shiny baubles, but who is really in control here. Who controls the infrastructure? At the end of the day, whose rules do they really need to follow?

Avalanche lays the groundwork, the security, the sharing across its network. And in return? Avalanche probably wins out by virtue of increased transaction volume, a bigger ecosystem, and scale advantages generally allowing them to attract the most users. It’s a beautiful, symbiotic relationship, indeed, but is it an equal one?

Tokenomics Tell a Treacherous Tale

In short, the new $ANIM tokenomics are a significant aspect of this move. Value add Airdrops and liquidity pools, a dedicated DEX swap to the project. Sounds exciting for Animalia users. Let's be brutally honest: these things are complex. Who actually knows how these tokenomics work on the inside? Who do you think is more likely to be able to take advantage of the first price changes and arbitrage opportunities?

  • Existing Animalia Users: Potentially benefit from the airdrop and new features.
  • Avalanche Ecosystem: Likely to see increased activity and potentially higher token value.
  • Large Token Holders & Whales: Always in a better position to exploit tokenomics and market inefficiencies.

Large token holders — most of whom are already financially tied to the Avalanche ecosystem — enjoy a special privilege. More importantly, they are well-positioned to take advantage of these changes. Are we really uplifting the Animalia community as a whole? Or are we just building a new retainers’ paradise for the crypto whales to rake in their bucks.

This isn't just about Animalia. It’s more about the bigger phenomena of smaller projects building on top of larger platforms. It looks like innovation. Feels like progress. Could be a trap.

Decentralization: A Beautiful Lie?

Yet, the other half of the crypto space built on this promise of decentralization is the crypto fantasy world. Liberty from centralized top down control, liberty through empowering individuals, and liberty to create a more equitable financial system. The reality as we know is usually much more complex.

I'm not saying Animalia is doomed. What I’m urging here is to be more discerning advocates of these ‘better’ decentralized fix-alls. We need to demand harder questions of ourselves, questions about who truly benefits from our work and who truly holds the levers of power.

  • Avalanche's Governance: How much say does the Animalia community really have in Avalanche's governance? What happens if Avalanche changes its policies in a way that harms Animalia?
  • Technical Dependence: Animalia’s success is now tied to Avalanche’s stability and security. A major issue on Avalanche could cripple Animalia as well.
  • Centralized Exchanges: Ultimately, many $ANIM tokens will likely end up being traded on centralized exchanges, further concentrating power and control.

Shifting to Avalanche can feel like an emancipation. If so, it would be yet another brand of crypto colonialism, subjecting smaller projects to the whims of larger, appointed platforms while failing to realize the decentralization dream – one of the original promises of Web3.

So don’t take the just jumped-on-the-bandwagon approach of haphazardly celebrating the latest L1 launch. Think critically. Question everything. What does economic freedom really look like in this space? Are we truly building a decentralized future? Or are we simply providing a new wrap of blockchain technology to the same power-sucking ecosystems? The answer, my friends, depends on you.

Don't just blindly celebrate the latest L1 launch. Think critically. Question everything. What does economic freedom truly mean in this space? And are we building a truly decentralized future, or just recreating the same power structures with a new coat of blockchain paint? The answer, my friends, depends on you.