Contents:

1. TLDR

2. How We’re Improving on the “Application Meta”

3. Why We’re Using a Soulbound Token For Our Allowlist

4. Application Process and Soulbound Token Functionalities

5. How to Receive an Allowlist

6. FAQ

TLDR:

How we’re using a soulbound token (SBT) for our application:

• The Invictus Order Application is a free SBT minted alongside the submission of your application. This SBT acts as on-chain proof of your submitted application.

• Application will be short, easy, and frictionless- something you could complete in 5-10 minutes.

• SBT will have three statuses: Allowlist, Waitlist, and Public Sale. SBT art and metadata will change automatically when an application is accepted.

• Gas fees from minting your SBT will be refunded up to 0.01 ETH per wallet for those who mint their Invictus Order.

• Owning an Invictus Order Application SBT may or may not have future utility.

Why we’re using a SBT for our application:

• The application process is fully transparent.

• Improved clarity for applicants on whether or not they are on the allowlist.

• Mitigates mass entries, bot entries, and low effort entries.

• It’s new and interesting. We like trying new and interesting things.

How We’re Improving on the “Application Meta”

For our upcoming Invictus Order mint, we will be utilizing an application system similar to that of the 333 Club or of more recent projects like y00ts or Valhalla. When done correctly and with the right intentions, an application can be a great way to curate a community whose desires and visions align with that of the project’s creators. When done incorrectly, however, an application can quickly become a laborious, frictional vanity contest with a focus more towards marketing than towards finding the right people for a community.

What we’re doing differently:

• The Invictus Order application will be short and sweet. Two open-ended questions that an applicant should be able to finish in 5-10 minutes. Getting an allowlist shouldn’t feel more difficult and take more time to complete than a job application.

• For our application, we want to bring the focus back to the holder. We believe that the company should serve the consumer, not the other way around as is so often the case in the NFT space. The two questions on our application are focused around how we can create value for our holders in the long run, not how our holders can provide marketing advantages for us in the short run.

• Increased transparency and clarity in the allowlist process as well as higher quality responses. We’ll cover this point in more detail in the next section.

Why We’re Using a SBT for Our Allowlist

Why not? It’s interesting and it’s never been done before. We like to try new things. Beyond that, though, there are quite a few major benefits to using a SBT for an allowlist application.

The first, and possibly most important reason, is that this is a massive step forward for promoting transparency and clarity of our processes. In a space that is ailed by misinformation, disinformation, and sometimes just a plain lack of information, we want to set ourselves apart as a team that embraces transparency and frequent quality communication. We can’t just say that we want to be transparent; we have to practice what we preach. Using a SBT for our allowlist allows us to do just that.

For us, there is little direct benefit in the increased transparency beyond feeling good about ourselves for doing the right thing. For our potential holders and for the space as a whole, however, the benefit is clear and dramatic. We can say that we’re doing the right thing by not over-allocating the supply and not striking deals with influencers on the side, but the SBT proves it. In a space that values decentralization and independent thought, giving the public the information to be able to make informed decisions on their own should be the standard.

Does being completely transparent about our application process hurt us in the hype marketing and speculation department? Yea, a little. But we believe that the benefit of the trust of our community far outweighs the loss of some short-term mystery.

Because each application has a SBT associated with it, anyone has the ability to easily and readily:

• View the total amount of applications submitted

• View the current amount of applications that have been accepted

• View which wallets have which statuses

• Know their own application status

• Know that the allowlist isn’t over-allocated

We’ve all had experiences where we thought we were on the allowlist for a project only to realize, come mint time, that we aren’t able to mint. No more needing to have a specific role in a project’s Discord server, no more having to fill out some form that is only open for a few days, and no more having to open a ticket in a project’s Discord server to make sure you’re actually on the allowlist. The Application SBT solves all of this in the most simple way possible: just look at the token. The art and metadata of the SBT will automatically change when an applicant’s status gets updated. If you have the “Allowlist” trait, you’re on the allowlist. Easy as that.

Next, requiring the minting of a SBT means that an applicant has to pay a small amount in gas in order to submit their application. This slight increase in the barrier to entry creates a big benefit for everyone:

• The fact that an applicant needs to spend a couple dollars in gas to mint the free SBT should, theoretically, make them more inclined to be more thoughtful and put more effort into their answers on the application. The amount of troll or low effort applications that we will have to sift through should be minimal. For the same reason, bot submissions and mass submissions should be mitigated as well. In the aggregate, we expect the quality of applications to be higher because applicants are psychologically invested in the process.

Unfortunately, you can never stop trolls and bots entirely. If we can cut down on just a few bot or troll entries, though, that allows us to spend more time on the applications that really matter.

Application Process and SBT Functionalities

In order to submit your application, you will have to mint a free SBT: Invictus Order Application. Your Invictus Order Application will act as your on-chain proof of submission. As a SBT, the Invictus Order Application cannot be sold or traded; it will be forever tied to the wallet that mints it. The Invictus Order Application has three possible statuses:

• Allowlist

• Waitlist

• Public Sale

These statuses correspond to specific art and metadata for your token. As Iron Hills goes through the process of reading and accepting applications, your Invictus Order Application will automatically and dynamically update to the corresponding art and metadata.

• To participate in the Invictus Order mint, you have to have the Invictus Order Application that corresponds to that specific minting window. Allowlist will be able to mint first and will have a single guaranteed mint for a 24 hour period. This group will not be overallocated, which will be verifiable by anyone by simply checking how many Invictus Order Applications have the “Allowlist” trait.

• Next will be the Waitlist. By default, anyone who submits an application will be on the Waitlist. After the 24 hour Allowlist period, the 24 hour Waitlist period will begin. During the Waitlist period, each Invictus Order Application owner with a “Waitlist” trait will be able to mint one Invictus Order. Those with the Allowlist trait will be able to mint a second Invictus Order during this period if they minted during the Allowlist period.

• If Invictus Order is not completely minted during the Waitlist period, we will move on to the Public Sale period. At this point, anyone can mint up to two Invictus Order per wallet. Allowlist and Waitlist may also mint again during this period. You do not need to have minted an Invictus Order Application to participate in the public sale; it is open to everyone.

Note that we have not yet shared the exact dates and times for our mint or the specific amount of time that our application will be open for. We wanted to share a rough structure for now so that everyone understands the process. As soon as we have firm dates and times for when the applications close and when the mint begins, we will share those on Twitter and in our Discord.

How to Receive an Allowlist

Time for some alpha. We’re going to tell you exactly what we’re looking for when we’re accepting applications.

• Approach your answers with a long-term perspective. We want people who are not just in NFTs for the next flip, but people who believe in the underlying technology to change the world over the long-term.

• Be thoughtful. The questions on the application are deliberately designed to be open-ended. You can put as much or as little effort into them as you want. Length both does and doesn’t matter; you can be thoughtful in just a few words or you could say a whole bunch of nothing in multiple paragraphs.

• Be unique and different; try to stand out. When looking through hundreds of applications for hours at a time, the ones that make us laugh or make us write something down because it’s a good idea or make us pause and ponder our existence are more likely to receive the Allowlist status.

• Have an interesting or reputable track record within the NFT space. We will be looking at your Twitter, Discord, and wallet address to see what kinds of groups or projects you are a part of, who you follow, and what kinds of things matter to you in the NFT space. How many followers you have, how much ETH you have, or how many Bored Apes you have will not have any impact on our decisions.

FAQ

What will you do about the gas fees for the Invictus Order Application?

Minting the Invictus Order Application SBT is completely free, however, you will still have to pay gas to mint it. Gas fees from minting the Invictus Order Application will be refunded during the mint of Invictus Order up to 0.01 ETH per wallet. The minting of your Invictus Order and the refund of the gas fees for your Invictus Order Application will all be done in the same transaction to minimize gas usage. This all means a few things:

• If you mint an Invictus Order Application but do not mint an Invictus Order, your gas fees for minting the Invictus Order Application will not be refunded. You have to mint an Invictus Order to receive the refund.

• If your gas fees for minting your Invictus Order Application exceeds 0.01 ETH, you will only get 0.01 ETH refunded. This is to prevent people from messing with us by paying multiple ETH in gas and expecting us to refund it back to them.

• For those who mint multiple Invictus Order across different minting periods, the gas from the SBT will only be refunded once.

How do I know if I’m on the Allowlist or Waitlist?

Just check your token. The art and metadata automatically updates when we accept an application. By simply submitting an application, you will have the “Waitlist” trait by default. If you have been accepted, your art and metadata will change to reflect the “Allowlist” trait.

What will the Invictus Order Application do after the Invictus Order mint?

Maybe nothing. Maybe something. We’re not sure yet.

Having the Invictus Order Application creates an interesting mechanism for us to provide utility or engage holders of those particular tokens in specific ways if we want to. We might never do anything with them but it would certainly be interesting to use them in some way…

If I mint the Invictus Order Application SBT with one wallet, can I mint the Invictus Order with a different wallet?

No, your allowlist status is tied to your Invictus Order Application. You must use the same wallet that owns the SBT to mint the Invictus Order. We recommend minting the Invictus Order Application SBT with the wallet you intend to mint your Invictus Order with.

What is the difference between Invictus Order Application and Invictus Order?

The Invictus Order Application is the SBT that is minted when submitting your application. The Invictus Order Application determines during which period you can mint the main collection, Invictus Order.

Is there a supply limit on the Invictus Order Applications?

No, the Invictus Order Applications are completely open edition during the application submission window. The application submission window will last no more than a few weeks. You can only mint one Invictus Order Application per wallet.

Will the information I share in my application be on-chain?

No, all of information in your application will be stored in a secure database and will only be available to Iron Hills. Still, don’t send any private information through the application; we don’t want to deal with that.

Outro

To mint an Invictus Order Application SBT, click here.

If you have any questions that this article doesn’t answer, we’re happy to answer any questions in our Discord server.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and join our Discord server for the most updated information about Invictus Order. Subscribe below to be notified of official Iron Hills communications.