# Archmage Whitepaper


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###### <center> *Original Whitepaper Published January 2022. This revision October 2022. https://archmage.app/whitepaper*</center>


## Who Will Benefit From Archmage?

Looking to take your gameplay and earnings to the next level but need some help?

Have a massive collection and want to play Splinterlands but find yourself too busy?

Love the idea of play-to-earn gaming but you're too swamped with other commitments?

Or perhaps you’re just a new player who isn’t quite sure what cards to choose.

**No matter which of those describes you, we know how it feels.**

That’s why we created the Archmage service and our Automated Scholar Bot for Splinterlands.

It will put your collection to good use and play for you while you work, sleep or do whatever you want, but it will also do much more than that.

It will help you get better at the game, give you insights into your performance, and find new ways to improve your earnings.

In short, it will make sure you get the most out of Splinterlands without having to invest hours of your time every day, whether you’re an experienced player or just getting started.

The Archmage Automated Scholar is powered by our proprietary database and exclusive hand-selection framework. It’s designed to make the best use of the cards in your collection, meaning it will adapt to what you give it and select cards that often increase your win rate. Further, you don’t need any technical or programming skills to use the service, because it is completely hosted by the Archmage team.

Excited? Us too!

Read on to discover how you can take advantage of the Archmage Automated Scholar for Splinterlands.


## "Automated Scholar" vs. "Bot"

The term "bot" has become associated with projects that seek to extract maximum value from the Splinterlands community with little investment. Archmage is the opposite of that. Every decision we've made about Archmage has been with the betterment of the game and its players in mind.

That's why we think Archmage is something new and innovative, like a digital assistant that's designed to help you improve your strategy, have more fun, and be a more successful player (even if you get busy).

We call this concept an "Automated Scholar."

It's designed to be your personal helper for Splinterlands, playing the game for you when you're unable to and assisting you in you make the most of your time and investment.

In other words, Archmage is drastically more than a bot. It's an Automated Scholar that will help you get the most out of Splinterlands while still enriching the community as a whole.


## Motivation

Since the first factory production lines, automation has been a part of the world we live in. We humans continually seek to harness the power of automation to improve our everyday lives while limiting exploitative behavior.

In the Splinterlands ecosystem, we see our Automated Scholar serving a vital role for the good of players and for the good of the game.

Our Automated Scholar allows players to stay connected to Splinterlands who otherwise might have lost interest. By giving players a way to put their digital assets to use when they are short on time, Automated Scholars keep a sub-community of people actively involved in the game economy and connected to other people in ways they normally would not.

Automated Scholars also provide a gameplay benefit to all players by providing a constant supply of opponents with near-zero wait time. This ensures that new and old players alike can hop into Splinterlands and always find an opponent ready to play. Further, Splinterlands is designed so that automated accounts have the same requirements as any player, ensuring a level playing field.

Archmage automation helps strengthen the entire Splinterlands ecosystem. Since our Automated Scholar requires that you hold Collection Power to run and earn most effectively, accounts played by our service hold assets that would otherwise flood the market, potentially driving prices down. Indeed, our users often rent additional assets and thus boost the economy directly.

As Splinterlands players ourselves, we care about what is good for the Splinterlands economy and community we exist in. Our service is designed to help the individuals who play, whether actively or passively as well as help the overall Splinterlands economy.


## Timeline
Here's a timeline of some of the important events related to the rollout of Archmage:

* January 2022 - Closed Alpha token `ARCHMAGEA` sales open. Initial whitepaper released.
* February 2022 - Closed Alpha access to Archmage begins.
* March 2022 - Closed Beta token `ARCHMAGEB` sales and Beta access to Archmage begins.
* July 2022 - Presale of tokens `ARCHMAGE` in partnership with Splex.
* October 2022 - Main Launch. Whitepaper revised. Fees begin.


## Closed Alpha

During our Closed Alpha phase, active feedback from our users was used to implement improvements to the service while we prepared for general release. For participating in this program, we continue to reward early-access token holders for their support and efforts.

Alpha tokens are on Hive Engine as `ARCHMAGEA`. Ownership of one grants the holder the benefits detailed below and is also transferrable and tradable on the market. `ARCHMAGEA` is fully minted at 200 tokens and will never be minted again. The only place to obtain one is through Hive-Engine or future unique promotions.

***Archmage Alpha on Hive-Engine:*** https://hive-engine.com/trade/ARCHMAGEA

### Alpha Pass Token Holder Benefits
Alpha Pass Token holders receive:

* Access to Archmage throughout Closed Alpha, Closed Beta, and Main Launch.
* Largest Reduction in Fee Requirements *(More details below)*
* A non-cash reward to the value of between USD$10.50 and USD$12 per token (depending on total purchase size) in lieu of previously promised credit. The specifics of the reward will come in an announcement.
* Further benefits, including prelaunch airdrops (now finished), exclusive discord channels, early and exclusive features, and other benefits to be announced in the future.


## Closed Beta

During the Closed Beta, users provided feedback to help refine the features of the service. The Beta phase was about expanding and optimizing the use of your Splinterlands account assets with Archmage. New features were implemented and announced throughout development.

Beta tokens are on Hive Engine as `ARCHMAGEB`. Ownership of one grants the holder the benefits detailed below and is also transferrable and tradable on the market. `ARCHMAGEB` is fully minted at 400 tokens and will never be minted again. The Beta phase sold out completely. The only place to obtain one is through Hive-Engine.

***Archmage Beta on Hive-Engine:*** https://hive-engine.com/trade/ARCHMAGEB

### Beta Pass Token Holder Benefits
Beta Pass token holders see a scaled-back version of the benefits that the Alpha Pass token offers.

Beta Pass token holders receive:
* Access to Archmage throughout Closed Beta and Main Launch.
* Reduced fee requirements *(More details below)*
* Further benefits, including prelaunch airdrops (now finished), exclusive discord channels, early and exclusive features, and other benefits to be announced in the future.


## Main Launch

Main Launch is the time when Archmage is more officially available to the public.

The two key changes during the main launch are:

1. The implementation of our fee structure (details below).
1. More stable pricing. While we still reserve the right to issue new `ARCHMAGE` tokens based on our ability to service new users, Archmage will more directly attempt to ensure standard tokens are available near our intended retail rate of $25 USD.

### Costs & Fee System

*All aspects of the fee system might in future be subject to change.*

The biggest change happening during Main Launch is the implementation of our fee structure. Up until now, the only requirement to use Archmage has been the cost to acquire an access token (either an Alpha `ARCHMAGEA`, Beta `ARCHMAGEB`, or Standard `ARCHMAGE` Token).

Archmage's token sales were not created to be a primary source of income, but rather to help us grow at a manageable pace while also covering some development costs. This way, we could show our appreciation to those who supported us from the beginning.

The fee structure is intended to assist Archmage in becoming self-sustaining and ensure that those who use the Automated Scholar are contributing to the project's improvement and development.

Furthermore, unlike a flat-fee model, our system is designed such that we only get paid when we help you win. This incentivizes us to do everything in our power to help you win and earn as many rewards as possible.

#### How Archmage Fees Work

For each account you want automated, you must purchase an Archmage Access Pass token (Either `ARCHAMGEA`, `ARCHMAGEB`, or `ARCHMAGE`).

In addition to the cost of the token, you must also pay a percentage of your SPS earnings to Archmage via the Rewards Delegation system in Splinterlands.

The percentage you pay depends on which type of Access Pass token you have.

* Alpha Pass (`ARCHMAGEA`) holders pay 15%.
* Beta Pass (`ARCHMAGEB`) holders pay 25%.
* Standard Pass (`ARCHMAGE`) holders pay 35%.

These fees are factored only on SPS earnings from Wild/Modern Ranked Battle Rewards and Focus/Season Chests. Your other earnings from Cards, Packs, Merits, Potions, and Leaderboard Prizes remain entirely yours.

#### Pros & Cons of this System

**Pros**

* Your fees are paid through Staked SPS earnings, allowing you to run Archmage without having to find a separate source of liquid capital to pay for the service.
* Your fees are only paid on rewards you actually earn, providing a direct incentive for Archmage to help you win as many games as possible.
* You don't have to remember to load up a balance to keep the bot running like our previously planned system. As long as you keep your delegation live, the service will keep running on your behalf.
* Using the built-in Splinterlands rewards delegation allows us to launch billing quicker and with less development than previously expected. This allows us to return our focus to improving the already excellent handfinder and giving our users data to improve their collections and win-rates.
* This structure should help Archmage become self-sustaining, ensuring that the project can continue to grow and improve over time focusing on our current users without being forced to do regular token sales.

**Cons**

* This system doesn't allow us to readily differentiate between Automated Rewards vs rewards you earn manually. This may require you to rethink the way you've used your token in the past if you want to avoid paying fees on manually-earned rewards.
* This system doesn't allow us to readily account for "jackpot" chests in which the SPS payout is significantly higher than average as we previously intended.

**Overall**

We feel this system offers the best solution for our users and project at this time. It's simple, effective, and provides a direct incentive for us to help you win as much as possible. We're confident that it will help Archmage become self-sustaining while we continue to grow and improve the service.

As always, we'll keep our eyes open for ways to improve, will remain open to feedback from our users, and will make changes as necessary to help Archmage reach its full potential to help you win more games and improve your Splinterlands experience. In the meantime, this system will help us move forward quickly and efficiently so that we can keep giving you the best possible service.

For more information about the Archmage Rewards Delegation system or the Rewards Delegation system in Splinterlands, ask in the support channel in our Discord.


## Features of Archmage Automated Scholar for Splinterlands

Here is a list of current and planned features for the Archmage Automated Scholar.

### Existing Features
* **Sophisticated Hand Selection Framework**: The Automated Scholar offers multiple strategies, safeguards and speed optimizations to ensure the highest chance of winning hands and the fewest possible hands missed.
* **Internal Database of Winning Strategies**: We’ve created our own unique data-acquisition system to build an extensive database of line-ups that is continuously updated to ensure that our Automated Scholar bases its selection on superior play for the current meta and your collection.
* **Scheduling & ECR Optimization**: Optimize Archmage for your needs and to maximize profits by tailoring your play schedule and minimum ECR. Our Automated Scholar can play up to four times every hour and can maintain an ideal ECR to optimize earnings.
* **Multi League Support**: Support for Wild and Modern leagues with further versatility to come.
* **Advanced Focus Handling**: Advanced strategies to complete all new types of focuses. Adjustable focus "aggression," which influences how hard Archmage pursues a Focus vs. only pursuing win rate, as well as automatic rerolling of Daily Focuses that your collection may struggle with.
* **Automated Shut Off In Case of Canceled Rentals**: Archmage can automatically shut off if your rented cards unexpectedly cancel and thus drop your available CP, helping to ensure that you don't experience a drop in win rate due to key cards being unavailable.
* **Automatic and Customizable League Advancement**: Archmage can automatically advance your account to the next league based on your preferences, which can be set differently for Modern and Wild leagues. The Automated Scholar can also be set to stop once your account hits a desired rating in order to maintain the ranking in leaderboards or stay within a league at the end of the season.
* **Autoclaim Rewards and SPS**: Leverage Archmage to make sure you're automatically accumulating your staked SPS and collecting your daily reward chests.
* **Smart Starter Card Handling**: Archmage will automatically attempt to avoid using starter cards to maximize rewards. Starter cards may still be played by Archmage when they are shown to give a strong boost to potential win rate (which is also a strong signal for which starter cards you should prioritize buying, renting, or leveling).
* **Collection Fine Tuning**: Pick and choose what Archmage can play on your behalf with the ability to ban cards from being used by Archmage.

### Pre-Release Features
These features are currently live and in testing but limited to Alpha or Beta token holders until they are fully released.

* **Experimental Algorithm**: This implements a new handfinder that includes tests for our upcoming v3 hand-finding algorithm. This is available for Alpha Access only currently.
* **Harder opponents**: This will modify the handfinder as well to assume that you're going up against harder opponents with level-capped teams for the league. This is available for Alpha Access and Beta Access only currently.
* **Ban Starter Cards**: This "one-click" option will ban starter cards from the handfinder but has a requirement that the account collection contains at least 30 unique playable cards IDs including at least one summoner. Otherwise the setting will be ignored even if set. This is available only for Alpha Access and Beta Access only currently.

### Upcoming/Planned Features
* **New Hand Finder Version**: The constantly changing meta of Splinterlands requires that we revise the way we select teams on a regular basis to maintain quality.
* **Automated Brawls**: Use the Archmage Automated Scholar to automatically submit teams in Guild Brawls.
* **Data and Analytics**: Statistics from Archmage battle results will be compiled and released to our users.
* **Social and Community Activities**: Join our Discord for curated content, information, streams and events, and to stay up to date with the latest conversations on Archmage and automation in general.


## Terms of Use

The following is a non-exhaustive list of Terms of Use of the Archmage Automated Scholar for Splinterlands.

### Usage Conditions

Here are some standard conditions your account must meet:

* Account must own a spellbook.
* Account must have an Archmage Access Pass token. (Alpha `ARCHMAGEA`, Beta `ARCHMAGEB`, or Standard Access `ARCHMAGE`)
* Account owner must supply the Private Posting Key for us to submit battles for any automated account.
* Account must maintain a minimum of 5000 Collection Power from playable cards that are either owned, delegated, or rented. (This ensures the account earns at a suitable level and contributes to the community.)
* Account must maintain a rewards delegation rate to Archmage in line with their token held for Ranked Battle Rewards in Modern/Wild as well as Focus/Season Rewards. (15% for Alpha, 25% for Beta, 35% for Standard Access)

*The rates/requirements above may be subject to change at the discretion of the Archmage team. We will announce changes to these rates ahead of time where possible.*

**If at any point these requirements aren't met, the service will automatically stop until they are.**

Further, any attempts to game or subvert the billing system in any way may result in being removed from the service entirely. If you have any questions about staying within the bounds of what's acceptable, please don't hesitate to ask in our Discord server.

### Other Important Terms of Use

* All aspects of the fees system and token benefits might in future be subject to change.
* Archmage will endeavour to give as much notice as reasonably possible for important changes.
* Archmage reserves the right to terminate the service at any time.
* Archmage intends to enrich the Splinterlands ecosystem, not upset it.


# Wrap-Up

Thanks for reading through our Archmage Automated Scholar whitepaper! We are so excited to bring this tool to the Splinterlands community and help everyone win more often.

Questions? Comments? Or just wanted to stay up-to-date with Archmage? Visit our site at https://archmage.app to join our Discord server.

Ready to get started with Archmage? Get your token on hive-engine.com or stay tuned in Discord and on this site for future sales and promotions.

**Official Hive-Engine Links**
https://hive-engine.com/trade/ARCHMAGEA
https://hive-engine.com/trade/ARCHMAGEB
https://hive-engine.com/trade/ARCHMAGE

[Click here to visit Archmage.app now!](https://www.archmage.app)