Ethereum Layer 2 Shape Launches Mainnet with Notable NFT Artist Mints

Shape, an Ethereum Layer 2 network geared toward creators, launched its mainnet on Sept. 30 and is attracting some of the most prominent NFT artists.

In less than a month, artists such as XCOPY, DeafBeef, Deekay Motion, and Harvey Rayner have all minted pieces on the chain, and there is an upcoming mint from AI artist Roope Raininsto.

Collectors on Shape can earn medals and points based on their wallet history and activity on the chain. All users are then assigned a spot on a public leaderboard to showcase their point hauls and medals earned.

Earning top leaderboard spots makes users eligible for upcoming NFT mints, as well as other rewards and potential allocations of a native token if one were to be launched.

On Oct. 16, artist DeafBeef launched an open edition mint on Shape called Moveable Type, where collectors can mint letters and punctuation marks and use them to create unique word sets. DeafBeef closed the mint temporarily this morning after 100,000 NFTs were minted.

DeafBeef imitated the chair of the Federal Reserve and said, “FOMC statement: Although we've seen an acceptable burn rate, at this time, due to excess liquidity in the system, we're adopting a hawkish outlook.” He continued to channel Jerome Powell and concluded, “If at the next meeting, we see sustained burning, getting those supply numbers into the 50-60k range, a new mint period will be considered.”

Also, it wouldn’t be a “memecoin supercycle” without a pilot memecoin being launched on the new chain. “Circle on Shape,” under the ticker $O, surpassed a $6 million market cap after garnering attention from artists like Beeple.