Ethereum NFT Game 'Fantasy Top' Expands to Monad Alongside Testnet Launch

Ethereum NFT game Fantasy Top is expanding from layer-2 network Blast after its buzzy launch last year. On Wednesday, the developers announced that a free-to-play version of the game will debut on the just-launched testnet of new layer-1 blockchain, Monad. 

The game, which mirrors traditional fantasy sports, replaces football and basketball stars with the top crypto social media personalities on X (formerly known as Twitter) that it calls “heroes.” For example, like athletes earn for performance on the field, like scoring a touchdown, “heroes” earn points for their social engagement metrics.

Crypto personalities like Ansem, ThreadGuy, Truth Terminal, and many others have hero cards that users can insert into their lineups for each competition.

“This immersive Monad experience introduces never-before-seen heroes and gives players the chance to win whitelist spots for the most hyped NFT collections launching on Monad mainnet,” the game posted on X. 

As part of the initiative, users can claim a free pack of 15 Fantasy Top hero cards and begin playing in contests that will reward users with prizes like XP, tickets, and fMON—the testnet token used for buying hero cards on the Fantasy Top marketplace. 

Registration for contests is now open, with the first Monad testnet competition set to go live tomorrow around 10am ET.

“Partnering with Monad is an incredible opportunity to push the boundaries of what on-chain experiences can achieve at scale,” said pseudonymous Fantasy Top creator Travis Bickle.

Fantasy Top’s social fantasy game got its start on Ethereum layer-2 network Blast. The game got off to a torrid start last May, earning weekly metrics of more than $21 million in trading volume and 31,000 users just after launch. 

But amid a downturn in users on Blast and waning attention following the initial boom, the game has topped 1,500 weekly users just once since November 19, 2024. In December, the game raised $4.25 million led by Dragonfly to continue its goal of financializing social media. 

Monad has raised $244 million in its attempt to rival Solana and Ethereum by accommodating incredibly fast and cheap transactions. The network launched its testnet on Wednesday, providing more than 8.8 million EVM wallets with testnet tokens to use on based on their activity on other chains. A date for the network's mainnet launch has not been set.

Edited by Andrew Hayward