6 findings documented. All backed by on-chain data and public sources.
1. Pre-Minted KodaCams (Slevin — staked for NightGlyders)
All 25 KodaCam NFTs were minted on-chain before the hunt officially started.
Timeline: Hunt started at 21:04:04 UTC. All 25 KodaCams were minted between 20:49:13 and 20:59:18 UTC — a 10-minute burst ending 5 minutes before the hunt even began. First KodaCam (#28125) was minted 15 minutes before hunt start.
Per the competition rules, KodaCams must be "taken and minted after the hunt has begun." The on-chain timestamps show minting occurred before the hunt start time. This is independently verifiable via ApeChain block timestamps.
2. Movement Speed Anomalies (Yuppie — staked for Psilly Mutants)
The winner moved 50-100% faster than the field average on 18 out of 24 step transitions, who recorded the fastest completion time. Multiple steps show speeds that are double the next fastest runner on the same segment. Combined with two distinct avatar types in photos, this suggests possible coordinate manipulation or multi-player coordination.
3. Non-Randomized Step Order
All players received the same 25 steps in the same order (randomizeOrder: false). Players starting later could study earlier finishers' KodaCam photos to pre-map the entire route, creating a significant information asymmetry.
4. Location Blocking
Community reports indicate players deliberately blocking access to hunt locations, preventing competitors from reaching photo spots. (documented by Aurel1us on X)
5. Dual Avatar Types (Yuppie)
Yuppie's KodaCam photos show two different avatar types across the run: Psilly Mutant on 19 steps, and Voyager on 6 steps (#28175, #28176, #28186, #28187, #28188, #28190). Staked community is Psilly Mutants — the Mutant avatar is consistent with that stake. The Voyager avatar on 6 steps raises questions about why a different avatar was used mid-run. No other participant in the Trial shows two visually distinct avatar types appearing separately across their KodaCam photos. Each KodaCam is individually verifiable via OpenSea links in the player grid below.
6. Multi-Player Coordination -- Self-Reported by PsillyHeads (Yuppie's community)
On March 29, 2026, the PsillyHeads community (Yuppie's staked community) published a thread on X detailing their strategy. Key admissions:
6 people, 8 accounts/bubbles coordinated to complete the hunt
Intentionally delayed start to study earlier finishers' KodaCam photos and map the route
Built a route map from competitors' minted location metadata
Conducted dry runs to optimize bubble placement and distances
Used a fresh wallet with zero existing KodaCams to minimize validation time (explains the 8s mint-to-submit pipeline)
"We knew as soon as we completed that no one would come close"
This confirms every anomaly flagged in this report: the anomalous movement speeds (pre-placed travel bubbles across the map), the dual avatar types (multiple accounts in-world), the 9-hour start delay (intentional scouting), and the zero exploration pattern (pre-mapped route with dry runs).
Open questions raised by their own admission:
6 people but 8 accounts -- the numbers don't match. Who controls the extra 2 accounts? Are individuals running multiple accounts simultaneously? This raises questions about whether individual participants used multiple accounts during the run.
How exactly do 6 people coordinate across 8 accounts during a single run? Who controls the hunt wallet vs. who places bubbles?
Are multiple accounts logged in simultaneously from different devices, or is one person switching between accounts?
Suggestions for Improvement
Define solo vs team rules clearly -- If multi-player coordination is allowed, state it explicitly. If not, enforce single-session single-player verification. The current rules are ambiguous, which allowed PsillyHeads' team strategy.
Randomize step order -- Each player should receive steps in a unique random sequence to eliminate route-scouting advantages.
Implement server-side speed validation -- Track player position server-side and flag movement speeds that exceed known game physics limits. Reject KodaCam submissions where the player could not physically have traveled the distance in time.
Enforce mint timing validation -- Verify that KodaCam mint timestamps on-chain fall AFTER the player's hunt start time. Reject pre-minted submissions automatically.
Add anti-blocking mechanics -- Implement collision-free zones around hunt locations or allow multiple interaction points per location to prevent griefing.
Session continuity checks -- Log and verify that a single continuous game session is used throughout a competitive hunt. Flag avatar switches or session reconnections.
Staggered start windows -- Instead of a free-for-all competition window, assign randomized start slots to prevent late-starters from gaining route intelligence.
Require live streaming for competitive hunts -- For prize-eligible hunts, require participants to stream their gameplay live. This provides real-time proof of solo play, prevents multi-account coordination, and creates community content simultaneously.
Public movement logs -- For competitive hunts with prizes, publish anonymized movement data post-competition so the community can verify fairness.
Executive Summary
10 Finishers
250 KodaCams
25.1m Fastest
69.1m Slowest
2 Flagged Entries
1
Flagged Entries
ON-CHAIN FINDING: Slevin -- All 25 KodaCam NFTs minted on-chain 16-43 minutes BEFORE hunt start. Verifiable via ApeChain block timestamps vs API hunt start time.
SELF-REPORTED: Yuppie / PsillyHeads -- Movement speeds 50-100% faster than field on 18/24 steps. Fastest on 19/25 individual steps in record time. Step 6->7: 4,402 u/s vs next fastest 2,470 u/s.
Leaderboard
Avg Mint→Submit = average seconds between on-chain NFT mint and Blackbeard API step submission. Normal: 8-50s. Slevin: 1,757s (pre-minted all tokens before hunt started).
#
Player
Time
Staked
Career Hunts
Roles
Avg Mint→Submit (s)
Status
1
Yuppie
25.1 min
Psilly Mutants
4
-
-8s
MULTI-PLAYER (self-reported)
2
ROBSCOO
36.2 min
Foxy Fam
110
-
-50s
CLEAN
3
Slevin
38.6 min
NightGlyders
196
-
-1757s
PRE-MINTED
4
ThePhalangist
40.9 min
JNKYZ
11
-
-18s
CLEAN
5
Markgator
44.6 min
Zards
16
-
-16s
CLEAN
6
Aurel1us
45.6 min
Pixl Pals
77
-
-49s
CLEAN
7
NZ07
47.3 min
RILLAZ
101
-
-42s
CLEAN
8
Kraifred
47.3 min
Crypto Cats
8
-
-15s
CLEAN
9
SABOTAGE
60.7 min
Paradox: Blood of Ape
44
-
-25s
CLEAN
10
Agent
69.1 min
Flingers
4
-
-10s
CLEAN
Source: GET /api/hunts/.../leaderboard + GET /api/users/{wallet} + eth_getLogs Transfer events on ApeChain
Step-by-Step Speed Comparison (units/sec)
Speed = distance between locations / time to complete step. Red = extreme (>3000 u/s). Orange = high (>2000 u/s). Green = normal.
Step
Location
Distance
Yuppie
ROBSCOO
Slevin
ThePhala
Markgato
Aurel1us
NZ07
Kraifred
SABOTAGE
Agent
1->2
The Opensea Ship
37192
758
859
381
551
294
498
422
471
335
319
2->3
Adam's Workshop
24183
486
265
248
104
273
350
310
264
239
196
3->4
Top platform of Treehouse
26436
489
351
296
431
250
320
247
304
268
132
4->5
Cluster of Homes
142516
1769
1398
1453
500
939
1441
1308
759
586
278
5->6
Fortunes Rise III
49548
473
489
557
327
322
547
411
525
265
256
6->7
Lower Pulse District
163294
4402
1323
1776
1134
2470
1980
1850
1995
1540
1312
7->8
Art Gallery
92852
2168
2216
1093
1819
1285
1300
847
1089
1094
815
8->9
Luster Biome
37360
1002
520
397
677
480
690
288
414
267
276
9->10
Left Portal
60289
989
1040
646
847
1030
1082
686
972
536
269
10->11
Front Porch TokenGator Zo
78224
1512
982
835
1314
616
837
748
746
1093
427
11->12
Foyer of the Nexus
59478
958
440
666
943
504
777
829
692
861
711
12->13
Amphitheater Stage
87968
1138
760
854
755
855
330
367
626
557
437
13->14
House at the edge of the
71317
1725
1368
828
1253
497
1023
729
205
415
761
14->15
Fortune's Run T(h)ree
140142
1402
1072
1641
1239
1093
969
934
693
714
439
15->16
Platform of Death
124621
2110
1425
1340
976
650
1185
860
924
545
1074
16->17
PPMan's Cake
54688
1261
628
576
597
389
859
434
775
355
485
17->18
The Tower Reclaimed
124532
1474
1182
1290
1399
768
1068
797
1094
412
754
18->19
Tippy Top of the Waterfal
166026
2586
1867
1912
2005
1825
425
1555
1929
472
2278
19->20
The (secret?) Crystal Cav
112276
1489
1008
1154
1352
1097
994
975
1225
1320
899
20->21
MAYC Boat
64902
986
629
717
953
751
663
623
532
565
507
21->22
The Portal Platform
52043
689
436
602
462
484
287
394
481
416
303
22->23
Gem Rush Tease
81609
1441
1401
925
1095
1015
945
748
853
700
734
23->24
Fortune's Rise I
234309
4838
3546
2632
2573
2761
2347
2137
1922
2113
1434
24->25
Top Floor of the Temple o
117675
3126
1989
1260
1865
1630
1526
1471
1183
995
873
Source: GET /api/locations (coordinates) + GET /api/hunts/.../leaderboard (step timestamps). Speed = Euclidean distance between location coords / step completion time.
On-Chain Mint Timing vs API Submission
Delta = chain mint time - API submission time. Normal range: -5s to -60s (chain fires first, API records after). Negative hundreds/thousands = pre-minting.
Step
Yuppie
ROBSCOO
Slevin
ThePhala
Markgato
Aurel1us
NZ07
Kraifred
SABOTAGE
Agent
1
-15s
-45s
-996s
-12s
-17s
-33s
-43s
-13s
-26s
-13s
2
-6s
-44s
-994s
-14s
-15s
-36s
-57s
-9s
-25s
-16s
3
-7s
-45s
-1055s
-80s
-15s
-34s
-39s
-8s
-23s
-11s
4
-6s
-47s
-1119s
-16s
-14s
-35s
-40s
-11s
-23s
-6s
5
-6s
-49s
-1204s
-18s
-14s
-36s
-49s
-53s
-25s
-11s
6
-6s
-43s
-1261s
-14s
-22s
-36s
-43s
-11s
-25s
-21s
7
-6s
-98s
-1334s
-13s
-14s
-32s
-39s
-10s
-29s
-8s
8
-8s
-87s
-1399s
-12s
-13s
-33s
-43s
-21s
-23s
-12s
9
-6s
-49s
-1467s
-12s
-17s
-35s
-38s
-10s
-23s
-13s
10
-6s
-46s
-1534s
-16s
-15s
-36s
-37s
-10s
-20s
-8s
11
-7s
-42s
-1603s
-17s
-14s
-37s
-45s
-31s
-21s
-6s
12
-12s
-41s
-1667s
-13s
-16s
-35s
-40s
-12s
-22s
-13s
13
-7s
-45s
-1752s
-12s
-15s
-191s
-43s
-13s
-25s
-6s
14
-9s
-40s
-1815s
-13s
-16s
-199s
-41s
-11s
-23s
-9s
15
-7s
-49s
-1879s
-13s
-16s
-40s
-41s
-12s
-24s
-11s
16
-8s
-48s
-1954s
-43s
-17s
-34s
-44s
-12s
-26s
-8s
17
-7s
-50s
-2028s
-14s
-16s
-36s
-41s
-11s
-24s
-10s
18
-7s
-46s
-2105s
-13s
-19s
-37s
-38s
-11s
-23s
-10s
19
-8s
-48s
-2172s
-13s
-17s
-37s
-44s
-10s
-26s
-7s
20
-8s
-48s
-2254s
-13s
-16s
-36s
-41s
-11s
-22s
-5s
21
-9s
-46s
-2329s
-12s
-15s
-39s
-41s
-12s
-24s
-6s
22
-8s
-47s
-2394s
-16s
-21s
-36s
-43s
-11s
-25s
-5s
23
-9s
-47s
-2469s
-15s
-15s
-35s
-40s
-12s
-25s
-8s
24
-10s
-44s
-2534s
-12s
-16s
-44s
-45s
-11s
-26s
-9s
25
-8s
-45s
-2600s
-14s
-19s
-37s
-43s
-30s
-35s
-10s
Source: POST rpc.apechain.com eth_getLogs (Transfer from 0x0, topic[3]=tokenId) for mint block, eth_getBlockByNumber for block timestamp. API time from GET /api/hunts/.../leaderboard completedSteps[].completedAt.
Player Detail Cards + KodaCam Grids
M = Minted on-chain | S = Submitted to API | (delta) = seconds between mint and submission. All times UTC. Token # links to OpenSea.
KodaCam images: POST rpc.apechain.com tokenURI(#28165-#28193) -> GET dweb.link/ipfs/{hash} metadata.image
ANOMALY DETAIL: Fastest time (25.1 min) by 11 minutes in record time. Fastest on 19/25 individual steps. Never exceeds 1:45 on any step (all others have 2:00+ steps). Zero exploration spikes = pre-mapped route knowledge.
Speed anomalies: Step 6->7: 4,402 u/s (next fastest: 2,470 u/s = 78% faster). Step 23->24: 4,838 u/s (next fastest: 3,546 u/s = 36% faster). >50% faster than field average on 18/24 transitions.
PsillyHeads Admission (March 29): Publicly confirmed on X that PsillyHeads reported on X that the run involved 6 people coordinating across 8 accounts, placing travel bubbles along the route, route mapping from competitor KodaCams, dry runs, and a fresh wallet to optimize mint-to-submit speed.
On-chain mint timing is clean (6-8s delta). Started 9 hours after first finisher with non-randomized step order. Server-side movement logs needed to confirm or rule out position spoofing.
Dual Avatar Detection: Yuppie's KodaCam photos show two different avatar types: Psilly Mutant on 19 steps (consistent with staked community), and Voyager on 6 steps (#28175, #28176, #28186, #28187, #28188, #28190). The avatar switch mid-run is unusual during a 25-minute speedrun.
KodaCam images: POST rpc.apechain.com tokenURI(#28125-#28153) -> GET dweb.link/ipfs/{hash} metadata.image
ON-CHAIN DETAIL: All 25 KodaCam NFTs were minted on-chain between 20:49:13 and 20:59:18 UTC (10-minute burst). Hunt start per API: 21:04:04 UTC. First KodaCam was minted 15 minutes before the hunt began. API step submissions ran from 21:05:48 to 21:42:38 UTC (38 minutes), but all NFTs were already minted. Rules state: "All kodacams must be TAKEN AND MINTED after the hunt has begun." This is verifiable on-chain: compare Transfer event block timestamps vs leaderboard startedAt.
Additionally, step times are suspiciously uniform: range 85-104s (std dev ~5s), consistent with automated or scripted execution.
KodaCam images: POST rpc.apechain.com tokenURI(#28179-#28265) -> GET dweb.link/ipfs/{hash} metadata.image
Methodology
1. Leaderboard Data: Step completion timestamps from Blackbeard API leaderboard endpoint. Each step records wallet, token ID, and completion time.
2. On-Chain Verification: KodaCam contract Transfer events (topic[0] = Transfer, topic[1] = address(0) for mints) queried via eth_getLogs on ApeChain RPC. Block timestamps obtained via eth_getBlockByNumber. This provides the ACTUAL mint time independent of API records.
3. Movement Speed: Location coordinates from /api/locations endpoint. Euclidean distance between consecutive step locations divided by time between step completions. This is a MINIMUM speed estimate (straight-line; actual path would be longer).
4. KodaCam Metadata: tokenURI() called on KodaCam contract returns IPFS hash. Metadata includes image URL, map name, screenshot type, and scanData (detected objects/avatars).
5. Limitations: No access to server-side movement logs, session data, client version info, or IP/device fingerprints. Speed calculations use straight-line distance; actual traversal distances would be longer (making recorded speeds even more anomalous). Portal/map switch times are included in step times but the distance calculation treats cross-map moves as if direct.
Data Sources
All data in this report is independently verifiable using the following endpoints:
Blackbeard API: GET https://blackbeard.apechain.com/api/hunts/d4deb3b3-.../leaderboard -- step completion times, wallets GET https://blackbeard.apechain.com/api/hunts/d4deb3b3-... -- hunt config, step definitions GET https://blackbeard.apechain.com/api/users/{wallet} -- player profiles GET https://blackbeard.apechain.com/api/users/{wallet}/progress -- hunt history GET https://blackbeard.apechain.com/api/locations -- location coordinates + radii GET https://blackbeard.apechain.com/api/stats -- global leaderboard