How to Enter the Yuga Labs Ecosystem | Bored Ape Yacht Club and More

The Yuga Labs ecosystem is growing rapidly with the launch of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC), Bored Ape Kennel Club (BAKC), and ApeCoin (APE). The team also acquired CryptoPunks and Meebits from Larva Labs early in 2022.

As the community grows, it becomes more confusing for newcomers to understand which projects are under the Yuga Labs umbrella. We've compiled a list of all the current entry points.

Here are all the ways to join the Yuga Labs ecosystem right now:

Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC)

Floor Price: 160 ETH | $458,000 (last updated: Apr. 29, 2022)

Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) is a collection of 10,000 ape NFTs first launched in April 2021 for a mint price of 0.08 ETH. It's the most popular, expensive, and sought after asset in the Yuga Labs ecosystem. 

BAYC holders have been entitled to all of the ecosystem's airdrops up to this point, including Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC), Bored Ape Kennel Club (BAKC), ApeCoin (APE), and Otherdeeds.

In August 2021, BAYC completed all its goals for its first-edition roadmap, which included a Mutant Serum airdrop. The toxic serums came in three varieties: M1, M2, and Mega. When the holder's BAYC NFT "drank" the serum, it generated a second, more sinister mutant NFT (see below).

In September 2021, the team released its second-edition roadmap, which is still being worked on. Goals include the launch of a decentralized autonomous organization, or DAO, the development of a video game, in-person-events, and more.

In January 2022, BAYC delivered on the video game, releasing Apes vs Mutants on the iOS Apple App Store and Google Play for Android users.

In March 2022, ApeCoin launched with a 90-day claim period for holders of BAYC and MAYC NFTs.

In the coming months, BAYC NFT holders are expecting a Yuga Labs metaverse land sale, the development of said metaverse -- which has been deemed The Otherside -- and more.

It's not cheap, but if you're looking to enter the Yuga Labs ecosystem and benefit from most or all of this team's future endeavors, BAYC is a top-tier, all-inclusive access pass.

Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC)

Floor Price: 41.5 ETH | $118,000 (last updated: Apr. 29, 2022)

Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) is a collection of up to 20,000 mutated ape NFTs first launched in August 2021 via an airdrop and Dutch auction starting at 3 ETH. Yuga Labs has shown a commitment to ensuring MAYC NFTs are included in most of the benefits that BAYC holders are entitled to. 

The first half of the MAYC collection was created via a Mutant Serum airdrop to all Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT holders. The second half of the MAYC collection was released via Dutch auction with a starting price of 3 ETH. It did not dip below 2.5 ETH before all MAYC NFTs were sold out.

Once holders used the serum, their BAYC mutated into a new NFT with all the same traits as their original BAYC.

Mutant Ape Yacht Club provides a cheaper, but still expensive, way to gain exposure to the Yuga Labs ecosystem. Historically, they have been granted most of the same privileges as Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs. 

Bored Ape Kennel Club (BAKC)

Floor Price: 10 ETH | $28,000 (last updated: Apr. 29, 2022)

Bored Ape Kennel Club (BAKC) is a Bored Ape Yacht Club companion collection of up to 10,000 dog NFTs first launched in June 2021 and free to all BAYC holders. Anyone with a BAYC NFT could claim a BAKC NFT for free (plus gas fees).

BAKC has not been granted the same benefits as BAYC and MAYC in the past. This collection did not receive the ApeCoin airdrop and does not receive free land in Yuga Labs metaverse, The Otherside.

Bored Ape Kennel Club is a good way to enter the Yuga Labs ecosystem if you're more interested in being part of the club than in the utility offered to holders. It would not be surprising to see BAKC receive some form of utility down the road, though.

CryptoPunks

Floor Price: 60.5 ETH | $172,000 (last updated: Apr. 29, 2022)

CryptoPunks is a collection of 10,000 pixelated character NFTs first launched in June 2017 by Larva Labs. CryptoPunks were free to claim at the time.

Since then, Yuga Labs acquired the Intellectual Property (IP) rights for CryptoPunks and its secondary collection, Meebits, from Larva Labs. Yuga Labs immediately granted CryptoPunks holders full commercial rights to their NFTs.

Yuga Labs has different plans for CryptoPunks, and the project will likely never be integrated fully into the Yuga Labs ecosystem with Bored Ape and Mutant Ape Yacht Club.

"What we don't plan to do is shoehorn these NFT collections into the 'club' model we've developed for BAYC," the team said in a blog post. "We view BAYC as the center of the universe we are building at Yuga, and CryptoPunks as a historic collection."

CryptoPunks are technically a part of the Yuga Labs ecosystem but will likely never be seen as a full part of the BAYC, MAYC, and BAKC universe.

Meebits

Floor Price: 6 ETH | $17,000 (last updated: Apr. 29, 2022)

Meebits is a collection of 20,000 3D voxel character NFTs first launched in May 2021 via Larva Labs. Half of the collection was free-to-claim for CryptoPunk holders, while the other half of the collection sold via Dutch auction starting at a mint price of 2.5 ETH. It sold out in about six hours.

Since then, Yuga Labs acquired the Intellectual Property (IP) rights for CryptoPunks and its secondary collection, Meebits, from Larva Labs. Yuga Labs immediately granted Meebits holders full commercial rights to their NFTs.

Meebits is more likely to be utilized within the Yuga Labs ecosystem. Voxel characters are ideal for certain gaming applications, and Meebits are currently the cheapest way to gain access to the community through NFTs.

ApeCoin (APE)

Current Price: $22.50 (last updated: Apr. 29, 2022)

ApeCoin is an ERC-20 governance and utility token used to empower Yuga Labs decentralized community and ecosystem.

The project's official Twitter launched in March 2022.

ApeCoin will serve as a decentralized protocol layer for community-led initiatives that drive culture forward into the metaverse. And it is expected to be the primary method of transaction within the Yuga Labs ecosystem.

In April 2022, Yuga Labs announced Otherdeeds, land for its upcoming metaverse project The Otherside, can only be purchased in APE.

ApeCoin has a fixed supply of 1 billion tokens and the initial allocations for NFT holders were as follows:

• Bored Ape Yacht Club Holders: 10,094 token each

• Mutant Ape Yacht Club Holders: 2,042 tokens each

• Bored Ape Kennel Club Holder Bonus (must also have BAYC or MAYC): 856 tokens each

ApeCoin is a cheap entry point to gain exposure to the Yuga Labs ecosystem. But it will likely not come with added benefits for holders like BAYC, MAYC, and other NFT projects in the community. 

Otherdeeds (The Otherside Land)

On Apr. 30, 2022, Yuga Labs plans to release Otherdeeds, land NFTs for its upcoming metaverse The Otherside. Otherdeeds will be sold for a flat price of 305 ApeCoin.

For all the details about the upcoming drop, see Lucky Trader's comprehensive The Otherside overview here.