2026-01-21 07:21:05

A review of the major套路 phenomena in the 2026 crypto world. First is the airdrop craze—seemingly a pie in the sky, but in reality, most projects are just hype before fundraising; MEME coins are even more lamentable, dropping 80% immediately after launch, with exchanges profiting from it, while retail investors serve as the fuel for the pump.

Wall Street institutions profit easily through ETF arbitrage, while retail investors still stand guard in the crypto space, holding onto unrealized losses. Who profits and who loses in this round of market, it's all very clear.

The once-effective Alpha strategies have now become ineffective, veteran traders are gradually退出ing, while new entrants are still figuring out how to make quick gains and hold onto airdrop promises. By the start of 2026, the套路 remains the same—creating concepts, making big promises, pretending to be serious, and restricting withdrawals. These tricks have never truly innovated.

Looking at the performance of mainstream coins like BTC, ETH, XRP, etc., what is reflected behind them is the real truth of this market.

BTC0,58%

ETH1,3%

XRP4,37%

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MysteriousZhang

· 14h ago

Are you still waiting for airdrops? Wake up, brother. --- The meme coin bagholder speaks out, the tricks are so obvious yet people still rush in. --- Old players have already left, new retail investors are still dreaming about money. --- Institutions ripping off retail investors is no longer news; the question is, when will we turn the tables? --- Wall Street is laughing to death; we're still waiting for airdrops here. --- Starting 2026, the tricks have even upgraded; it's truly incredible. --- ETFs are just institutions' cash machines; retail investors, forget about it. --- If you still believe in Alpha, wake up quickly; that thing has long cooled off. --- Exchanges make huge profits by market making, while retail investors are stuck as bagholders. --- A pie falling from the sky? That's a trap, brother. --- Making up concepts, drawing big pies, blocking withdrawals—there are really no new tricks.

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AllInAlice

· 14h ago

Airdrops are just a gimmick again, the MEME coin bagholder story—seeing through it --- Veterans have all left, and I'm still here grinding, it's honestly a bit funny --- Wall Street is making a killing, retail investors are just standing guard, and the game rules are written clearly --- 2026, still the same tricks as before, the same set of concepts is still thriving, no one is innovating --- BTC rises while ETH falls, behind it all is the truth of these institutions cutting the leeks --- Alpha has failed, and some are still sleepwalking, still hoping an airdrop will turn things around? --- Exchanges are bleeding from MEME coins, retail investors are paying the price—who should they blame? --- I've held this floating loss for so long, just waiting for this article to wake me up --- Tricks happen every year, but this year is especially many --- Just a pre-funding hype, does anyone really believe an airdrop can make you rich?

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SocialAnxietyStaker

· 14h ago

Airdrop schemes really need to wake up. Who still truly believes in pie in the sky these days? Retail investors are just bagholders; institutions have been laughing all the way to the bank. MEME coins are just gambling; an 80% drop is considered light, I've seen worse. Alpha is dead; now it's just a game of weeds and sickles. Once the concept is overhyped, everyone runs away. How many years have we played this game and still haven't seen through it? Damn, only big institutions make money; we're all just working for the exchanges. HODLing? Just for loneliness; in the end, the money still stays with the exchanges. Standing guard for so long, the unrealized losses are just tuition fees. Mainstream coins have fallen; what is there left in this market to look forward to?

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GigaBrainAnon

· 14h ago

Wall Street is counting money while we are here taking the hit, it's that simple. Retail investors are always the last to act; it's time to recognize that. Airdrops? Haha, just a cover for fundraising. MEME coins hit their peak upon launch, then it's all downhill from there. Institutions eat the meat, retail investors drink the soup—that's the story of 2026. The days of grabbing cheap coins are long gone; now it's just self-delusion. Creating concepts has never stopped; only the tricks have become more varied. Old players have all left; what's left are all bagholders. ETFs make big players ecstatic, while retail investors are still dreaming of saving money. New concepts, new stories, but the underlying logic has never changed.

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RatioHunter

· 15h ago

Airdrops are still ongoing, but it's no longer profitable After playing for so long, I found there are only two outcomes: either sell others or get sold Institutions have already jumped in, and we're still researching when to enter That's right, now entering means becoming a bagholder This round of ETFs really pushed retail investors to the brink; making money is all about institutions What else can we do? Keep holding, anyway, can't lose too much New coins drop 80% as soon as they launch; just looking at this data makes me want to laugh Bitcoin still needs to be drawn, the bigger the chart, the more people believe

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