Amid much controversy around its airdrop allocation, Hamster Kombat ($HMSTR), a viral Telegram-based tap-to-earn project has finally opened for trading, with $0.001 as its starting price.
Built on the Open Network, Hamster Kombat has been making strong waves since launching around March 2024, drawing the attention of 300 million players worldwide.
Following its official market debut on September 26, 2024, $HMSTR has been listed on major crypto exchanges like Binance and Ebi – a development that has triggered over 700% surge for the token.
At press time, one $HMSTR is exchanging hands for $0.0070, with various predictions that it might even go higher in the coming days. In this article, we discuss the core fundamentals of the Hamster Kombat project, highlight the steps to claiming its airdrop, and analyze the controversy trailing its Season 1 token allocation.
What Exactly Is Hamster Kombat?
Drawing direct inspiration from Notcoin, Hamster Kombat is a tap-to-earn game that offers a combination of fun and rewards. This Telegram project quickly gained the attention of the crypto community due to its strategic gameplay and potential for real-world earnings.
Central to its appeal is its ease of access as it operates within the Telegram mini app. At its core, Hamster Kombat allows players to step into the shoes of a hamster CEO, managing a tier-1 crypto exchange of their choice and making necessary investment decisions to grow the exchange.
The major mechanic of this project revolves around tapping, meaning players have to tap their hamsters to earn unique in-game coins. As such, the more they tap, the more coins they generate.
Specifically, Hamster Kombat also rewards players for completing a number of tasks, including in-game social sharing, referring friends and families to the gaming ecosystem, upgrading their hamsters (exchanges), participating in mini-games, and engaging in community-based activities.
Hamster Kombat’s promise to offer real rewards through its native token $HMSTR alongside its engaging gaming elements and easy accessibility helped it resonate with a broader spectrum of players, especially those seeking to monetize their gaming skills. Besides having approximately 300 million players and more than 40 million daily active users, Hamster Kombat also enjoys a large following on YouTube and X.
That being said, after several months of engaging and rewarding gameplay, the Telegram-based project finally ended “Season One” of its airdrop campaign and announced September 26 as its listing date. With 60 billion HMSTR out of its total supply of 100 billion distributed in the first phase of the airdrop, the project has converted all the points generated by players into tokens.
How To Claim $HMSTR Airdrop
For those eligible for the ongoing $HMSTR airdrop, here are some of the steps to claim your tokens:
- Open the Hamster Kombat Telegram bot
- Navigate to the airdrop tab to view your token allocation
- Be sure that your TON wallet is connected to claim the airdrop
- If connected, the token will be automatically sent to the wallet.
However, since $HMSTR has been listed, participants now have two options to claim and withdraw their tokens. One of them is through the Ebi exchange. The other option is the “direct claim” process, recommended for those who are yet to even pick a withdrawal method.
Analyzing The Controversy Trailing Hamster Kombat’s Airdrop
Hamster Kombat’s airdrop drama has become one of the most trending topics on social media, with many voicing their displeasure over the metrics of the token allocation. While many long-term players feel they have been under-rewarded for their efforts, criticizing the system for putting more importance on referrals compared to other in-game tasks, others claimed they have been unjustly disqualified.
In fact, the hashtag #JusticeForHamsterPlayers is currently going viral, with community members calling for a review of the airdrop process. One of the major issues raised by players was that they couldn’t unlock some cards during the game because they didn’t have a certain number of referrals.
Meanwhile, initially, the Hamster Kombat team assured them that the referral program would only be a normal metric like other in-game features and would not limit their earning potential.
For months, these players focused more on increasing their profit per hour, upgrading their cards, and accumulating keys through minigames. However, when the airdrop was eventually launched, most of them reportedly got between 200-1000 $HMSTR tokens.
The outrage became even more pronounced after allocation screenshots on X indicated that YouTubers and influencers got more tokens due to their high number of referred persons.
Another wave of negative sentiment arose again after an announcement that 11.5% of the airdropped tokens would be locked for ten months. Known as crypto vesting, this strategic effort is put in place to discourage immediate selloff of all the tokens allocated to every participant. With 11.5% locked for months, users will only be able to trade 88.5% of the tokens right now.
For players who were excluded from the airdrop, the team claimed they cheated. In an announcement on X, Hamster Kombat said only 131 million users were qualified for the airdrop, and around 2.3 million were banned as cheaters. This decision was protested by a large number of users who flooded various social media platforms to label the project a “scam.”
Nonetheless, amid the community backlash, Hamster Kombat seems to be forging ahead as it has launched its “Interlude Season,” indicating its transition from Season 1 to Season 2. Meanwhile, angry community members are saying they are going to boycott Season 2 if the Season 1 token distribution approach is not revisited.
All in all, Hamster Kombat is still in its early stages and needs the support of its community to make a lasting impact in the broader crypto scene.
If this project is able to weather the storm and retain the loyalty of its vibrant community, it might actually become one of the significant players in the coming years. Otherwise, Hamster Kombat may lose its popularity.
Alternatives To Hamster Kombat Token
Given the significant backlash trailing Hamster Kombat and its recently completed airdrop allocation, investors are now turning to the latest ICO alternatives – two of which famous market experts have tipped for explosive launch are Pepe Unchained and Crypto All-Stars.
Pepe Unchained ($PEPU)
Inspired by the iconic Pepe label, Pepe Unchained is a new meme coin that has taken the investing community by storm.
This revolutionary project was developed to liberate Pepe from the clunky network congestion and high gas fees caused by its presence on the Ethereum layer-1 chain.
At the backdrop of its lore is an engaging tale that shows how Pepe has been handicapped in his old layer-1 server room. He eventually came up with a master plan to break the chains and embrace the future, known as Pepe Unchained.
While it embodies the spirit of the Pepe brand, Pepe Unchained has distinguished itself by offering an advanced layer-2 functionality that will benefit the entire meme coin landscape. It is considered the first meme coin project to offer a native layer-2 solution that will bring down transaction costs, offer ultra-fast throughput, and deliver higher efficiency.
Meanwhile, Pepe Unchained is not just building a new chain – it is developing an entire ecosystem that features builders’ grants, advanced analytics, bridge, DEX, block explorer, and more. With these industry-leading attributes, Pepe Unchained is empowering traders to capitalize on market opportunities at low costs.
Beyond its layer-2 offering, Pepe Unchained has also introduced a standard staking facility where early birds can put their tokens to best use and amplify their gains. At press time, those who stake $PEPU will still benefit from a three-digit APY reward that will be distributed over a period of two years.
Also, contributing to its widespread credibility is the outcome of its audits from two major blockchain security firms, Coinsult and SolidProof. This impressive milestone, fueled by its multiple appearances on top crypto publications like Cointelegraph, Cryptonomist, Cryptonews, and CryptoDaily has helped position $PEPU on the watchlist of all kinds of investors, including whales.
At the time of writing, $PEPU has crossed the $15 million mark in presale as analysts continue to speculate its explosive potential. With $16 million in sight, $PEPU has emerged as one of the hottest, most in-demand presale meme coins on the market.
Considering its multiple unique value propositions and viral presale success, popular crypto YouTube channel with over 700k subscribers 99Bitcoins says Pepe Unchained is the next 100x success story.
Before its eagerly-awaited DEX debut, those interested in getting on the ground floor can still join the presale and exchange $PEPU for a discounted rate of $0.00986. The token can be purchased using ETH, USDT, BNB, and credit/debit cards.
For the latest information about the project, follow Pepe Unchained on X or join its Telegram channel.
Crypto All-Stars ($STARS)
Built on Ethereum, Crypto All-Stars is another new ICO token that investors must watch closely this year. The project is renowned for its multi-meme staking functionality, providing every degen investor with an opportunity to grow their investments.
At the heart of Crypto All-Stars’ appeal is its MemeVault solution which brings a fresh and more innovative approach to crypto staking. Through this audited staking platform, crypto enthusiasts will be able to trade different meme coins under a single roof.
As per its whitepaper, the platform will support some of the world’s most celebrated meme coins, including Shiba Inu, Pepe, Floki Inu, Mog Coin, Brett, Bonk, and Dogecoin amongst others.
In essence, Crypto All-Stars will be one of the first, if not the first meme coin project to bring multi-meme staking into a single ecosystem. Meanwhile, for staking each of the aforementioned meme coins, investors will be rewarded with $STARS, the core currency of the ecosystem.
It is also possible to stake $STARS and earn passive rewards. In fact, staking $STARS attracts rewards that are three times higher than other supported meme coins. This high-rewarding approach enriches the investment experience of $STARS, drives up its long-term viability, and strengthens its profit potential.
Keeping up with other top presale meme coins that have launched this year, Crypto All-Stars has also undergone two different audits from SolidProof and Coinsult. Likewise, reputable crypto news platforms like Insidebitcoins, Coingape, and Coinpedia have also analyzed the project’s importance to the meme coin niche and the broader crypto industry at large.
Meanwhile, well-known crypto YouTuber ClayBro predicts $STARS has all the qualities to deliver substantial returns upon launch.
Priced for as low as $0.0014, $STARS has raised over $1.5 million through its ongoing presale. Those interested in taking advantage of the early-moving opportunity can visit the official website of the project now to participate.
For more information, follow Crypto All-Stars on X or join its Telegram channel.
