A Crypto Degen’s Guide
A full resource guide for Altcoin research and analysis, on-chain trading, bridging, yield farming, portfolio tracking and more.
If you have been in crypto for some time, you have certainly come to the realization that the true alpha occurs on chain. Once a token makes it to a Centralized Exchange (CEX), it has likely had the majority of its upward move, and your risk/reward ratio is already significantly diminished. To find the Altcoin gems before the masses, you need to have a very solid understanding of the resources available, how to use them, and how to gain a significant leg up on the retail competition.
A true crypto degen understands the underlying tech and resources, and therefore how to spot and take advantage of opportunities long before retail are even aware of them.
This is a guide designed to pass on all the research, resources and degen alpha I have accrued over the years and to ensure you are well equipped to win the PvP crypto game. Don’t be the exit liquidity.
Wallets and Portfolio Tracking
As your gateway to crypto, the wallets and portfolio trackers are your most important tool. Safety mechanisms, compatibility, UX/UI and simplicity are all important in varying degrees depending on your level of experience.
Rabby Wallet (download)
- Top compatibility, desktop only. (EVM only)
- Best hot wallet safety mechanisms
- Clear and easy UI/UX
- Fairly good portfolio tracking, no NFTs
- Free integrated SWAPS
- No integrated bridges
- Airdrop Point Eligibility
Zerion (download)
- Solid Compatibility (EVM Only)
- Mobile AND Desktop
- Best portfolio tracker and wallet watcher, incl NFTs
- Excellent 9/10 Mobile UI, 6/10 Desktop UI
- Integrated SWAPS and Bridging, free with NFT, low cost without
- Airdrop Eligibility likely
OKX Wallet (download)
- Solid compatibility, All chains incl Ordinals & BRC20s
- Mobile AND Desktop
- Moderate portfolio tracker
- Moderate UI, a tad complex
- Mobile UI 8/10, Desktop UI 6/10
- Integrated SWAPS, Bridging & DeFi
- NFTs and Ordinals
Coinbase Mobile Wallet:
- Top level compatibility and features, all EVM chains, BTC, SOL, and more.
- Integrations with Coinbase and DeFi protocols for ease of use and on/off ramps.
- Smart Wallet features being released will make this the simplest wallet on the planet, with the most number of features.
- Mobile UI/UX is 8/10, no desktop yet.
- Integrated SWAPS and Bridging
- Portfolio Tracking (incl NFTs)
Portfolio & Token Trackers Only:
- CoinMarketCap & CoinGecko
Bridges:
There are a myriad of excellent bridging options depending on what type of on chain trading activity you prefer. Below are the top choices for speed, cost, reliability and chain options.
SquidRouter
- Fastest EVM and Cosmos bridge
- Simple and easy UI
- Very Low Cost (careful to check the fees, as once in a while they spike for certain chains)
- Great for small and mid sized transfers
- Cross chain SWAPS
RocketXExchange
- All chains, crawls DEXs and CEXs
- Low cost, even lower if you have $RVF tokens.
- Cross chain SWAPS to 50+ chains, low cost, no contract interactions
- 20% fee reduction with ref code
- Simple UI, medium speeds
Zerion.io — Integrated Bridge
- Super easy to use bridge aggregator, EVM only
- Great UI, particularly on Mobile
- Moderate-to-high fees at 0.8%, Free with Premium NFT/Subscription
- Speeds vary depending on chains and amounts
- Provides bridge options with costs, timing, etc
Relay Bridge
- Simple cheap bridge that uses send transactions
- Best bet for ETH as there are no contract interactions, therefore cheaper tx fees.
- Limited chains, would keep transfers on the smaller side
- Simple UI, low features, low options
Stargate Finance:
- Reasonable fees with EVM chains only
- Lots of token/coin options
- New faster option
- Not great for smaller ETH transfers as the contract interactions are expensive
- Potential LayerZero airdrop eligibility
DEX’s and DEX Aggregators
CEX’s should be used strictly as on/off ramps, and for smaller trading bags. The best means to SWAP on chain are the following DEXs:
- Uniswap: Largest and most reliable DEX on the markets.
- 1Inch Exchange: Best exchange aggregator that crawls multiple exchanges and executes the trades for better rates. Also has Fusion feature which reduces gas costs and slippage.
- ParaSwap: Solid exchange aggregator with OTC and RFQ features for large trades. Lots of integrations with wallets and UIs
- RocketXExchange: Exchange aggregator that crawls both CEX’s and DEX’s, allows for cross-chain swaps, and does not require contract interactions.
- Jupiter Exchange: Solana based DEX aggregator that is growing quickly and adding chains and integrations.
Decentralized Perpetuals Exchanges:
- GMX: Largest and most liquid Perpetuals exchange. Low number of token options, earn/yield features, up to 100X leverage, easy to use UI/UX, ARB/AVAX based.
- Gains Network: 2nd largest perp DEX, very similar to GMX above but with way more token options, up to 150X leverage, mediocre UI/UX, ARB/POLYGON based.
- AARK Digital: New perpetuals DEX with the best-in-class UI/UX, up to 1000X leverage (yikes!), solid revenue share mechanism, good liquidity, and plenty of token options.
Research Tools:
These tools will give you a leg up by allowing you to spot new tokens and trends before they become mainstream.
DefiLama
Great free tool to analyze total value locked (TVL), on-chain activity, revenues, top dApps, active user metrics, and A LOT more. Must have to review Altcoins.
Dapp Radar
Best tool for in-depth analysis of specific chains and dApps/protocols. Excellent for finding up-and-coming gems before the masses, as it provides detailed user and gas fee usage metrics. UI needs a lot of work. Has a free version, but PRO version requires 15,000 staked ($100).
Token Unlocks
Simple free site that shows you all major upcoming token unlocks. can be a solid tool to find dips for buying.
CryptoFees.Info
Simple website that gives you a great overview of fee generation on L1 and L2 chains, dApps, etc. Also gives you great visuals on capital flows between chains, volume of transactions, and lots more. Excellent bird’s eye view of the market activity
Dextools:
Great small cap token tracker with a large suite of feature add-ons if you are looking to get seriously degen. I use the free version for better small cap charts and buy/sell activity overview.
Honourable Mentions:
- Nexus Terminal: Best on-chain portfolio and NFT tracker, as it picks up tokens many other trackers miss (incl Ordinals). Have found several forgotten coins and stakes worth a fair penny. Currently in Beta, but going live soon with free and premium versions.
- ICO Drops: Great tool for reviewing past ICO/IDO sale details incl dates, prices, FDVs, and vesting terms. Helpful in determining support levels and buy/sell targets.
- Trading View: Best charting tools if that is your cup of tea.
- Messari: Excellent in-depth analysis of larger cap projects and crypto market trends. Free version is very limited, but mid level version is quite useful.
- Etherscan: Indispensable tool to outperform newbies when interacting on chain. Not many know that you can interact with any dApp on chain directly via Etherscan, and it is less complicated than most think. You can use this to your advantage to mint before a page goes live, claim old tokens from abandoned protocols, by-pass website overload and DDOS attacks, and lots more.
On-Chain Interactions:
I have a library of articles dedicated to crypto education. If you are new, or looking to beef up your on-chain knowledge, I highly recommend taking a look.
A couple highlights below that are must-reads for new on-chain degens. Will give you proper leg up on the competition
Conclusion:
At the risk of sounding like a broken record; the best skill you can have in crypto (apart from controlling your emotions) is the ability to zoom out. The vast majority of the crypto herd panic at every 5% drop, and FOMO in at every 5% pump. To win the crypto PvP game and make life-changing gains, you absolutely must become a contrarian investor who is able to bet against the herd, particularly when it is the most difficult to do so.
We are now roughly 5 months into a painful consolidation phase that is shaking out the few remaining weak hands. In the very near future, there will be a green candle that sets us free from this interminable chop and sends us to Valhalla. The signs are all there for those with the ability to see past their emotions … imminent rate cuts, QE, economic election window dressing, ETH ETF approvals, spreading MicroStrategy corporate Bitcoin strategy, political policy shifts, ATH stablecoin balances, and lots more.
Stay strong ladies, the bull run has barely started.
Good luck out there, and see you on the next one!
Sovereign Crypto (aka RickyBobby)
I release regular altcoin and crypto updates, subscribe for more info and to keep up to date!
Social Media:
- Twitter (X) https://twitter.com/fourthesauri
- Phaver App: https://phaver.app.link/fourthesauri
Referral Bonuses/Codes:
✅Cross Chain Swaps & Bridge: RocketX Exchange
Best rates by far, bridge/swap ANY chain, swap/bridge in a single transaction, CEX & DEX, no KYC. 20% OFF Fees with code
✅Browser Wallet: (Metamask alternative): Rabby Wallet
Excellent security measures, very compatible, all EVM chains, built-in swaps and approvals checker.
✅Top Perpetuals DEX: AARK Digital
Up to 1000X Perps, Solid Selection of Coins, Excellent UI, Cheap Fees
Disclosures:
- I own or am accumulating the above mentioned tokens/investments.
- Not financial advice.
- I rebalance my portfolio occasionally and the above may change from time to time.
