Stanislav Cifka

@Showdown_TCG Founder&CEO
Father, Gamer, Trader

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

If Web3 gaming is going to bring in real players, we need games that are actually fun to play.

I spent 15 years competing professionally in chess, Magic, poker, Hearthstone.

Now I'm building the game I always wanted to exist: @Showdown_TCG, on @megaeth.

Read the full story👇

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

https://t.co/FYKHYyS49k

[Showdown @Showdown_TCG]

We crunched the Showdown data.

On average, it takes ~3 months of regular play to become a consistently winning player.

For poker, experts put the same milestone at 1–2 years.

Showdown is the same DNA with a faster skill curve.

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

@7th_vader @megaeth Sure I would join

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

We have worked with @megaeth for 18 months and my experience is very similar. Sorry to hear. It’s really bad feeling if you promise something to your community based on promise MEGa gave you and you can not deliver. I have the same problem😕

[Shiro ˖◛⁺⑅♡ @shiro57102]

I can’t stand watching people speak with absolute entitlement about situations they really know nothing about. I feel like I’ve stayed quiet long enough.

The constant disrespect, the daily assumption that my silence equals to weakness, it’s become unbearable. Not just for me, but for everyone who actually believes in me and trusts me.
I did not “leverage” Megaeth to mint out Netizens. It was the other way around.
So if you think this, stop being delusional and so incredibly disrespectful, i've had enough.

Let me be crystal clear: the team reached out to me in October and asked if I could launch something on @megaeth because they were “not satisfied with the NFT projects that were already on the chain, in terms of taste and culture”.

It appeared to be very clear since the beginning how netizens could’ve been a great opportunity for the ecosystem to flourish. We were defined as the key to reach a new audience and stop stagnating. We were supposed to be the catalyst and the first brick for a new cultural development and the mint itself was meant to be an event of wider adoption.
My aim was, from the start, to create a space where people could feel part of something for the first time, welcome as their unfiltered selves. Just pure art, pure culture.

I believed in Mega, and I trusted their team with my work, my reputation and my efforts. But it didn’t take long for them to show their real nature.
Mainnet was supposed to launch in November. I worked night and day, without breaks, to meet the deadline, only for the launch to be delayed repeatedly without proper notice (mid-November, late November, early December, and so on, until February). The constant disorganization and inconsistent communication made everything incredibly difficult. We had to coordinate an entire project under uncertainty, which even prevented us from announcing a firm mint date until the very last minute.

I poured my soul into Netizens because that’s what I always do and I thought we all shared the same mission.
Despite all the sugarcoated praise, they were, in reality, not ready to embrace the kind of culture they were asking for, and that we finally brought. Instead of trusting the vision, they chose mediocrity and neutrality. They let people attack me daily, calling me a scammer, undermining everything while I was doing all in my power to make the chain look good. All our efforts felt invisible. Promises were constantly made and broken.
We were used for attention and clout, then quietly discarded every time any existing “community” felt threatened by something superior and actually relevant outside their small bubble.
I was lied to countless times, the team was clearly not coherent or transparent with us and it started being obvious how they were just promising the same exact things to everyone else.
Every time we raised real issues, we were either ignored for days or given empty reassurances that solved nothing.
I had made it clear that I would rather leave than stay where I felt unwanted and unappreciated. I thought they understood. I’m no longer sure they ever did.

Four days before launch, I was still questioning whether the mint should even happen, given the terrible state of the chain.
When I shared my doubts with the team I was told “it’ll be fine because you’re you.”
I was then called delusional for thinking netizens looked to me like the only reason for people to come to mega. Turns out the delusional ones were them.

They couldn’t even sit still and let the magic happen.
Couldn’t trust.
Couldn’t support.
And especially could not protect the few projects they themselves said deserved it, even up to today.
Instead, they enabled the noise, the yes men, the total NPC behavior, all while claiming to be pro-innovation “gen-Zers”.
However, It’s ironic how the same people who watched me get disrespected in silence suddenly praised me after we successfully minted out or after I worked at the EF mandate.
After all these months passed, the team has gone silent, they haven’t done anything for netizens if not disappointing us.
On top of all they’ve acted as if we brought nothing to the chain, turning all my work to dust.
As if Netizens mint didn’t bring an insane momentum, that they were not able to make the most of.
I’m exhausted from taking the blame for other people’s mistakes.

Most atrocious of all, we were never even warned about Terminal shutting down, despite it directly affecting us. Terminal was always presented as our flywheel. We were told to push it hard to our community, it should’ve been our main focus for the future.
Guess what? They just let us down again, empty handed.
Because they lied to us, we ended up lying to our community.

When we questioned about their plans after Terminal ended, they lightheartedly said, “Oh well, we don’t have any plans for NFTs!”
It feels like all my efforts were wasted. I feel fooled and disrespected. They leveraged my reputation and my name for their benefit, without any regard for the consequences on me or the people who trusted me. It’s simple soulless behavior.

To those who still think they can have a word on this, double check your sources. Question what you’re told.
I defended myself when people painted me as the villain for simply pushing back against lies. I was told to stay quiet “to avoid conflict.”
As if the internet wasn’t built on friction, on real time conversation, on calling out what’s broken.
As if I could just pretend all those words didn’t break my heart.

I refuse to waste any more energy trying to save people who don’t want to be saved, as much as I refuse to be disrespected further.
I have more important things to do.
I have to draw.
And that’s irrelevant for so many people
But its so relevant for me.
And hopefully, I can still do something good for everyone
That’s all I’ve always hoped for.

You will not bring me down, ever
If there’s something that will outlive this, is my art. Forever.
Let it be a scar.

congrats on fumbling something genuinely special.
The curse is real. Have fun dealing with the consequences.
@megaeth

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

@7th_vader @megaeth It might be good idea to Run AMA with founders from Mega Ecosystem, I believe many would have a lot to say

[Shayne Coplan 🦅 @shayne_coplan]

Today is the 6 year anniversary of when I launched Polymarket.

I’m truly grateful to be able to work on something that means so much to me.

It’s been awe-inspiring to see the world catch up with this crazy idea called “information markets”. Yet there still remains a long ways to go

For those curious about my headspace when starting the company, this thread is a nostalgic artifact.

[Showdown @Showdown_TCG]

Be @hoangthao123313

> Sign up for Showdown in July 2025
> Play 4,982 matches
> Spend 818.8 hours in game
> Win 2,946 times
> Beat Barry 55 times
> Maintain 59.1% winrate
> Win a season
> Crush all opposition
> Secure spot in Hall of Fame
> Profit $713 in cash games

👑

[Showdown @Showdown_TCG]

Friday thought:

To build a competitive meta deck in Hearthstone, MtG Arena, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel or Marvel Snap could cost $100+.

To build a competitive meta deck in Showdown costs $0.

Have a great weekend!

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

@badlydrawnbarry Show him @Showdown_TCG, I've heard it's free to play!

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

Come and chat!

[Showdown @Showdown_TCG]

We get it. You need something else to do while you can't play Showdown.

So swing by our Discord at 3pm UTC for an AMA with @StanCifka and @badlydrawnbarry to hear all about the road to Beta.

See you there. 👀🫵 Link below innit.

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

Last day before summer break in @Showdown_TCG! 🎉 Two big tournaments today: the MEGA Farewell ($500 freeroll) and Super Sunday. Want a taste of Showdown before our September launch? Come hang out with us!

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

@Metaalexeth Congrats on opening the very first @Showdown_TCG rare avatar! 🎉 Big day for everyone and that one suits you perfectly😍

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

@ConnorJBates_ If I've managed to loose money with my porfolio last month, does it mean I am a genius? 😃

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

Huge thanks to all of you. We'd never have gotten this far without you, and Showdown wouldn't have the shape it has now. Enjoy your summer. We'll be hard at work, and we'll see you at the tables in September!

[Showdown @Showdown_TCG]

We're taking a focused summer to ship the game Showdown deserves. Closed Beta kicks off in August with our most active players.

We'll be back with a full public Beta in September and we want your input on what we build next.

Read more about what’s in store ⬇️

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

@badlydrawnbarry Better early than late!

[Showdown @Showdown_TCG]

Mega Tuesday is in the books.

Parallel crusher Jobsad faced off against Showdown tourney specialist ZeeJoong in the final.

ZeeJoong's anti-meta Rebel/Gambler deck ultimately proved too much for Jobsad's Gambler/Inventor build.

GGs ZeeJoong for taking down 1st and $4,200.

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

Check Showdown's daily volume at: https://t.co/M21GWbhz0E

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

Yesterday @Showdown_TCG hit record daily volumes. During the @megaeth terminal campaign, we had an influx of registrations. Many people came because of incentives from MEGA, and they are staying because they enjoy the game. We value these users very much.🧵

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

To provide context, this is a great example of a user story in Showdown: https://t.co/3hpIa3g6hm

[Cipher @cipher_scout]

Honestly? I didn't plan to play. I only returned to @Showdown_TCG to see how it runs on MegaETH Terminal.
What started as a tech check turned into a daily grind that genuinely hooks you. The numbers confirm it:
• Week 1: 35 pts (learning)
• Week 3: 1,100+ pts (locked in) — through the lens of Terminal
• 300+ matches in 3 weeks
When infrastructure works perfectly, it becomes invisible. Only pure gameplay and strategy remain.
Goal: Top 10 this month.
While other ecosystems farm synthetic activity, Showdown retains through honest gameplay.
#Showdown #MegaETH #Web3Gaming

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

@thewriterwarmth https://t.co/FxpjqnBOPt

[Stanislav Cifka @StanCifka]

Today @Showdown_TCG delivered a big update. The 3 features I like the most👇🧵