Every crypto market crisis can be painful, and many coin holders have felt that pain recently. These downturns left some investors overexposed to tokens bought near the peak of the bullish cycle, and as a result, many are now hesitant to commit to new investments.
Still, bear markets are also full of opportunity. During downturns, solid tokens are often undervalued and can present greater upside potential than at any other time. After price declines of up to 90% during the broader crypto crisis, there are several attractive options for investors ready to position themselves for the next bull run.
This article analyzes five altcoins worth considering before the market turns. Each token has meaningful long-term potential and could deliver significant gains to a diversified portfolio.
#1 Metacade (MCADE) – Casual P2E Gaming – Top Altcoin to Buy in 2023
Metacade aims to become the largest on-chain arcade in the metaverse. The project is community-driven and intends to transition into a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) over time. The platform targets GameFi’s higher-profile titles by providing a broad, accessible arcade experience that could rival established names like Axie Infinity and Decentraland.
Beyond offering a variety of play-to-earn games, Metacade is a hub for GameFi fans and introduces several innovative features.
Gamers can earn in multiple unique ways, including sharing game knowledge. Metacade rewards community contributions—writing reviews, helping fellow players, and participating in beta tests for games in development—all of which earn the native token, MCADE.
Metacade also connects gamers and game developers. Developers can pitch projects to the community to seek funding through Metagrants, and voting on game proposals uses MCADE, creating an additional utility for the token.
MCADE has a fixed total supply of 2,000,000,000 tokens, with 70% available during the presale. A fixed supply gives MCADE deflationary characteristics, which can be beneficial as supply constraints combined with growing demand tend to support price appreciation over time.
By offering meaningful earning opportunities for gamers and backing ongoing development of blockchain games, MCADE presents significant value. Currently priced at presale levels, the token appears undervalued relative to its potential. Even in subdued market conditions, presale price movements suggest upside of more than 100%. Metacade looks well positioned to be a long-term GameFi leader and earns the top spot on this list of best altcoins to buy in 2023.
>>> You can participate in the MCADE presale here <<<
#2 Binance (BNB) – Global Centralized Exchange Token
Binance is a global cryptocurrency exchange offering trading for hundreds of digital assets. Its native token, BNB, was created to fund platform development and provide liquidity for traders. BNB is widely used to pay trading fees and can also be used for purchases via the Binance Visa debit card.
BNB is currently the fifth-largest token by market capitalization, and Binance remains the top centralized exchange (CEX) by trading volume. Centralized exchanges differ from decentralized exchanges (DEXs) because trading services are controlled by a central entity rather than operated entirely by smart contracts and automated market makers; user assets on CEXs are typically held in wallets managed by the platform.
BNB has deflationary mechanics. Its supply cannot be increased, and regular token burns reduce circulating supply over time. Originally launched with 200,000,000 BNB, Binance has periodically burned a portion of fees since 2017. By mid-2022, nearly 20% of the initial supply had been burned, leaving roughly 160,000,000 BNB in circulation, with the burn program continuing until half of the initial supply is permanently removed.
CEX platforms offer a variety of services valuable to crypto holders, including derivatives, lending, staking, and more. As the largest exchange, Binance attracts millions of users and can expand alongside the broader industry. If Binance continues to grow, demand for BNB is likely to rise as more users seek the platform’s benefits. Coupled with BNB’s deflationary tokenomics, that dynamic supports a promising long-term outlook, securing BNB the #2 position on this list.
#3 Polygon (MATIC) – Layer-2 Scaling for DApps
Polygon is a decentralized platform that provides scaling solutions for Ethereum. Its Matic Plasma sidechain increases transaction throughput and reduces costs, making it easier and cheaper to run decentralized applications (dApps) built on Ethereum.
As a layer-2 solution, Polygon inherits Ethereum’s security while delivering faster finality and near-zero transaction fees through its sidechain architecture. This improves usability for Web3 applications and makes Polygon an attractive environment for developers and end users.
The native token, MATIC, is used to pay transaction fees and secure the network by rewarding validators. MATIC has a maximum supply of 10 billion tokens and a circulating supply around 8.7 billion.
Polygon enhances the user experience for projects built on Ethereum, the leading infrastructure for dApps. Because it can handle large transaction volumes at low cost, Polygon is a preferred network for many upcoming blockchain games. GameFi projects, which rely on frequent microtransactions and rewarded economies, particularly benefit from Polygon’s optimized user experience.
Blockchain-based games and other high-transaction dApps are expected to drive significant user growth in the coming years, and MATIC’s central role in scaling Ethereum makes it a strong candidate for long-term investment.
#4 LooksRare (LOOKS) – NFT Marketplace
LooksRare is a blockchain-based platform for creating, collecting, and trading digital art and collectibles. Launched in January 2022, it hosts major NFT collections and provides tools for discovery, auctions, and minting new NFTs.
The platform supports a range of features to help collectors find new pieces and participate in online auctions. Creators can mint NFTs representing diverse collectibles, and LooksRare offers flexible marketplace functionality for buyers and sellers.
LOOKS is the native token of the LooksRare marketplace and powers several incentive mechanisms, including high-reward systems for traders who list NFTs for sale.
LOOKS has a maximum supply of 1 billion tokens, with roughly 47% (about 470 million) currently in circulation. According to the LooksRare whitepaper, the total supply is scheduled to reach the maximum within two years of the platform’s launch, around early 2024.
LooksRare’s incentive model is designed to reward NFT sellers more generously, distributing rewards frequently to encourage listing activity. Over time, these rewards can accumulate and offer attractive yields to sellers who choose the platform over alternatives.
As digital art and NFTs gain broader adoption across gaming and other blockchain domains, demand for NFT marketplace services should grow. That ecosystem expansion could support healthy performance for the LOOKS token in the years ahead.
#5 Avalanche (AVAX) – DAG-Based Technology
Avalanche is a layer-1 blockchain that enables users to create, transfer, and store digital assets. It uses the Avalanche consensus engine, which incorporates directed acyclic graph (DAG) concepts to reach consensus. This design allows the network to handle high transaction throughput while consuming less energy than many proof-of-work or earlier proof-of-stake systems.
Avalanche supports smart contracts, decentralized applications, and tokenization. Its architecture is highly scalable, capable of processing up to 4,500 transactions per second (TPS). As an open-source platform, Avalanche is accessible for developers and contributors and positions itself as a secure, user-friendly alternative for modern blockchain applications.
AVAX is Avalanche’s native token, used to secure the network by rewarding validators and to pay transaction fees for peer-to-peer transfers. Currently about 300,000,000 AVAX are in circulation, with a maximum supply of 720,000,000. Remaining tokens are gradually unlocked and added to circulating supply over time.
Avalanche offers a modern blockchain experience with high throughput, low fees, and compatibility with smart contracts. These properties address the traditional blockchain trilemma—scalability, security, and decentralization—and make Avalanche a candidate for significant on-chain activity going forward.
AVAX ranks among the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. After retreating from an all-time high near $150 to current levels under $14 at the time of this writing, AVAX retains the potential to recover toward previous highs as network adoption and demand increase.
Diversify Your Portfolio – Altcoin Summary
The 2022 crypto crisis was a stark reminder of market risk. High-profile failures like LUNA and FTT highlighted structural vulnerabilities and shook investor confidence. The positive takeaway is that blockchain technology remains resilient: innovative projects continue to be built amid volatile price action and many could deliver strong gains when the market recovers.
Metacade has recently launched its presale, drawing investor interest thanks to a compelling project roadmap and community incentives. During the presale, investors can obtain 125 MCADE per $1 invested at $0.008 per token, with the presale price expected to rise to $0.02 before public release later in the year.
The projects discussed here represent a range of use cases—from centralized exchange tokens and layer-2 scaling to NFT marketplaces and layer-1 protocols—offering diversified exposure across the crypto ecosystem. One important lesson from the 2022 downturn is that diversification helps manage volatility. The five tokens profiled span different sectors and stages, providing a mix of established infrastructure plays and early-stage opportunities worth considering for 2023.
You can participate in the MCADE presale here.