Many people are still debating whether the "altseason" has already started, but smart money seems to have already chosen the leading names for the new cycle.

The three most prominent names currently, in my opinion, are $TON, $ZEC , and $HYPE.
• $TON has a huge advantage thanks to its ecosystem linked with Telegram — where hundreds of millions of users are ready to access Web3 without complicated onboarding. If retail capital flows back, TON could completely become the new liquidity hub.
• $ZEC is gaining market attention again as the narrative around privacy and privacy rights heats up. In the context of increasing on-chain surveillance, long-established privacy coin projects could be revalued.
• $HYPE continues to be the most notable name in the perpetual DEX and on-chain liquidity space. The revenue growth story, Hyperliquid ecosystem, and expectations for scaling are causing many large funds to start accumulating aggressively.
Besides the main leaders, some potential altcoins worth watching for the next phase include:
• $TAO — benefiting strongly from the AI + decentralized compute narrative.
• $DOGE — meme coin that has never truly died, especially as market sentiment returns to an excited state.
• $PUMP — representing the new wave of meme/speculation if retail liquidity explodes again.
The new cycle usually does not increase all coins evenly. Capital will focus on the strongest narratives, real products, and communities large enough.
The next altseason may not look like 2021… but the biggest opportunities often appear before the crowd realizes.