Impact of Season 2 Updates - Market Analysis

From 12/08 – 12/13, the Axie team announced class nerfs and buffs and updated mechanics that will dictate the new strategies for Season 2. One class was announced each day, starting with Plant (12/08) and ending with Beast (12/13). Players took this information and immediately started adjusting their teams - buying and selling in the marketplace and breeding.

Here is how the market reacted to each of the class updates. Aqua had the greatest total amount of sales (2,561) on the day its updates were announced (12/10) and that sales volume was 223% greater than its prior day’s sales (12/09).

Bug’s had the highest average sale price ($14.40) on its announcement day (12/12), which was a 125% increase than the day prior to announcement (12/11). Aqua had the lowest average sales price on announcement day ($5.70 on 12/10) and reptile was the second highest sales price ($11.27 on 12/09)

Let’s break down each class a bit further – starting with Plants (update released on 12/08)

Plant

Plant was the only class that saw a decline in sales volume on the day that its updates were announced – seems likely that gamers wanted to understand the other classes updates and how they related to plants before making moves. The average price of plants increased to $6.86 on 12/08 (from $3.39 on the prior day), although the price ultimately normalized back to the ~$3.50 range by 3/17.

The cards that were included in builds that experienced the biggest increases over the 10-day period (12/07 -12/17) were Leafy (ears) Potato Leaf (Tail) and Herbivore (Mouth).

Reptile - Updated on 12/09

The Reptile class saw a big jump in volume and price on the day its updates were released (12/09). The price ultimately reverted back to its pre-update level of ~$6.50, which is still a premium compared to the other classes (except bug).

Gecko (eyes) Scaly Spear (horn) and Grass Snake (tail) were the cards that increased in value the most from the update, while Razor Bite (Mouth), Scar (eyes) and Swirl (ears) fell out of favor

Aquatic

The Aquatic class saw the greatest volume of sales on its update release day (12/10), and its price did not fluctuate much. The average price of aquatics are now below its pre-update price ($3.83  as of 12/17 vs. $4.02 on 12/07).

The biggest gainers were Chubby (eyes), Sponge (back), and Catfish (mouth). And the biggest losers were Tadpole (tail), Seaslug (ears), and Goldfish (Back)

Bird

Bird saw a 151% increase in its trading volume on its update day (12/11) vs the prior day and a 48% increase in price. But since its update, players have softened on its potential, with the average price sinking to $4.94 by 12/17 (from $5.81 before the updates on 12/07)

The parts on the builds with the biggest gainers were Feather Spear (horn), Robin (eyes), and Peace Maker (mouth). The cards on builds with the biggest declines were Little Owl (eyes), Curly (ears), and Hungry Bird (mouth).

Bug

Bug is a crowd favorite, but lower volume class. Bug on average has seen price appreciation since its update (12/12). It is the class that also has the highest average daily price from 12/07 – 12/17.

Biggest gainers and losers

Beast

Beast is another class whose price was softened by the updates

Biggest gainers and loser cards