From: thepipeline_xyz
Monad Games is a high stakes, no-holds-barred competition where five contestants battle to earn testnet tokens (T-Mo), with the player accumulating the most tokens winning $5,000 to donate to the community [00:00:00]. The competition involves various game show challenges that test not only skill but also decision-making under pressure, often requiring elements of trust and strategy among participants.
Strategic Choices in Monad Games
Competitors face several strategic choices throughout Monad Games, impacting their token count and overall standing:
Initial Difficulty Selection
In the first challenge, contestants could choose between an “easy” route worth 200 mana or a “hard” route worth 1,000 mana [02:44:00]. All contestants collectively chose the “hard” blue option, with one participant stating, “We’re degenerate gamblers” [03:01:00]. This initial decision highlighted a collective risk-taking mentality.
”Hot or Not” Pitch Challenge
This challenge required contestants to pick a random business startup prompt and pitch it to the group within 60 seconds [17:07:00]. The strategic element involved choosing a “heat” level, corresponding to a spicy food challenge, which determined the potential token reward:
- Jelly Beans: 200 mana [17:48:00]
- World’s Hottest Chocolate: 500 mana [17:53:00]
- One Chip Challenge: 2,000 mana [17:56:00]
Competitors had to weigh their tolerance for spice against the desire for higher token rewards. One contestant, Danny, chose the world’s hottest chocolate for 500 mana [18:22:00], while another opted for the one chip challenge for 2,000 mana despite the extreme discomfort [23:51:00]. The winner of this round was the “Intern,” who delivered the best pitch [25:48:00].
Seed Phrase Ice Block Challenge
In this challenge, contestants had 10 minutes to break open a block of ice containing eight words of a seed phrase, then correctly order them [28:24:00]. A moment of strategic guessing game and bartering arose when Danny, needing the first word, offered 200 mana (later negotiated to 300) to another contestant for the missing word [30:18:00]. This showcased a direct strategic interaction and a form of trust/transaction within the game. Danny ultimately won this round, earning 1,500 mana [30:47:00].
The “Split or Steal” Final Challenge
The final challenge, “Split or Steal,” was worth 2,500 tokens and served as a psychological test of trust and strategy [31:24:00]. Each contestant privately chose to either “split” or “steal.”
- If everyone splits: Each player receives 500 mana [31:49:00].
- If only one person steals: That person takes all of the tokens [31:53:00].
- If two or more people steal: The splitters get everything [31:57:00].
- If three or more people steal: No one wins anything [32:03:00].
Outcomes:
- Pre-balling chose to split [33:52:00].
- The Intern chose to split [34:01:00].
- KB chose to split [34:18:00].
- Spam chose to steal [34:46:00].
- Danny chose to steal [34:35:00].
Since two people (Danny and Spam) chose to steal, the rule stated that “the splitters get everything” [31:57:00]. However, in the reveal, it was stated that Danny won the entire thing, taking all the tokens [34:57:00], which contradicts the stated rule for two or more steals. This outcome left the other contestants surprised [35:07:00].
Despite the controversial win, Danny (Professor Pipelines) was officially declared the winner of $5,000 to give to the community [35:28:00]. In an unexpected move, Danny decided to split the prize money among three other “OG Monad community members” – Pre-balling, Spam, and KB – stating his initial conviction of winning was “BS” and that it was fun vibing with the community [35:33:00]. This final act ultimately demonstrated a different form of trust and generosity within the competitive framework.