Ranking and Roasting the DeGods Derivatives
We Made It!
It’s truly been a crazy ride as a member of the DeGods community watching the project go from a 4 SOL floor with a few sales per day to the behemoth #1 marketcap on Solana. Shaq bought in, followed by Urkann and Galaxy Nose combining to purchase $1m worth of the floor in a single day to break volume records on Solana. We saw the highest sale ever for a DeGod at 1233 SOL, and as of writing this DeDAO has a warchest above 16,000 SOL.
There’s been a lot of growth since then to say the least, and the HMFIC has been pestering me for a month to produce an update.
Finally got around to it, and this is an absolute beast.
That’s truly an amazing blueprint of how The Ascent of DeGods happened. Everything was earned, nothing was given, and these are the receipts for the Proof of Work.
The floor price is up, volume is skyrocketing, and we now have the ultimate sign of a top level bluechip.
A parade of derivatives.
It would be bad enough if they were just out there, but they tend to attack the comments section of any DeGods Twitter post (especially Frank) trying to grab whatever form of attention they can get (good or bad).
I make it very clear in this section that I take ethics and integrity seriously and that punching down on projects is unacceptable except under specific circumstances.
Well, this is one of those times.
Besides, the material is just too good! And if a project is going to do a parody of DeGods, it’s fair play to do a parody of the parody.
Read the Warnings Below
I’m still not exactly sure what the point of a derivative is in the first place. To trick people into thinking it’s a DeGods project? A fun goof that costs a few bucks and will stare at you from your wallet forever? The idea that it might actually increase in value over time?
In any case, to make this as clear as possible:
- None of these projects are associated with DeGods. For all I know there are active lawsuits against them right now for copyright infringement.
- I am not a part of the core team for DeGods and they were not involved or consulted in the creation of this post.
- Nothing I write here is an endorsement or acknowledgement of any of these projects on behalf of myself or the DeGods team/community.
- Nothing here should be interpreted as legitimizing these projects. They are not legitimate.
- Do not buy these projects or any derivative for that matter. There are countless other options run by teams busting their ass towards innovative concepts that provide a legitimate investment opportunity.
Aside from the above:
- The idea of these carrying value over the long run is miniscule.
- Any NFT you buy for an investment assumes there will be a buyer later on willing to purchase it from you. If you’re dumb enough to buy one of these, you’ll then be in a position where you have to find someone even dumber than you to sell it to.
- Using one of these as a PFP is a net negative for any clout or respect you’d want to get from the overall NFT community as you build your reputation and opportunities.
- Some of these not only have a derivative tag on Magic Eden, but also a yellow flag to indicate even more risk/lack of project integrity.
The range of floor prices for these cost the same amount of money as a:
- Scratch-off lottery ticket
- Slurpee
- Candy bar
- Guacamole upgrade on your Chipotle burrito
- The cost of the burrito itself
- Nintendo Switch game
- Month subscription to Spotify
You get the idea. I know we’re playing with Magic Internet Money here, but there’s still a USD cost to each NFT you buy, and you’re better off keeping that in your pocket for something in real life.
I’ll also add that if you’re going to go through the hard work of creating a NFT project and want to benefit from the clout of DeGods, it would be much smarter to incorporate $DUST into your mint or overall ecosystem.
Seriously, some of these projects actually show hard work and dedication put into the project. Why not release something original and get the DeGods community behind you rather than ignoring you at best/taking shots at you at worst?
Bread Heads and the Power of $DUST
I’m going to give myself some street cred here by pointing out that I’ve been a Bread Heads fan from the start and love what they’re doing.
Sadly, the project was having a lot of difficulty getting traction on Solana, with their mint stalling for a long time and unable to sell out.
Then, they decided to be the first project to accept $DUST for their mint. To my knowledge this was not coordinated at all with the DeGods team. But this is Web 3, and if a project wants to accept a token for their project, it can be done without permission.
The results were phenomenal.
Not only that, but the timing was hilarious. The Bread Heads pivot to a $DUST mint happened at the exact same time as Frank’s big announcement of DustLabs.
Poor Frank was radio silent busting his ass on this for weeks, and after the big reveal all he got from DeDAO was a bunch of bread flying around.
This was a legendary day in the history of DeGods: When Bread Conquered The Big Reveal. But beyond that, it shows the power of working with a strong community instead of copying their aesthetics for a quick buck to make a derivative.
I hate punching down on any project and there’s a lot of talent involved with what I’ll be roasting below. They’re just not working with material that’s worthy of what they’re able to accomplish.
This is all in good fun and I hope it can be taken that way. Nothing but respect for the work being put in anywhere here on Solana.
But I’m still going to roast what you’ve decided to create with that work.
Now let’s have some fun!
DeGens
DeGens is easily the bluechip of DeGods derivates on Solana (if you want to call it that). They’re the only project here with a floor around 0.50 SOL. Definitely impressive they were able to pull that off somehow, but the flip side to that is the higher cost to own one of these things.
If you want to buy a dumb derivative for 0.01 SOL, then whatever. But we’re talking about a $50 spend here! Let’s take a quick look on Vat19.com to see what you can get for that price:
This magnetic liquid toy thing:
A LifeStraw! Removes nearly all bacteria and parasites from water.
(Please read their warnings for this one before you go scooping up your septic tank. I have no idea how safe this is and won’t be held responsible if you’re blasting liquid poop for a week straight)
Whatever the fuck this thing is:
Point I’m trying to make here is that you can buy A LOT of cool stuff for $50 rather than spending it on this JPEG.
Props where due, DeGens earned their status as the premiere DeGods derivative through being active on Twitter and creating a detailed parody of everything DeGods from the website art to staking and raffles.
They are, in essence, the Weird Al music video of DeGods. And removed from what I’m supposed to say as a DeGods community member, I respect that level of effort.
Despite being derivatives, DeGens managed to create enough clout for holders to use them as PFPs, and they tend to swarm Frank/the official DeGods Twitter account comment sections like gnats.
Tell you what guys — I appreciate the attention to detail you’re putting in here! Would love if you could focus on making some some fire memes instead of being pests in the comments section so I can continue to be impressed by the attention to detail you’re putting in for this as a parody.
That said, for the same price as your floor I can buy a Desktop Punching Bag, Cup Noodles Socks AND a Reversible Boba Tea Plush.
Derivative Scale Rating for DeGens: 10/10. But that’s only because I need to set a bar somewhere, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Highest Asking Price:
Distorted Gods
Someone just took a bunch of DeGods JPEGs and ran them through a Photoshop filter. I don’t even know how/why they picked the one that defines their “vision” as a project.
The volume here is a lifetime total of 5.81 SOL, they’ve had three sales in the last 30 days and their Twitter account no longer exists.
Which makes this seller my hero. He’s gonna ask top dollar no matter what.
Derivative Scale Rating for Distorted Gods: 2/10
Faceless DeGods
They’re DeGods. Except without faces. They minted either today or yesterday, so these guys are the new derivative looking to take their share of the couch change up for grabs in this new “ecosystem”.
Here’s a typical Faceless DeGod:
By the way guys, maybe you shouldn’t straight up put “DeGods” on the glasses? At least do a pass to make sure you’re not committing outright copyright infringement of the brand so you can stay within the legal bounds of parody.
(Now that Frank is typing . . . an email to his lawyers, I’ll get back to the analysis.)
You’ve got some in the collection like the one above, and then others where the hairline is gone. No shape or borders to the head on these.
Following up the outright copyright infringement above, they also retweeted the Solspot $DUST mint announcement right under their Magic Eden listing. Ballsy slight of hand trying to imply they’re an officially endorsed project.
The only accounts I see so far Tweeting out their endorsements either have a Faceless DeGod as their PFP, or a generic gray one.
To their credit, not a complete cash grab as the mint price was 0.02 SOL.
On the other hand, that’s close to the price for a bag of edible crickets. Three flavors! Salt and Vinegar, Bacon and Cheese, Sour Cream and Onion.
Derivative Scale Rating for Faceless DeGods: 3/10 because I appreciate the cheap mint cost. I’ll pump it up to a 4/10 if they’re able to hang on for a week with the copyright infringement sunglasses.
Highest Asking Price, none other than The Lawyer Magnet himself:
DegenGodesses
As the name implies, these are female versions of DeGods. Unlike Faceless Gods and Distorted Gods, the art was made from scratch and not just a straight up Photoshop job of the original. They also more or less have original traits, though many are slight variations on the ones from DeGods.
I guess you can say they inadvertently pulled a Lisa Lionheart with these, putting some of the Goddesses into outfits that present a much-needed female presence in male industries.
On the other hand . . . shotguns for some reason?
There’s this throwback to the wrestling gear The Rock wore in his debut as Rocky Maivia:
And a DUST necklace to round it all out.
To their credit, the Goddesses set up a staking system for a native token, and they’ve had 50% of the collection put into it.
With a decent amount of work put in compared to the competition, they’re towards the top of the DeGods Derivative Ladder. Granted, that bar is easy to clear. They’re only the second project on this list so far that created their own art instead of straight up jacking DeGods art and applying some Photoshop tricks for five minutes.
A native token with staking live shows a little extra effort too. No idea what it can be used for but hey, at least the devs did something!
Derivative Scale Rating for DegenGodesses: 9/10
Alternative Purchase for Current Floor Price: Screaming Goat Figurine and Book
Highest Asking Price:
Solana Gods
What in the actual fuck is this?
It legitimately looks like a four year old got ahold of a DeGod and just went crazy with a Sharpie.
Total Volume 1.86 SOL, no active Twitter account, last sale one month ago.
That said . . .
Derivative Scale Rating for Solana Gods: 10/10
Gotta keep it real. I love these.
Why? Art is supposed to provoke emotions in you, and Solana Gods does that like no piece of art I’ve ever experienced.
I don’t know what’s going on here. I don’t understand the artist’s intent. I don’t know what I’m feeling when I’m looking at these.
I’m conflicted because I’m supposed to hate it as a DeGods holder, but it stirs up so many indescribable emotions in me.
True artistic genius.
Highest Asking Price:
DeOLDS
We need some music here to fully capture the mood, so please hit play before you scroll down.
Man is this one fucking depressing.
There is no respite, there is no escape. Each DeOLDS has the same facial expression. These have the ability to plunge you into a major depressive episode that may last for years on end with no hope in sight.
Derivative Scale Rating for DeOLDS: 4/10 for putting in the effort to create original art and an active Twitter account.
0/10 on a personal scale because I now need to call my psychiatrist in the morning and up the dose on my antidepressant.
Highest Asking Price:
Sweet Jesus, the depressed wrinkly green face with the Medusa Head, radioactive suit and hell background.
The stuff of nightmares.
Gonna be immobile and curled up in the fetal position for the rest of the night.
DeHounds
Yup, these are DeGods pictured as dogs. Just like DeOLDS, the facial expression is the same for each image.
I feel like there was some wasted potential here — at the very least they could have done different skins/breed types. These two show what they missed out on with stripey skin and Doberman traits.
Derivative Scale Rating for DeHounds: 2.5/10 for nailing a plank into the head of many very good boys and girls.
Granted, still the same facial expression as always so he doesn’t seem to mind.
Highest Asking Price:
Baby DeGods
This project is probably #2 below DeGens in terms of having an active, passionate community. Just like DeGens, they have no shame using these as their PFP. They are actively going through a derug process, and put together some promotional content.
You’ve probably seen them swarming around like bees in the DeGods Twitter threads with their slogan of “Pay your child support!” Creative! But still annoying.
When it comes to art they have the same repetitive facial expressions as DeOLDS, but make up for it with traits that show some effort put in to copy the original ones.
Derivative Scale Rating for Baby DeGods: Honestly the effort and community would have given this a solid 9/10.
Problem is, they really crossed the line.
When DeGods was trying to get our footing, scratching and fighting and clawing to stay relevant, we had an anthem to keep us going.
A beautiful melody.
A rallying cry.
It will go down in the lore of DeGods for centuries to come, forever preserved in the digital coding of the digital realm.
And then Baby DeGods had to go and do this.
Parody is all in good fun, but you don’t defile sacred ground.
Final Rating: 0/10
Highest asking price:
DeGod Apes
These don’t look like apes. They look like a mix between the grumpy blue Care Bear and the Gumdrop player piece from Candyland.
Derivative Scale Rating for DeGod Apes: 5/10
Highest Asking Price:
(Finally! A project batting within their league. Well done sirs.)
Double Derivatives
Of course any series of derivatives will inevitably create a combination of dual projects to mix together. Let’s see who we’ve been honored with for these partnerships!
DeCets
It had to happen.
The community partnership of DeGods and Cets on Creck has spawned many memes of the bromance between Frank and Peblo, making this the most fitting double derivative out there.
DeGods and Cets on Creck may go together like peanut butter and chocolate, but the art combined goes together like toothpaste and orange juice.
I applaud any derivative artist who puts in the work to actually make some original traits, but this is an impossible task. The street-grime, gutterpunk vibe of Cets on Creck combined with DeGods traits is the aesthetic equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.
Great partnership of communities, awful results when you put the art together.
Derivative Scale Rating for DeCets: 3/10
Bored Gods Club
Honestly? Not a bad concept! I could see something like this being a straight fire spray-paint mural at an NFT convention when done right as a collaboration between the real project artists.
The artist put in some work and they have an active Twitter account. But that just makes it more of a pending rug when enough people buy in. Do yourself a favor and don’t stock up. Save your funds for a better investment like the upcoming first experiment for Dust Labs that’s geared towards a low level of entry with 1000 SOL in prizes provided.
Derivative Scale Rating for Bored Gods Club: 7/10
Highest Asking Price:
DoodleGods
Derivative Scale Rating for DoodleGods: 3.5/10
Highest Asking Price:
DeGodZUKI
Of course we gotta incorporate the current “Anime Meta” into the derivatives!
Honestly I don’t see any DeGods traits in here. It’s confusing. The facial expressions of these PFPs express the emotion of nihilistic confusion and numbness from not knowing why you exist, much less your purpose in life.
Yeah man, we all feel that way sometimes. I think you’d benefit from therapy to work through these feelings and discover who you really are on the inside.
You’re good enough and you are loved. And you look like you could really use a hug.
I see nothing borrowed from DeGods and applaud the artist of Bored Samurai Ennui Club for putting in some solid work.
Derivative Scale Rating for DeGodZUKI: 8.5/10.
Highest Asking Price:
Parody, Not Punching Down
Let’s end on a positive note.
I had a lot of fun making this, but at the same time I value empathy and kindness. I legit felt bad roasting some of the people on these projects who are doing a good job despite the material they’re working with. They show some chops when it comes to art and the mechanics of social media, staking and community building.
I hate taking shots (lighthearted as they might be) at people in this space grinding to create something of value. There’s talent here that would be far better served creating art and a community based on their own project that could really take off.
If you’re reading this and you’re involved with one of these projects, please know that I did this out of fun. I see your talent and what you have to offer, and hope you’ll take this experience as a first step towards launching your next project. Your talent deserves a vision and roadmap worthy of what you’re able to accomplish.
$DUST Over Derivatives
I always say that being a part of a bluechip community comes with a responsibility to build up quality projects and bring them the attention they deserve.
To that end: the $DUST ecosystem just getting its footing is a fantastic opportunity to use the notoriety of DeGods in a positive way for your project. Especially at these early stages, Bread Heads got massive attention and support from our community by accepting $DUST for mints.
DeGods is not the end all, be all of Solana NFTs, and you don’t need our help to make it here. I’m just saying that we are available to help in a way that provides partnership with the DeGods community vs. being a straight copy of our brand looking to squeeze out a few sales in a short window.
Much respect to everyone in these projects who are truly putting in some solid work. It’s just the wrong material to make something excellent that leaves a lasting impression.
But I see you and your ability to do it. Please stick around and gain knowledge from your experience. I’m psyched to see what you can do next with a blank canvas of your own ideas that will earn the support of the Solana ecosystem.
