In this Sorare review, our analyst delves deep into the site to tell you everything you need to know before signing up. Stay tuned for our exclusive Sorare sign-up bonus!
The evolution of DFS and sports betting continues not only in the U.S. but around the globe. Case in point – Sorare.com, a platform that combines DFS with the increasingly popular world of non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. Sorare, through their Blockchain-based platform, hopes to represent the future of digital fantasy sports around the globe through the sale of digital playing cards as NFTs and the construction of Fantasy lineups based on the NFT cards that a user owns.
As a new concept in the world of DFS, there are a lot of questions about the validity, seriousness, and effectiveness of the Sorare platform. Many also question whether this is a legitimate DFS option for players in the U.S. market. Our Sorare review will explain the good and the bad of the platform and give our take on the revolutionary marriage between DFS and NFTs.
Sorare Review
The DFS industry continues to grow, and with that comes the need for new and exciting options for both newcomers and experienced DFS players. French company Sorare has been able to combine two emerging global trends: DFS and NFTs, which are, in Sorare’s case, digital trading cards that allow you to build a Fantasy roster with cards that you have purchased in the open NFT marketplace.
Sorare doesn’t depend on a Fantasy Draft, as traditional platforms do. Tokenized playing cards that you purchase (and can sell OR trade) via an Ethereum blockchain take DFS into the NFT world. Each card that is purchased can be tracked and traced and are a unique digital asset.
While playing cards are purchased, Sorare games are free to play. European soccer enthusiasts build a lineup of 5 cards, NBA games consist of 5-player teams, and MLB games require 7-player lineups. Cards are divided into various categories – common, limited, rare, super rare and unique rarity. Obviously, common cards are the most widely available – players will need to win/trade/buy the higher caliber cards in order to maximize their chances of building the best weekly digital Fantasy team.
Kelly Olynyk is a “common” Sorare card
Getting Started With Sorare
Joining Sorare is as simple as any online sports betting platform in the business in our Sorare review experience. On the main page, you will find a “Sign Up” tab where you enter your email address before creating a username and password. You can also create an account by signing into your Google or Facebook account, assuming that you are 18 years of age or older. After accepting the Terms and Conditions, you are officially part of the Sorare experience. The entire process only takes a few minutes.
Assembling a Sorare Fantasy Roster
After signing up for an account, new players receive a complimentary set of common cards digitally to immediately build their team. New players can even use those common cards to immediately enter free-to-play tournaments against other players. The initial cards are free and are derived from some information gathered during the sign-up process.
These “common cards” are the Sorare base for new players. Higher-level cards can quickly and easily be added to a team. Adding to your card library comes via an online card auction and can be paid for by credit card or by cryptocurrency. Players essentially shop the NFT Playing Card Marketplace and purchase cards of players they identify as important to them. There is a huge variety of factors that players can consider when shopping for such cards, including price, rarity, league, club, and position.
Teams are created using digital cards owned by Sorare customers
The idea is to build the strongest weekly team possible – upgrading your series of available cards through marketplace purchase is the only way to do so. As mentioned, for football, you make a 5-player roster, for NBA, you make the same 5-player roster, and for MLB, you create a 7-player Fantasy team before submitting your lineups.
During testing, we were impressed by the ease and organization of the marketplace and the player-friendly focus of the brand. As a totally new spin on Fantasy gaming, instructions to bolster one’s roster and the overall execution of the purchase process were streamlined and interactive.
Sorare Games and Tournaments
The Sorare experience begins once your cards have been collected. Directions on how to actually enter a tournament are clear and accessible to all users. It is easy to join a league, build a team, and even make yourself eligible for online auctions for upgraded Sorare cards.
There is some strategy required in the team building and choice of leagues – Sorare requires some time, and some money in order to maximize teams and compete in more advanced tournaments.
Instead of offering a series of bet types, like traditional sportsbooks and DFS pick-em sites do, Sorare gives users a chance to join a huge variety of tournaments. There are a host of tournaments that are divided into skill levels, in order to keep newer players with common-type cards away from other users that have been at it awhile and have accumulated rare, super rare and unique rarity cards.
Each Sorare tournament is unique and dynamic – they change each week with users being able to pick and choose the tournaments they want to enter. Prizes vary as well, depending on the skill, complexity, and overall competitiveness of each league. Sorare offers everything from Rookie Leagues for newcomers, all the way up to All-Star leagues for experienced players searching for the biggest prizes.
All-around scores at the end of each week will determine tournament winners. Season-long tournaments will keep tabs of weekly points, similar to a typical Fantasy league. The one drawback is the fact that users will almost certainly have to spend money in order to be competitive in tournaments. The free cards issued upon sign-up will not take you very far in the Sorare world. Cards can be expensive, and staying up-to-speed in the marketplace is also a time investment that many may not find appealing.
Once a team is assembled, it can be entered in various tournaments and contests
Sports Available on Sorare
Sorare only offers three sports, which is disappointing. The fact that there is no NFL, by far the biggest fantasy sport in the North American market, is a big drawback to Sorare. Right now, the only sports available on Sorare are:
- European Soccer
- NBA
- MLB
Sorare’s roots are in Europe, so it is no surprise to see a focus on European Football. Their coverage of NBA and MLB is impressive and gives a sense that the company indeed does have a North American focus. But that focus won’t come to full fruition until we see the NFL becoming part of the overall Sorare picture.
The Overall Sorare Experience
It is easy to be skeptical of a new platform, offering up a new way of playing something so familiar. We entered our Sorare review with some reservations about the complexities, the card purchase angle, and just how quickly/slowly it would take to build a legitimate team through the aforementioned NFT card marketplace.
Thankfully, our Sorare experience was a good one. Everything that we encountered on the site worked smoothly, from the registration process to the banking (more on that coming up), to the marketplace and purchase of cards, to the explanation and ultimate joining of tournaments, which are tailored to card quality and user ability. While slightly complicated on its face, Sorare was easy to use and as interactive a Fantasy platform as we have seen.
Sure, there is an investment required to field a competitive team, but from a graphics and overall operations standpoint, we came away impressed with how the company marries Fantasy gaming and NFTs to create an interactive and fun DFS platform.
Sorare Banking Options
Sorare requires all users to have a digital wallet. According to the Sorare homepage, “In your Wallet, you may store your Collectibles and the other digital assets designed to work as a medium of exchange on blockchain and accepted as payment throughout the Services.”
Banking is only necessary through the purchase of Sorare.com cards and the possible playouts if you win one of their tournaments. Cards are purchased by a bidding process through the company’s marketplace. Transactions can be completed by credit card or cryptocurrency, all of which will need to be present in your E-wallet. The same holds true with deposits or withdrawals, which must be linked from your Sorare Wallet account to an external one.
Banking with Sorare is definitely not as straightforward as other DFS operators due to the lack of options available to users. But Sorare is not exactly your typical provider. A reliance on cryptocurrency might prove to be a clever adaptation to the technological world that we are living in today. Or it might backfire if crypto becomes less popular and loses value in the global market. Online banking, bank transfers and e-checks would be a nice addition, which would put Sorare more in line with traditional DFS companies.
Sorare Customer Service
In addition to a lack of banking options, Sorare also lacks multiple customer service options. At present, Sorare offers just e-mail support. Sorare boasts that it is able to address any questions/queries from its customers within 48 hours. Frankly, the company must add additional customer service options in order to keep up with the competition. At a minimum, 24/7 Live Chat and a phone option that would allow customers to talk to an actual agent should be offered. These days, with everyone expecting an immediate answer to their questions, email alone doesn’t cut it.
Final Thoughts on Sorare
Sorare offers something completely new to DFS enthusiasts. The sporting world already seems to have aligned with Sorare and its take on Fantasy gaming. Some 126 sports clubs from around the world, including Real Madrid, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain FC, and Bayern München, are on board, with many more sure to come.
The company needs to expand the menu of sports, banking options, and upgrade its customer service options. Also, questions remain about just how long the value of cards will be maintained, and how viable the platform is long-term. Will its reliance on cryptocurrency come back to haunt those who invest time and money into the platform?
At the end of the day, we enjoyed our overall Sorare experience. While users may spend a bit more money and time acquiring cards that made our teams more competitive, it is still relatively affordable. Plus, users have the opportunity to sell cards at any time.
Learning the ins-and-outs of the platform takes time, as does learning some strategies of just how to maximize the Sorare experience. But Sorare may just be onto something, allowing its users to collect NFTs and using them as part of their weekly Fantasy lineups.
Sorare is worth a try for the novelty and uniqueness of its platform, but there are better options out there for fans of traditional DFS gaming.
