These days, watching everyone do tasks during airdrop season feels just like clocking in at work—points, anti-witchcraft, various spreadsheets for reconciliation… I watch on the side and think: there’s actually “cutting in line” on the blockchain too, it’s just not that you didn’t do the task, but that your transaction was broadcast right after you sent it, and someone (or a bot) saw it and made some manipulations in the ordering.

To put it simply, MEV doesn’t affect “who is better at writing scripts,” but rather whether the same transaction is placed before or after others, which can change the outcome: you want to swap a token with slippage, but get squeezed and it becomes more expensive; you think you clicked quickly, but actually you can’t grab a spot in line. What’s even more frustrating is that it shifts “fairness” from the rules to computational power/relationships/bidding. My little habit is to avoid chasing hot topics during busy times, set more protections before trading (don’t set too loose slippage), and split orders when possible… Anyway, don’t treat the blockchain like waiting in line to buy bubble tea; it’s not really about first come, first served.