Tokens

The memecoin era taught us one lesson: tokens launched too early become casino chips. Every project rushing to "launch token" before building community, before demonstrating value, before anyone even knows what the project does. Then they wonder why price dumps, why community disappears, why only mercenary capital remains.

Opals reverses this. Cards first. Distribution second. Token third. By the time the token launches, you already know who your supporters are, what they contributed, and how committed they'll be long-term. The token isn't the start of the journeyvit's the reward for completing it.

Why Tokens Come Last

Traditional launches put tokens first. Airdrop to KOLs. Hope they stick around and tweet about the project. Watch them dump on day one. The incentive structure punishes patience, community building and rewards extraction.

Opals puts tokens last in the sequence: Create Cards -> Distribute Cards -> Launch Token -> Claim with Vesting. By launch day, everyone who holds Presale Cards, Membership Cards, or Contributor Cards has already proven themselves. They joined early. They built value. They committed capital. They know what they earnt, when they earnt it and how much they earnt. The token becomes the culmination of that commitment, not the beginning of speculation at TGE.

This creates natural filtering. Bots can't farm Membership Cards without participating in the community. KOLs can't earn Contributor Cards without doing actual work. By the time token claims open, the holder base is already aligned with the project's long-term success.

Distribution Through Cards

Tokens are initially distributed to three card types: Presale Cards purchased during fundraising, Membership Cards claimed by early community, and Contributor Cards earned through building value. Each card represents a specific token allocation that vests over time.

When you hold a Presale Card, you're entitled to claim tokens according to the vesting schedule. Claim early when only 25% has vested, and you forfeit the remaining 75% to other holders who wait. Claim at full vesting, and you receive your complete allocation plus bonuses from those who claimed early.

This diamond hand vesting mechanism creates economic incentives for long-term holding. The weak hands subsidize the strong hands. Patience becomes profitable. Conviction compounds.

Productive Assets, Not Speculation

Tokens aren't meant for speculation. They're meant for productivity. Stake them in Vault Cards to earn rewards. Provide liquidity on OpalSwap to earn trading fees. Hold them to participate in governance. The token has utility beyond price appreciation.

Once launched, tokens trade on OpalSwap with 1% fees flowing back to holders of POL. This creates a feedback loop: more trading generates more fees, for those on the sidelines, they need to lock LP to earn share of rewards, the cost of being late is higher than the cost of being early.

Tokens are the final piece of the Opals mechanism. Not the beginning, not the end, the culmination.