CryptoKitties Investing Essentials

Disclaimer

Before going any further in this guide, please be aware of the following:

• This is not a guaranteed guide to make ETH, simply a breakdown of suggestions and ideas based on my experience within the CryptoKitties Marketplace.
• I would highly recommend reading the other articles available on kitty.fyi and other CK websites, regarding cat traits, generations, fancies etc. Before continuing any further in this guide.
• The main tools i use for CK are: CKBox, a google add-on that displays each cats recessive traits, CryptoKittyData, a CK search tool that lets you look up cats based on recessive traits as well as dominant ones, (there are alternatives available) and freaks breeding tool, a 3rd party tool that allows you to breed x Number of cat pairs, save those pairs and breed them again with ease.
• You also need to have an understanding of Metamask, the CryptoKitties website and it's workings. You need to understand what GAS prices are and why their fluctuations are important.
• This article was written early November 2018, and may no longer be totally accurate depending on your time of reading.

Budget

Before continuing i would set yourself an initial ETH buy-in that you are comfortable with, this could range from .05 to 500 ETH, everybody is in a different life situation. The only rule i would follow is never invest more than you are willing to lose, the global crypto space is highly volatile and CK is no different to that, one week a cat worth .15 ETH can be worth 1.5, and vice versa. Each section from here on will be split by your budget.

Less than 0.05 ETH to spend

With a starting budget of 0.05 ETH or less, do not expect huge overnight sales, you need to prepare yourself for a patient struggle, with subtle hints of HODL. But with patience and discipline you can earn enough to move up to higher budget trading.

1) The first rule of a budget of this size, is you should rarely breed your cats if ever, the 0.008 breeding fee is near 20% of our total budget, and is an incredibly high risk gamble for us.

2) Prepare to invest a lot of time into researching cats and the market, with a budget of this size we really have to be ready to spot the bargain gems amongst the strays.

3) Gas prices are super important to us. On high gas price days the fees would cripple our potential spend. I often refer to https://ethgasstation.info/ and it's google plug-in to keep track of gas. I would stick to a rule of not spending over 5 gas per transaction, if this is suggested to take hours to complete on gas station, it may be worth using your time to research cats more before making your initial purchases.

4) Keep an eye out for competitions, giveaways etc amongst the CK community, some don't require purchase to take part in. Be sure to join the cryptokitty discord and introduce yourself, active community members often receive gifts from others, and if you really do your research into the gene pool, you may even be able to strike a deal with a seasoned player to do kitty related work for them in return for sweet kitty rewards.

The Main markets i would target with a budget below 0.05 are:

• Generation 1 Flipping:
  • The floor for Generation 1 cats often drops below .007, which is less than breeding fee. This opens up an opportunity for us, with a budget of .05 we may be able to stock up on 5 or 6 Fast Gen 1 cats, which we have the potential to sell on for a higher price. The traits i would look out for in the generation 1 market are:
  • Cats with recessive genes and mutations - see CKBox extension
  • Cats with recently released traits - see CK Discord / Kitty.fyi
  • Cats that look good, have old traits, have not yet been used in fancy recipes
• Floor Fancies:
  • Some fancy cats do price for under .05, however they are few and far between. If you are looking for a long term hold with a budget below .05, i'd suggest checking out the floor prices for some fancy cats, a live list can be found here: https://blog.kotobaza.co/price-stats/
  • These may not rise immediately, but historically most fancy cats have risen in price as time passes.
  • This not a quick flip option, but a cute looking cat that could see long term gains.

5) I would avoid the general kitty floor cats as options to flip, after gas fees you won't be making much profit if any by buying cats at .002ETH and listing at .003ETH

Between 0.05 and 0.5 ETH to spend

With a starting budget of between 0.05 and 0.5 ETH, sales will still be somewhat slow for us, however having more ETH to play with allows us take some risks, and work in greater bulk than before when it comes to selling cats.

1) On occassion it may be viable to breed cats, potentially during fancy chases, however i would avoid breeding any cats at later generation or in the hope of hitting a mutation.

2) Similar to previous budget you have to invest a lot of time into researching cats and the market, even with some more ETH to invest, research is critical.

3) Gas prices are still super important to us. On high gas price days the fees would cripple our potential spend if buying or breeding multiple cats. I often refer to https://ethgasstation.info/ and it's google plug-in to keep track of gas. I would stick to a rule of not spending over 8 gas per transaction, if this is suggested to take hours to complete on gas station, it may be worth using your time to research cats more before making any more purchases.

4) Invest time into the community space on discord, get to know other players, you may be able to strike deals or consider working together as a team for a greater common goal

The Main markets i would target with a budget between 0.05 and 0.5 ETH are:

• Generation 1 Flipping:
  • The floor for Generation 1 cats often drops below .007, which is less than breeding fee. This opens up an opportunity for us, with a larger budget we can purchase a wider range of cats, which we have the potential to sell on for a higher price. The traits i would look out for in the generation 1 market are:
  • Cats with recessive genes and mutations - see CKBox extension
  • Cats with recently released traits - see CK Discord / Kitty.fyi
  • Cats that look good, have old traits, have not yet been used in fancy recipes
• Fancy Mats:
  • The term fancy mat relates to cats that have a high potential to make new or existing fancy cats (3/4 matching traits for example), they are desired by all regular players, especially on the launch of a new fancy.
  • During live streams / community events a new fancy recipe is often teased at, if you are quick enough you have potential to make eth buying cat mats before other players and flipping them for profit, you may even want to use them to breed the latest fancy yourself!
  • I would not risk a spend of more than .1 on potential mats, they are a gamble as at the time of purchase their desired traits may end up being incorrect, heavily reducing any chance of a resell or profit.

5) I would avoid the general kitty floor cats as options to flip, after gas fees you won't be making much profit if any by buying cats at .002ETH and listing at .003ETH. Also with a budget in this range, we have greater options to profit, and unless you have a burning desire, i would not be looking at many cats to purchase and hold... yet.

Between 0.5 and 2.0 ETH to spend

With a starting budget of between 0.5 and 2.0 ETH, we have substantially more ETH to play with for profit, and new avenues for potential profit are opened up to us.

1) We have the potential spare ETH to breed cats, specifically during fancy chases, new purrstige traits and other breeding related contests. However i would still avoid breeding any cats at later generation or in the hope of hitting a mutation.

2) As for all budgets you have to invest a lot of time into researching cats and the market, even with more ETH to invest, research is critical.

3) Gas prices are now less vital to us, i would still avoid spending greater than 10 gas per transaction, unless a situation really requires otherwise.

4) Invest greater time into the community space on discord, get to know other players, maybe start considering your own 'niche' of potential kittys you want to be known for being invested in, Gen 0s, fancies, gen 1s, fancy mats etc.

The Main markets i would target with a budget between 0.5 and 2.0 ETH are:

• Generation 0 Flipping:
  • As of this month (Nov 2018), the generation 0 clock ends, causing generation 0 floor prices to be highly volatile, this opens opportunity to purchase them at a low price and relist for a higher mark up.
  • I'd personally keep an eye on the market for a few days, see if you notice any trends in the gen 0 floor, and then potentially aim to buy a floor Gen 0 and relist for a 20 - 25% markup, rinse and repeat.
  • Things to look out for in Gen 0 cats:
    • Fast / Quick breeding Gen 0s.
    • Cats with really good recessive genes and mutations - see CKBox extension
    • Cats with recently released traits - see CK Discord / Kitty.fyi
    • Cats that have older traits.
• Generation 1 Flipping:
  • The floor for Generation 1 cats often drops below .007, which is less than breeding fee. This opens up an opportunity for us, with a larger budget we can purchase a wider range of cats, which we have the potential to sell on for a higher price. The traits i would look out for in the generation 1 market are:
  • Cats with recessive genes and mutations - see CKBox extension
  • Cats with recently released traits - see CK Discord / Kitty.fyi
  • Cats that look good, have old traits, have not yet been used in fancy recipes
• Generation 1 M2/M3 Traits and mutations:
  • Some generation 1 cats are more valuable than others, and with research you can gain an understanding of which traits are held in higher regard by the player base due to rarity and appearance.
  • M2 and M3 traits and their mutations displaying dominant in gen 1s offer rarity to any potential purchase, and often open up great opportunities to purchase and relist at a higher price, if you believe the cat's original price was too low, or you expect demand to increase.
  • Research the current floor prices of these traits, as well as historical sales data.
• Fancy Cats & Mats:
  • Fancy cats are one of the major pillars of gameplay in CK currently, with #1s selling for 20 ETH +, the chases for these cats are highly competitive, and not for the faint-hearted.
  • The term fancy mat relates to cats that have a high potential to make new or existing fancy cats (3/4 matching traits for example), they are desired by all regular players, especially on the launch of a new fancy.
  • During live streams / community events a new fancy recipe is often teased at, if you are quick enough you have potential to make eth buying cat mats before other players and flipping them for profit, you may even want to use them to breed the latest fancy yourself!
  • I would not risk a spend of more than .1 on potential mats, they are a gamble as at the time of purchase their desired traits may end up being incorrect, heavily reducing any chance of a resell or profit.
  • These mats can also be highly useful for chasing and breeding the newest fancy yourself, however you should weigh up the chances and risks of making a fancy cats from your new breeding partners before doing so.
  • If a chase reaches a point where you are drained for ETH, or is soon to end, i would personally attempt to sell as many mats as i could before the chase ends, this should be considered invidually for each fancy chase you take part in.

5) With a budget in this range, we have greater options to profit, and unless you have a burning desire, i would not be looking at many cats to purchase and hold... yet.

Between 2.0 and 10.0 ETH to spend

With a starting budget of between 2.0 and 10.0 ETH, we have substantially more ETH to play with for profit, and new avenues for potential profit are opened up to us.

1) We have the spare ETH to breed cats, specifically during fancy chases, new purrstige traits and other breeding related contests. We may also have spare eth to attempt pet projects, such as making a specific cat with x traits for our own amusement and potential profit.

2) As for all budgets you have to invest a lot of time into researching cats and the market, even with more ETH to invest, research is critical.

3) We should take a greater interest into bulk listing and breeding tools, as we are more likely to be working with a larger collection of cats.

4) Invest greater time into the community space on discord, get to know other players, maybe start considering your own 'niche' of potential kittys you want to be known for being invested in, Gen 0s, fancies, gen 1s, fancy mats etc.

The Main markets i would target with a budget between 2.0 and 10.0 ETH are:

• Generation 0 Holding / Breeding:
  • As of this month (Nov 2018), the generation 0 clock ends, causing generation 0 floor prices to be highly volatile, and potentially a last chance saloon to purchase gen 0 breeding pairs to hold for the long term.
  • A low risk strategy long term, buying up Gen 0 breeding pairs and breeding them weekly to make fresh gen 1s with sick mutations can be very profitable.
  • Things to look out for in Gen 0 partners:
    • Fast / Quick breeding Gen 0s are less important for long term breeding partners, but offer a nice early fast gen 1 production bonus
    • Cats with really good matching recessive genes and mutations - see CKBox extension and kittycalc.
    • Partners that have a mix of newer and older traits.
    • I personally aim for at least 6 mutation chances in my Gen 0 pairs, i tend to favour M2 and M3 mutes also.
• Generation 0 Flipping:
  • As of this month (Nov 2018), the generation 0 clock ends, causing generation 0 floor prices to be highly volatile, this opens opportunity to purchase them at a low price and relist for a higher mark up.
  • I'd personally keep an eye on the market for a few days, see if you notice any trends in the gen 0 floor, and then potentially aim to buy a floor Gen 0 and relist for a 20 - 25% markup, rinse and repeat.
  • Things to look out for in Gen 0 cats:
    • Fast / Quick breeding Gen 0s.
    • Cats with really good recessive genes and mutations - see CKBox extension
    • Cats with recently released traits - see CK Discord / Kitty.fyi
    • Cats that have older traits.
• Generation 1 M2/M3 Traits and mutations:
  • Some generation 1 cats are more valuable than others, and with research you can gain an understanding of which traits are held in higher regard by the player base due to rarity and appearance.
  • M2 and M3 traits and their mutations displaying dominant in gen 1s offer rarity to any potential purchase, and often open up great opportunities to purchase and relist at a higher price, if you believe the cat's original price was too low, or you expect demand to increase.
  • Research the current floor prices of these traits, as well as historical sales data.
• Fancy Cats & Mats:
  • Fancy cats are one of the major pillars of gameplay in CK currently, with #1s selling for 20 ETH +, the chases for these cats are highly competitive, and not for the faint-hearted.
  • The term fancy mat relates to cats that have a high potential to make new or existing fancy cats (3/4 matching traits for example), they are desired by all regular players, especially on the launch of a new fancy.
  • During live streams / community events a new fancy recipe is often teased at, if you are quick enough you have potential to make eth buying cat mats before other players and use them to breed the latest fancy yourself!
  • These mats can also be highly useful for chasing and breeding the newest fancy yourself, however you should weigh up the chances and risks of making a fancy cats from your new breeding partners before doing so.
  • If a chase reaches a point where you are drained for ETH, or is soon to end, i would personally attempt to sell as many mats as i could before the chase ends, this should be considered invidually for each fancy chase you take part in.

5) With a budget in this range, we now have the potential to start our own kitty production line, be it fancies, gen 1s etc. I would also look at starting to hold certain cats for weekly breeding, or long term potential gains in value.

Over 10.0 ETH to spend

With a starting budget of over 10.0 ETH, we have a lot of ETH to play with for profit, and all avenues for potential profit are opened up to us.

1) We have the spare ETH to breed cats, specifically during fancy chases, new purrstige traits and other breeding related contests. We also have spare eth to attempt pet projects, such as making a specific cat with x traits for our own amusement and potential profit.

2) With a greater financial investment it is paramount to invest a lot of time into researching cats and the market, with loads of ETH to invest, research is critical.

3) We should focus on understanding and making use of bulk listing and breeding tools, as we are likely to be working with a larger collection of cats.

4) Invest YOUR LIFE into the community space on discord, get to know other players, strike deals, barter, ask around for price advice on big purchases and much more.

The Main markets i would target with a budget over 10.0 ETH are:

• Generation 0 Holding / Breeding:
  • As of this month (Nov 2018), the generation 0 clock ends, causing generation 0 floor prices to be highly volatile, and potentially a last chance saloon to purchase gen 0 breeding pairs to hold for the long term.
  • A low risk strategy long term, buying up Gen 0 breeding pairs and breeding them weekly to make fresh gen 1s with sick mutations can be very profitable.
  • Things to look out for in Gen 0 partners:
    • Fast / Quick breeding Gen 0s are less important for long term breeding partners, but offer a nice early fast gen 1 production bonus
    • Cats with really good matching recessive genes and mutations - see CKBox extension and kittycalc.
    • Partners that have a mix of newer and older traits.
    • We have the eth to splash out on more expensive Gen 0s, i would look to try and cover as many traits as possible that i could potentially make in Gen 1s.
    • I personally aim for at least 6 mutation chances in my Gen 0 pairs, i tend to favour M2 and M3 mutes also.
• Generation 1 M2/M3 Traits and mutations:
  • Some generation 1 cats are more valuable than others, and with research you can gain an understanding of which traits are held in higher regard by the player base due to rarity and appearance.
  • M2 and M3 traits and their mutations displaying dominant in gen 1s offer rarity to any potential purchase, and often open up great opportunities to purchase and relist at a higher price, if you believe the cat's original price was too low, or you expect demand to increase.
  • Research the current floor prices of these traits, as well as historical sales data.
• Fancy Cats & Mats:
  • Fancy cats are one of the major pillars of gameplay in CK currently, with #1s selling for 20 ETH +, the chases for these cats are highly competitive, and not for the faint-hearted.
  • The term fancy mat relates to cats that have a high potential to make new or existing fancy cats (3/4 matching traits for example), they are desired by all regular players, especially on the launch of a new fancy.
  • During live streams / community events a new fancy recipe is often teased at, if you are quick enough you have potential to make eth buying cat mats before other players and use them to breed the latest fancy yourself!
  • These mats can also be highly useful for chasing and breeding the newest fancy yourself, however you should weigh up the chances and risks of making a fancy cats from your new breeding partners before doing so.
  • If a chase reaches a point where you are drained for ETH, or is soon to end, i would personally attempt to sell as many mats as i could before the chase ends, this should be considered invidually for each fancy chase you take part in.
• HODLS:
  • With a more substantial budget, there could be huge potential gains in the future for purchasing highly collectible individual / groups of cats. These include:
    • #1-#100 Founder cats, this is a massive investment, but these cats hold other traits that no other gen 0 cat has, as well as their own unique badges.
    • Fancy set, these have skyrocketed in price in recent months, but a full set should hold huge potential value for resell in the future.
    • Low number fancies, #1-#10 fancy cats have been bought and sold for substantial amounts of ETH in recent months, and look like a desireable option later down the line.
    • Diamonds, Gildeds and Lapis gems, (not to be confused with family jewels) these larger gems displayed on a kitties' page represent individual traits, and how early they were discovered, after a trait has been discovered 500x, it no longer displays a gem on it's page. The earlier you are the more expensive, yet higher potential gains you could see in the future.
    • Fast Gen 0s, since CK launched there have been a number of players keeping their Gen 0's 'Virgin' as they expect the value of these gen 0s compared to ones that have been bred to be quite substantial.

5) With a budget in this range, we have the potential to start our own kitty production line, be it fancies, gen 1s etc. We also have many options for longer term hold cats.

Closing Statement

I really hope the CryptoKitties community, new players and old, may find this article useful. It by no means guarantees you profit in the game, however I hope it can be seen as a useful resource based on my knowledge of the markets. - Pranked