Despite the recent downward trend in the overall market, the anticipation and enthusiasm for "Runes" remain undiminished. As a degen player focused on the NFT space, I have two strong observations from the past week. First, Bitcoin NFTs are currently the only area in the NFT market that has captured the attention of both Chinese and international communities without being overly competitive (non-PvP). The only other chain with some heat is Base, but its player base is primarily English-speaking and dominated by art projects, making it significantly harder to engage with compared to Bitcoin. Second, the "Runes" project has completely become the main narrative in the Bitcoin NFT market. While "Little Wizards" Bitcoin Wizards and the $Opportunistic Trader ETF(WZRD.US) Token on BRC-20 have surged nearly 5x and 15x, respectively, over the past week, the resurgence of the "Wizard" meme is closely tied to the strong performance of "Bitcoin Puppets." And the recent explosion of "Bitcoin Puppets" is, in turn, driven by the "Runes" narrative.

I previously did a roundup of "Runes" projects for everyone (related reading: Will Runestone Spark a Runes Frenzy? A Look at 14 Runes Worth Watching). A month has passed, and "Runes" has not only become the absolute main narrative in the Bitcoin NFT market but also seen shifts in the projects gaining traction. Now, projects focused solely on "dry mining" (where the NFT itself is just a "mining machine") are no longer attractive. Instead, projects with strong communities, PFP initiatives, or those building "Runes infrastructure" (like Launchpads, DEXs, or browsers) are standing out. After all, once tokens are launched, the competition shifts from "mining gimmicks" to real consensus or narrative strength.

Well-known "Runes" projects like Runestone, Rune Pups, and RSIC have already surged to high valuations. Here, I’ll summarize some new Ordinals projects worth watching recently.

Prometheans by CyberKongz

CyberKongz, the OG project that pioneered NFT staking mining on Ethereum, has entered the Bitcoin NFT ecosystem. This project was once a top-tier blue-chip, with its floor price peaking near 200 ETH. Its token, $BANANA, reached an all-time high of $105, with a peak market cap nearing $90 million.

Prometheans is CyberKongz’s official "Runes" project. While the end goal is a "Runes" token, this is by far the most artistically refined "Runes" project I’ve seen. CyberKongz has meticulously detailed the artistic design behind it on their official Twitter, essentially creating a "mining machine" with the standards of a "collectible."

The project will launch this week as a Free Mint, with a total supply of 21,000. 85% will be allocated to Ordinals ecosystem partners selected by CyberKongz, and 15% to CyberKongz holders.

Starlight Runes by Rosentica

Rosentica is an anime NFT project on Ethereum founded by artists @rmflawha12 and @TabinekoKIKI. Riding the "Runes" wave, Rosentica is launching its "Runes" project, "Starlight Runes," in the Bitcoin NFT ecosystem.

The project will be a Free Mint with a total supply of 2,000, mostly allocated to Rosentica NFT holders, with the remainder going to selected Ordinals ecosystem communities.

Everyday Satoshis

First, this project has openly stated it will have a token, $CLTR, though it’s unclear if it will be a "Runes" token.

I first noticed this project last September. Now, six months later, with the halving and "Runes" approaching, it’s finally unveiling itself.

The artist @Degen_Alfie has proven himself on Ethereum—for example, his work "Degen Alphabet" sold for 69.420 ETH on SuperRare in October 2022.

Everyday Satoshis is a pixel art series commemorating the halving, with a total supply of 5,586. From Bitcoin’s genesis block to the upcoming fourth halving—15 years, 5,586 days. Each pixel block displays a date and Bitcoin’s daily high price in USD.

@Degen_Alfie revealed that shortly after Everyday Satoshis launches, his team’s blockchain art marketplace will release its V1 version. The team currently has 12 members and raised a small angel round in January. So this isn’t just a great halving-themed Bitcoin NFT art series—it also feels like a genesis collection for a new blockchain art marketplace.

BLIFStone

A perk for Runestone holders from Opal Protocol. If you hold Runestone, don’t forget to like and retweet this tweet and leave your bc1p address.

Honestly, I don’t fully grasp what Opal Protocol aims to do... But one thing is clear: their initiatives will be driven by their token, $BLIF, which will be a hybrid of ETH, BRC-20, and Runes. From a degen perspective, Opal has big backers—Animoca Brands and Darewise are its founders. Darewise, a subsidiary of Animoca, has a game called "Life Beyond" that announced a move to the Bitcoin ecosystem last year and launched a high-end social club series called "Sparks."

KarmaStone

OCM (OnChainMonkey) launched their token $KARMA on the Tap protocol earlier this year and are now diving into "Runes." Details are still under wraps.

The Rune Hunt

@RuneX_Tech built a web game using Unreal Engine where players can "pre-mine" their "Runes" token. I have to say, the competition for attention among infrastructure projects is next-level...

The game’s servers crashed shortly after launch yesterday. Stay tuned for updates on when it’ll reopen.

Among the "Runes" infrastructure projects vying for attention, I think RuneX and Runes Terminal (which just launched Ape Odyssey) are currently the standout performers.

Pixel Pix

@gamestarter’s in-house studio GGXYZ Studio is developing a P2E game for Bitcoin, but details are scarce.

Closing Thoughts

The number of new Bitcoin NFT projects launching daily is overwhelming—many of my friends are minting at least three a day. While the odds of success are higher now, don’t get too FOMO-driven. Stay selective.

For "Runes" projects, I expect more NFT projects from Ethereum and other chains to enter the Bitcoin ecosystem, as "Runes" is one of the hottest narratives in Crypto right now. When evaluating "Runes" projects, focus on their influence and community quality—flashy mining mechanics alone won’t cut it anymore.

With multiple projects minting simultaneously, consider splitting your UTXOs wisely. Bitcoin’s block confirmation times are long and unstable, and chain congestion can be frustrating—or even cause you to miss minting windows. For tips, check this article: How to Prepare for the Runes Protocol Launch?

Wishing everyone a fruitful "Runes" season—I’ll do my best to keep you updated on noteworthy new projects.