Comprehensive Axie Infinity Scholarship Guide [English]

This is the English Translation of our Axie Infinity Scholarship Guide (Tagalog)

Axie Infinity has been gaining popularity because of its “Play-to-earn” mechanics, wherein you can earn the cryptocurrency SLP that can be exchanged to a local currency such as Pesos or your local currency. This is the primary reason why many entrepreneurs are building “Axie Infinity Scholarships.” In “scholarships,” a manager or a guild buys three (3) Axies to be given to a player (“scholar”) who will play the game. The earnings (the cryptocurrency SLP) will then be divided between the scholar and the manager (or guild) depending on an agreed upon percentage.

This article is for managers and entrepreneurs who want to build their own Axie Infinity Scholarships and also for scholars to know how scholarships and guilds are usually managed.

NOTE: 

1. THIS IS NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE.

2. Scholarships around the world are managed differently. The article only contains basic information or the key requirements when creating a scholarship.

3. The article assumes you have already played Axie Infinity. Therefore, you already have an Axie Infinity account, a MetaMask account, and a Ronin account. If those words are foreign to you, we recommend you start reading the article linked below.

To find out what “Play-to-earn” really means, read this article (English). Also watch the documentary below where players and communities in a rural Filipino town were able to sustain themselves during the pandemic.                 

Find out how to play Axie Infinity in our Beginner’s article: Philippines Axie Infinity Guide in English, also available in Tagalog. 

Why are there Axie Infinity Scholarships?

Straight to the point — One Axie is expensive. Three Axies could break the bank especially for those in emerging countries. As of June 7, 2021, the cheapest Axie cost around $167. There’s no guarantee that the cheap Axie you bought is a good battler in Arena and/or Adventure modes.

Truth is, the three Axies in your team should have synergy with each other. The basic combo is that there’s 1 defender and 2 attackers. You need to win in order to earn the cryptocurrency SLP. If the Axie you bought at $167 can’t even attack (if an attacker) or defend (if a tank), then you just wasted $167.

So this large upfront investment is why many who can’t afford it are looking at Axie Infinity Scholarships built by entrepreneurs.

What is Axie Infinity Scholarship?

In an Axie Scholarship, the manager or guild buys or provides the three Axies that the player (scholar) will use to play the game and earn SLP. This is ideal for players who cannot buy their own teams of 3 Axies. It is also ideal for players who wishes to learn more about Axie first before they make their initial investment. Whether Axie is right for them or not, the Axie Infinity Scholarship can help them with their initial decision.

What the scholar gets when they become part of an Axie Scholarship:

1. 3 Axies lent out to them so they could start playing.
2. The guild or the manager provides education on the ins and outs of Axie.
3. Tips to earn more SLP.
4. Community support.

So the Axie Scholarship manager or guild will assume all the risk to buy the three Axies to be lent out to the player. In this way, the scholar has a peace of mind that no matter what happens to Axie, they did not put out anything in return.

The best part of becoming a scholar is that they are provided with education on how to play the game. Axie onboarding is very complicated right now. So in scholarships, the player is provided education about crypto, how to cash out, etc.

Requirements to Build an Axie Infinity Scholarship

For entrepreneurs, have this ready:

1. Google Chrome
2. MetaMask (download on Google Chrome)
3. Axie Infinity Account
4. Ronin Account (download on  Google Chrome)

Of course you also need Axie to lend out.

Step 1: Create the Axie Infinity Account of the Scholar

1. Create a Ronin Account for the scholar.

Go to Ronin and create a scholar account. You can choose to input a name that’s similar to the account in MetaMask.

2. Go back to https://marketplace.axieinfinity.com (Make sure your main account is logged out. And what’s selected is the MetaMask and Ronin account of the scholar)

• Click “Log In” in the upper right. Then choose “Log In Using Ronin”. Approve then sign in.
• Click “Account Settings” on the menu on the left side, click “Bind your MetaMask account.” (This can be skipped. Even if the scholar binds their own MetaMask, it will ask for approval from Ronin, which is the one you, the manager, controls. Thanks to Spraky for the clarification!)

Note: With the recent updates, there is no need to bind Metamask to the accounts.

3. You have successfully created an Axie Infinity account for your scholar!

4. You can also create an email address and password that the scholar can use. (You can use the email trick (add +1 or +2 and so on to the primary email) so that only one email is needed. But make sure the passwords are different! Note that even if the scholar decides to change the password, the manager, who controls the main Ronin account can easily change it back.)

Note: Email verification is a must for the account to receive their free transactions. Error in transacting may occur when email verification is not done.

Step 2: How to transfer Axie to Scholar’s Account

From the owner account (or manager account), choose the Axie that you will lend out to the scholar:

1. Click “Gift”

2. Input the Ronin Address of the Scholar. Then click “Gift.”

A pop-up will appear to confirm the transaction on Ronin. Click and the Axie will be on its way to the scholar’s account! (The Axie’s level will reset back to 1.)

Repeat the process for the two more Axies to rent out to the Axies.

Note: Gifted Axies will gain SLP after 24 hours after being transferred.

Step: How to transfer the scholarship account to the scholar.

You don’t actually transfer the account, but you just give access to it without exposing your keys.

There are two ways:

1. Save a photo of the QR code found on the dashboard then give it to the scholar. The scholar will scan that QR or download it to upload on the Axie Infinity app on their phone.

This is ideal for scholars who don’t want to play on their desktops (or don’t have computers to play on) like  lolo and lola here. 

2. You can also choose to give the email and password to the player (You can create this on the dashboard then give it to the scholar.) In this way, the scholar can play on the desktop client or they are the ones responsible for their QRs. This is ideal for players who are already familiar with tech and cryptocurrency.

According to ‘Teach’ who has his own Axie Scholarship guild, he gives out the QR code. Ian Enanoria, who also has his own guild, does the same. “Because the scholar usually plays on the smartphone, the QR code is the easiest. What I do is I give them the credentials (email and password) so that they will be the ones to get the QR code,” said Ian, who is also the community manager at Stakin.com.

If I give the email and the password, what if they don’t return the Axies? 

You need not to worry because doing this will not expose the Ronin account of the scholar to the scholar. So in case of an unforeseen situation such as a scholar reneging, the scholar still does not have access or control of the MetaMask and Ronin accounts.

Step 3: How to Monitor and Manage Axie Infinity Scholarships

Different guilds have different ways of managing their scholars and monitor their earnings and activities. Here are some tips:

1. Make the scholar’s Ronin and MetaMask account have the same name. This is useful when you are tallying earnings and will ensure you don’t get confused with the names.This also allows you to easily identify to which scholar did you assign a particular ETH or Ronin address.

2. Use tools like  https://axie-scho-tracker.vercel.app/ to track SLP earnings.  

3. Set the rules on SLP earnings percentage allocation.

Decide from the get go what % of the SLP earnings go to the scholar and what % goes to the manager.

5. Set up a Discord channel to effectively communicate to your scholars.

Popular % Share of SLP Earnings

• 60% of SLP to the scholar and 40% to the manager
• 70% of SLP to the scholar and 30% to the manager
• 60% of SLP to the scholar, 20% to the manager, and 10% to the guild
• 65% of SLP to the scholar, 15% to the manager, 10% to the owner, 5% to the community funds.

To those aspiring to be scholars, do not agree to % shares that are disadvantageous to you. This is because the price of SLP changes every day. Today it might be Php 6. Last December 2020 it was Php 1. Last January of 2021 it was 50 centavos. Always remember that the price of SLP is volatile and think about that carefully before joining any scholarship guilds and agreeing to any % agreements.

So managers and guilds are different? 

Sometimes they are different persons but here are the common players in any guild

• Scholar – the player
• Manager – the one who directly manages the player
• Guild/Group – The group that established the Axie Infinity Scholarship. An example is “Axie University” of Ken, Pot and Spraky in Cabanatuan.
• Owner – Most of the time, this is the person who invests to buy the Axie
• Community Funds – Sometimes the guild runs tournaments to keep the scholars engaged. The SLP in the community fund will serve as a prize.

Usual Cash Out Methods

The manager and scholar earn once they convert the SLP into Pesos. You need to agree on how this is done:

1. Some guilds transfer the earned SLP of the scholar to the scholar’s own ETH address.
2. Some guilds give the cash equivalent of the player’s SLP
3. Some guilds give the ETH equivalent.
4. Some guilds transfer the earned SLP of the scholar to the scholar’s own Ronin address.
5. Some guilds transfer the earned SLP of the scholar to the scholar’s Binance address.

When to cash out?

Depends on the agreement between the scholar and the manager.  Some guilds have a fixed date (for example every 15th and 30th) for cashing out.

Where to Cash Out SLP

You can transfer SLP from MetaMask to Binance. 

1. Sync SLP from the game to the Axie Infinity Dashboard
2. Go to https://bridge.axieinfinity.com
3. Transfer SLP from Ronin to MetaMask
4. Transfer the SLP from MetaMask to Binance, then trade it to USDT and then withdraw to your local currency via P2P
   1. In the Philippines, you can also message BloomX. (Check out this article to learn more.) BloomX is a licensed virtual currency exchange in the Philippines.

REMINDER: Do not transfer from Ronin to Binance directly. Make sure the SLP is in MetaMask first.

How to find a scholar?

Many players want to become scholars. Go to Twitter or look for the guilds I will mention later in this article. For Filipinos, you can check out the official Axie Infinity Philippines group on Facebook. A link is also listed below. 

You can find the nearest guild at your place by using this site: https://axiearchipelago.org/.

Who should I choose as a scholar?

Spraky said when he first started his scholarship, he first gave them to relatives and former officemates. 

The manager who puts money to buy the Axie will naturally look for a scholar who can earn more SLP. There’s no right answer to this question. Here’s what the managers I interviewed are saying:

According to Teach, he chooses the people close to him first and those who really need help. 

According to Ian, he looks for those with no experience with the game though he did first offer scholarship to friends and officemates. There were others referred to him. He focused in Davao first but now he has scholars in Negros and Manila.

According to Rico Robles, the manager of 1UpPH Guild and also a relationship manager at UnionBank, he usually give scholarships to those who were waiting for a long time. “Those who are already looking in the last three months. Also those who are not minor but responsible and already mature.”

“We also give consideration to those who can help in group page management, graphics, strategies, etc,” Rico said in the interview.

What Axies to Rent Out to Scholars?

For SLP earning efficiency, it would be best to give to the scholar 3 Axies that are already in sync with each other. Check videos on YouTube or Axie.Zone to check the current meta. But the basic team formation is 1 defender and 2 attackers.

Reminder: Axie Terms of Service

Just like in other online games, Axie Infinity has a terms of service that players must abide by. Scholarship guild managers should carefully read it too. Here are the most basic rules:

1. One person = one account only. Multi-accounting will lead to a ban
2. Do not change the time on your phone to refresh your energy. This is a bannable offense.

Axie Infinity Education, Is it Really Needed? How to enforce Axie Rules?

The manager should always be updated on what’s happening in the world of Axie and relay the implications to their scholars and their guild. For example, a recent update decreased the attack capability of some cards. These are important stuff that must be explained to scholars so that they can adjust.

According to “Teach,” he maintains a Discord channel where he puts all the rules of his scholarship guild. Ian said he lets the scholar read Axie’s terms and he makes sure the scholar understands it before proceeding. “I get their confirmation and I document it so everything will be clear from the beginning. It is required that they are active on Discord and I see them communicating with other scholars and most importantly — having fun. Also to maintain their scholarship accounts, they have a weekly quota to achieve.”

Rico said the most important thing is trust between the manager and the scholar. “You have to orient them on what they know and at the end of the day, it’s about trust because the scholar who wants to do something bad will do it anyway.”

VIDEO: Axie Infinity Scholarship Guide

Highly popular YouTuber and content creator KooKoo shares tips on how to create a scholarship account. Take note that his procedure is slightly different from mine, showing that there are really different ways to create and manage a scholarship guild.

List of Axie Infinity Scholarships

Note: Not a comprehensive list. Always do your own research before joining guilds.

• 1Up PH Guild
• Ananda Axie Scholarship
• Axie Academy by BlockchainSpace
• Axie Capital
• Axie Davao
• AxieGG
• Axie University
• Blackbeard Armada
• Coinbarn
• Coin Sessions Entertainment
• Lev0x eSports
• LootSquad GG
• Luna Blessing by Scythe
• OneZee by OneDayPlay
• Paid2Play Guild
• RAAxie Infinity
• Real Deal Guild
• Sando Gang by KooKoo
• Sushinobi Axie Academy
• Talavera Axie Shop
• Tarlac Axie Empire
• Team A&C
• Yield Guild Games

Resource List: 

• BlockchainSpace Axie Resource List
• KooKoo Crypto
• Axie Infinity Discord
• Yield Guild Games Discord
• BitPinas Articles sa Play-to-earn
• Axie Infinity Official Philippines FB Group

The article is published on BitPinas: Comprehensive Axie Infinity Scholarship Guide [English]