Sorare Limited Scarcity: Entry Barriers Removed

I’ve been excited for this moment for a good few months. I suspect you may be in the same position. The truth is, Sorare is a fantastic game but the growth of the platform led to some pretty high prices.

This is a classic case of supply and demand, something which has happened on many NFT Games such as ZED Run, Treeverse and even Axie Infinity.

Many ‘Old-School’ Sorare players will soon tell you that the scarcity aspect of the platform was starting to cause a few issues. For example, a rare Mbappe card reached the highs of £22,000 and you can’t find one for sale today for less than £116,000. Your typical football loving gamer cannot afford this.

The gurus at Sorare saw this, and noticed that the entry barrier was very high across many players. I suspect that this was frightening quite a few players away, which led to the introduction of the new scarcity.

Sorare had to be careful not to devalue any existing cards on the market, as this could cause an uproar for current players. Sorare have managed to protect existing galleries whilst adding new cards to the market, which I’ll explain in detail below.

Haven’t started playing yet?

New Sorare players will receive a Free Referral Reward, when they purchase 5 Cards from the Primary Market. This is an additional Free Card, which is yours to keep… or sell!

What is the new Scarcity?

The new scarcity is classified as ‘Limited’. This will join Rare, Super Rare and Unique, with 1,000 Limited players being added to the platform. This means that the new player total per season will be 1,111 cards per player.

Limited joins the Sorare platform with a fantastic shade of yellow, and the Rookie Cards look brilliant.

The general belief is that the Limited Scarcity cards will offer a cheaper way into the platform, although the first edition mints of the cards will probably be just as expensive as a rare. This is because collectors are revelling at the potential opportunity of holding the first ever limited card.

For this reason, my first bit of advice is to ignore the very first auctions on the market. As, like me, you probably have a smaller budget, we don’t need to worry about collectability bonuses such as mint numbers and we will be better focused to pick a solid team.

How will the New Scarcity Work?

The Limited cards will offer a new way to play Sorare. The days of spending 0.5 Ethereum on a basic rare goalkeeper are gone. The Limited scarcity offers new players an easy way onto the platform, without having to deposit a minimum of £2,000+.

If you’re an existing player that’s a little bit worried about all of these new cards, just hit pause and make sure you understand the below:

• Limited cards will play in their own divisions. 
• They will not be competing against Rare, Super Rare or Uniques in any division.
• A New Division, ‘Division 5’ is being created where these cards can be enjoyed.

How can these Limited Cards be used?

As I’ve stated briefly above, a new division is being created by Sorare. This will give players the chance to join the platform at a much lower price point. All of the limited cards will be limited to Division 5, meaning that the price point of the other cards isn’t affected.

Remember though, you have plenty of time to build your teams as the Division 5 doesn’t get unveiled until Gameweek 194.

The first league that will be opened is the Global All Star in GW’s 194 and 195. I can only presume this is to act as a beta for the new tournament. From GW196 and onwards, your limited cards can be used in all Division 5 Tournaments (Global All-Star, Global U23, Champion Europe, Challenger Europe, Champion Asia, and Champion America).

Does Sorare Division 5 have any restrictions?

Think of Division 5 as the ‘Limited’ Ecosystem. You put Limited in, you get limited back. The rules are:

• 5 Limited Cards required in your lineup
• No Common Cards Etc at all
• Rewards are Limited Cards Only
• ETH rewards for Podium Finishes

The New Referral Scheme

If you signed up to Sorare before the Limited Cards were added to the Auctions, you can still claim a Rare Card when you purchase your 5 cards from the Auctions.

For any users that Register AFTER this period, the reward will be a Limited Card. 

Sorare Guide’s Thoughts & Conclusion

I’m a big fan of breaking down barriers, especially within this NFT Gaming space. I’ve always been a big admirer of Sorare, but I’ve never had the money to be able to compete amongst various divisions.

I did start playing Sorare before the Ethereum bubble, but I didn’t foresee the huge gains in the cryptocurrency space and now I’m left twiddling my fingers!

The competitive spectacle that these Division 5 Cards offer is second-to-none, when you think of all of the potential lineups that you can make. As there are more cards, this will make it more difficult to win as there are so many combinations, but we’ve already seen how Sorare have been increasing the reward pools dynamically. 

It’s a great move for the platform and a move that should see more users playing. Over time, they will ‘promote’ themselves to the Rare and Super Rare leagues, making Sorare a game where you can truly focus on player progression.