Axie Classic announced on July 19 that the Season 15 Championship is now live. The studio claims the top eight players are competing for a 3,000 bAXS prize pool . Given the game's history of delayed promises, it's worth treating that number with a grain of salt. The studio had recently opened the Season 15 offseason, setting the championship start for July 18 . In a separate update on July 15, they launched Evolved Part Benefits in Terrariums, supposedly giving players a larger cut of the bAXS pool through evolved parts . Now, the tournament is underway, with matches streaming on Twitch and YouTube. Whether the prize pool actually materializes as promised remains to be seen.

https://youtu.be/C7LQ9nXRCEA

In this screenshot from Axie Classic during Round 1 of battle, three player creatures stand on the left side of an arena while a large card named Spicy Surprise is highlighted in the center foreground over a row of playable cards at the bottom.

Whimsical Hand-Painted Art Direction

Here's a look at the art direction in Axie Classic. The whole thing is built around 2D cartoon digital art with a handcrafted look, using clean lines. The little chibi creatures come in pink, blue, green, and black. They also have extras like horns, glasses, and shell bits. Those extras make each one easy to spot in a crowd. That sandy arena has chunky stone ruins and carved faces. It gives the fights a light, fanciful playground feel. It's like a fantasy diorama you can actually move through. The art stays bright and playful without ever feeling cluttered.

Chibi creatures with shell details pop against carved ruins.

JRPG

In this screenshot from Axie Classic during Round 2 of battle, six colorful creatures engage on a sandy field while the player's hand displays various card options at the bottom and an opponent's active cards are highlighted above.

Player Sentiment Divided

Despite the art direction, commenters still enjoy watching top-tier Axie Classic players. This is especially true when a Beast Axie lands massive critical hits and wipes out opponents . But now they're getting real about the problems. Fans complain that the game has become too expensive for most. Single Axies cost thousands of dollars, and players struggle to afford teams . Players are split on the card upgrade system. Some say it makes the game unbalanced and less fun compared to the original classic version . Commenters mention many viewers miss the old days of Axie and feel nostalgic. Still, they also appreciate learning new strategies from skilled gameplay videos .

We also checked video comments and found a few comments contain suspicious links or off-topic promotion, while the vast majority are genuine game discussions.

In this screenshot from Axie Classic, three distinct creatures stand on wooden stumps in an outdoor setting while the game's user interface displays menu options like Adventure and Arena alongside player information for DocNique.

Axie Token Spike

Here's how AXS has been moving lately. The token had been trailing behind other gaming tokens, and while the announcement caused a temporary price bump, the longer-term picture is grim. The 90-day decline of 14.9% versus the gaming index's 10.2% gain? That's a major L for AXS holders.

- 30-day range: $0.9126 to $1.25 - Past 90 days: -14.9% (vs. other game tokens: +10.2%) - Our wash-trading signal score: 14/100

Season 15 Contenders

Okay, charts aside, let's get to the real news. Eight players are in the spotlight: Chan, Abigailsita, Eshaz, Lester, Lance, Mitsuya, Reysinn, and Noel. They're duking it out for 3,000 bAXS and the title of Season 15 Champion. That's a lot of bAXS, even if one commenter joked it's "like 3 meals in 2021 money". Ouch.

Some people in the replies are rooting hard. "Giving it their all!" said one fan. But not everyone is feeling the hype. Another commenter called it a "championship of the third world countries" and added a sad face. The response is split, but either way, the action is happening actual-time on Twitch and YouTube.

The poster shows a fantasy landscape and the Axie Infinity logo, with player headshots lined up. It's a big moment for the Classic community, even if the game's past has been rocky. For now, the leading 8 are battling, and the winner gets bragging rights plus a nice chunk of bAXS.

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