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  Staking

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  NFT Collection

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  Main Page

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  Project Cover

Inspiration

We merged DOT pixel art with Polkadot's power. The initial spark for Mirage came from a desire to bridge two worlds: the nostalgic charm of early pixel art and the cutting-edge potential of dynamic NFTs on Polkadot. We were inspired by the concept of "digital tamagotchis" but wanted to push it further. Instead of just feeding time to a pet, we wanted to tie its growth directly to user participation in the decentralized ecosystem.

What it does

Mirage turns staking into a visual adventure. Stake assets, earn $XP, and evolve your dynamic NFT from a 4x4 pixel into a detailed 64x64 artwork.

How we built it

Frontend

• Vite + React (TypeScript) – Developed a responsive and high-performance frontend using modern React architecture with TypeScript for type safety and maintainability.

Web3 / Wallet Integration

• RainbowKit & wagmi – Integrated secure and seamless wallet connections, enabling smooth user onboarding and blockchain interactions.

Smart Contract

• Solidity (Hardhat) – Designed, developed, and tested smart contracts using Hardhat, focusing on reliability, scalability, and optimized gas efficiency.

Blockchain Network

• Polkadot Hub Testnet – Deployed and integrated smart contracts within the Polkadot ecosystem.

Pixel Art & Metadata: Our designed a set of evolving pixel art templates for each level (4x4, 8x8, 16x16, 64x64). We generated unique combinations for tools and elements, stored the final images for each NFT's level.

Challenges we ran into

The "Evolving Art" Challenge: The core technical hurdle was designing secure method for the NFT to "level up." Our solution was a multi-stage minting process where the base NFT is minted first, and evolution is a separate transaction that updates the NFT and level state, burning $XP in the process.

Time Constraints: As with any hackathon-style project, time was our biggest competitor. We focused on a polished MVP that delivered the core loop of Stake → Earn → Evolve with a easy to use visual payoff, and cross-chain features of future versions.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Creating a seamless loop where users visually see their stake's impact. Successfully deploying dynamic, evolving pixel art NFTs on Polkadot.

What we learned

The power of Polkadot Asset Hub for tokens. How to architect evolvable NFT metadata. The importance of a clear visual payoff for user actions in Web3.

What's next for Mirage

Cross-chain expansion to Moonbeam & Astar. The Skill Arena for pet battles. More evolution paths, collaborative quests, and a vibrant Mirage ecosystem.

Built With

• api
• asset
• hardhat
• hub
• polkadot
• polkadot.js
• react
• solidity
• testnet)
• typescript