The past 12 months have been a year of evolution for Zed Run.
The landscape of Novus Earth has changed in many ways.
We’ve moved on from a racing environment that was filled with vultures who feasted on new players before they had an opportunity to understand and enjoy the game.
In place of the downclassing and manipulation we’ve given rise to a fairer system that rewards racing to win.
A competitive system that offers the opportunity of success to a larger number of stables.
We also left behind two unsustainable breeding algorithms.
Even though both brought different positives and elements of fun to the game neither in my opinion was viable long term.
The first created an ever-growing number of uncompetitive donkeys with the occasional unbeatable monster sprinkled in at random.
The second brought with it power creep.
That would have eventually rendered even the best Nakamoto Genesis insignificant as a breeder when compared to the BA layered Z268’s that would have been created.
Like it or not the breeding algorithms of the past are gone forever and as we move forward with this new sustainable and more balanced system we are left with a hangover from our previous broken systems.
Those overly dominant freak horses with their off the chart traits.
The solution to these freak 1.0 and Genesis horses is of course aging and, in my opinion, the faster they exit the racing scene the better for the growth of the game and success of the platform.
They’ve had their time to dominate the track and that time couldn’t last forever.
To me it’s obvious that 3.0 horses are the future racing stars of Zed Run but if that is true then what is the fate of the 1.0 and Genesis assets I mentioned?
Have they lost all of their value, or has it been transferred from the track to the breeding barn?
In my opinion, yes, that transfer of value is underway.
As these horses feature less on the track we open up a more competitive 3.0 racing environment, a racing scene that more people will want to breed in to.
In turn, the traits that made those monster horses racing champions will be the traits most in demand in the stud barn.
Coveted DNA we can use to breed the next generation of champions.
After all an RSB cover is worth more when the foal doesn’t have to race RSB on the track every day!
These monster horses have variance and distance preference that no 3.0 parent will ever have and though they can’t recreate themselves in the extreme they can create a 3.0 version of themselves and that will still be a superior breed in the 3.0 environment.
In addition, those new foals will have a limited racing career too, further increasing the value of the parents that can create them.
When talking about using Genesis horses as breeding stock in this new system there is another advantage that I don’t think gets the full praise it deserves.
Your Genesis horse is like a key to the gates of C1, especially if you have a Nakamoto or even a Szabo.
When breeding in this new meta, if your foal isn’t a Legendary horse your chances of landing in C1 are minimal and if you believe that eventually C1 will have the highest rewards and incentives and you want a piece of the action then breeding Genesis on Genesis will be a must.
So where does that leave the bred 1.0 beasts in comparison to a great or even a half decent Genesis horse?
As bred horses don’t have the eternal breeding ability of a Genesis and find it much more difficult to breed in to C1 their value is clearly capped in comparison.
That may sting a bit to read if you own a bred 1.0 monster and if that’s the case, I hope you’ve already made back any money you invested in your horse, but that is the reality of the situation going forward.
To be frank the Genesis horses are the cornerstone and building blocks of this game and so in my opinion a good quality one should always be of higher value in a functioning eco system than a bred horse.
Don’t despair though, your 1.0 beast still retains great value as breeding stock, it just has to be used more carefully.
Perhaps in some cases it’s covers may even fetch a higher price than many Genesis horses if it has extreme traits.
That is until it hits level one decay and beyond.
So use your 1.0 breeds wisely and create some 3.0 monsters and bloodlines that mean something.
Perhaps even consider saving breeds for a large Maiden tournament or for when the perfect mare or stallion becomes available.
Anyhow, as I said, the landscape of Novus Earth is changing.
Value is returning to Genesis, though perhaps not in the way some people anticipated.
However, when you really think about it, maybe this is the most logical way forward in a breed to race game?
See you on the track guys. (Or in the breeding barn!)