> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://theluckyducks.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://theluckyducks.gitbook.io/docs/nfts/boosts.md).
# Boost NFTs
The only collection that affects outcomes, capped at 1% on chain, with the simulated win rates to prove how small that is.
The one collection that touches race outcomes. Equip a Boost when you join and your duck carries a small speed advantage for that race.
## How the boost works
Every Boost carries a fixed size in its on chain details, written in basis points. 100 basis points is 1%, so an 80 point boost adds 0.8% to your duck's speed.
{% hint style="info" %}
The cap is on chain at **100 bps, or 1%**. A boost claiming more off chain is cut back to 1% by the contract, which keeps a boost an edge rather than a guarantee.
{% endhint %}
## Stacking and selection
One boost per race. Hold several and the join modal shows them all for you to pick from; pick none and the race runs unboosted.
One boost per race, chosen at join time.
{% hint style="success" %}
Boosts are **never consumed**. The same one works in every race you ever join.
{% endhint %}
## Are boosters fair?
The worry is reasonable: a paid speed boost sounds like pay to win. It is not, and the numbers below come from simulating the on chain velocity model directly.
### Why the boost stays small
The engine draws a duck's speed separately on each of several segments, and two numbers set the scene:
1. **Speed range per segment.** Each segment's base speed is drawn uniformly between roughly 600 and 1400 units, so an unlucky duck can be more than **2.3 times slower** than a lucky one. That gap dwarfs any boost.
2. **Boost size.** A boost multiplies a segment by at most 1.01. It cannot rescue a bad draw, only nudge a good one.
Segments per race depend on duration:
| Race duration | Segments per duck |
| ---------------- | ----------------- |
| Up to 40 seconds | 3 to 5 |
| 41 to 90 seconds | 5 to 9 |
| Over 90 seconds | 7 to 13 |
Each duck draws its own segment count, per segment weights (1-3) and per segment speeds, so nobody cruises at one speed. It looks more like duck A on 900, 620, 1350, 780, 1100 against duck B on 700, 1250, 940, 1180, 830. A 1% boost multiplies each of B's numbers by 1.01, which against that spread is tiny.
The simulated win rates in full (Monte Carlo, 200,000 simulations)
**Real win probabilities.** Base odds in a 5 player race are 20% per duck, and a boost shifts them barely:
| Boost | 5 player, 30s race | 5 player, 60s race | 5 player, 3 minute race |
| --------- | ------------------ | ------------------ | ----------------------- |
| None | 19.9% | 20.1% | 20.0% |
| +0.1% | 20.1% | 20.3% | 20.2% |
| +0.5% | 20.8% | 21.2% | 21.4% |
| +1% (max) | 21.7% | 22.4% | 22.7% |
A longer race gives the boost slightly more room, because more segments average out the draws and let a fixed multiplier show. Even at the cap and the longest duration it is about 2.7 percentage points above base.
**Bigger and smaller lobbies.** The effect shrinks as the lobby grows:
| Lobby | Base odds | +1% boost win rate |
| --------- | --------- | ------------------ |
| 1v1 | 50% | 52.0% |
| 5 player | 20% | 21.7% |
| 10 player | 10% | 11.1% |
| 20 player | 5% | 5.8% |
In every case the boost adds roughly 1 to 2 percentage points, never more.
**Where a boosted duck actually finishes.** A max +1% duck in a 5 player, 30 second race:
| Finish position | Frequency |
| --------------- | --------- |
| 1st (win) | 21.8% |
| 2nd | 20.7% |
| 3rd | 20.0% |
| 4th | 19.3% |
| 5th (last) | 18.2% |
{% hint style="info" %}
**A +1% duck finishes last almost as often as an unboosted one.** The speed draw dominates. Every finished race is public, so check for yourself: see [How to verify a race on-chain](/docs/trust-and-fairness/verifying-a-race.md).
{% endhint %}
### If you'd rather race without boosters
* **Sponsored races.** Boosts are disabled outright. If the creator funds the prize, nobody brings one.
* **No-boost races.** A creator can switch them off on any race, sponsored or not. See [No-boost races](#no-boost-races) below.
* **Allowlist races.** You control who joins, so you can invite players who agree to go without. The caveat: an allowlisted player who owns a boost **can** still equip it, because the list governs who enters, not what they bring. See [Allowed players (private invites)](/docs/races/access-and-gating.md#allowed-players-private-invites).
There is no counter NFT, and a boost cannot be neutralised or stolen. In a regular race the only answer to someone's boost is your own.
### Why the 1% cap
It is on chain and deliberate. Unbounded boosts would let a wealthy player dominate; 1% holds the maximum edge to the 1 to 2 percentage points above, and that is the ceiling rather than a starting point.
## No-boost races
A race can be created with boosts switched off for everyone, its creator included, so the result comes down to the draw alone.
You can tell them apart before joining by what is missing. A race that accepts boosts carries a ⚡ chip on its card, in the race view and on its share image, and a no-boost race carries none. The Telegram and X announcements say so in words. A crossed-out circle is a different thing: it marks a sponsored race, which refuses boosts for its own reason.
A sponsored race: the crossed-out circle stands where the bolt would be.
### Why you might create one
Boosts are small but real, and in a race where everyone else has one, going without is a small disadvantage. No-boost mode removes the question, which suits community events where not everyone owns boosts.
### Creating one
It needs a Runner NFT. The option sits on the create form, and in recipe settings if you run automated races.
### If you already own boost NFTs
Nothing is lost. They work normally in every race that has not disabled them. In a no-boost race nothing you bring is applied, and you are not charged for a boost that never took effect.
{% hint style="info" %}
[Rematches](/docs/competition/rematches.md) inherit the setting all the way down the chain, so a rematch cannot sneak boosts back into a level match.
{% endhint %}
## Verifying the badge
A participant who equipped a boost carries a small badge beside their name in the lobby, coloured by boost size: cooler for smaller, hotter for bigger. One glance tells you who is running with what.
Badge colour tracks boost size, so the lobby shows who brought what.
## Acquiring
The usual channels: scheduled mints, the in-app marketplace, third party secondary. See [Where to acquire](/docs/nfts/nfts.md#where-to-acquire). Boost floors follow how busy the game is.
