aTokens
The aETH aToken
aTokens are interest-bearing tokens from the Aave Protocol. They are minted upon deposit and burned when redeemed. The aTokens are pegged 1:1 to the value of the underlying asset that is deposited in the Aave protocol. aTokens can be freely stored, transferred, and traded. See the Aave FAQ for more information on the Aave Protocol.
So how are aTokens relevant to Aavegotchi? Every Aavegotchi has to be summoned through a portal, and have to be collateralized by an aToken before they are brought to life! No exceptions! That's why you need aTokens and this page will provide you with some helpful information on what are the available aTokens and how do you get them.
When Aavegotchi shifted from Ethereum Mainnet to the Matic Network, these aTokens need to be available on the Matic Network as well. Our in-house coding genius and diamondboi, Nick Mudge managed to bridge them over to the Matic Network. aTokens on the Matic Network are known as maTokens.
From a gamer's standpoint, playing Aavegotchi involves:
- Getting some aTokens
- Converting aTokens to maTokens
- After opening a Portal, using maTokens as collateral to summon an Aavegotchi
In this page, we will instruct you in the ways of the aTokens.
In Aavegotchi, the terms "Spirit Force", "Collateral", "aTokens", and "maTokens" mean the same thing.
About
While the underlying asset is loaned out to borrowers, aTokens accrue interest in real time, directly in your wallet! Seriously, you can watch your balance grow every minute.
aTokens can be classified into one of two categories: (1) cryptocurrencies, or (2) stablecoins. Cryptocurrencies are digital or virtual currencies that are secured by cryptography. Many cryptocurrencies are decentralized networks based on blockchain technology—a distributed ledger enforced by a disparate network of computers. Stablecoins are a class of cryptocurrencies that attempts to offer price stability by being pegged to an external reference such as the US Dollar (USD). The underlying mechanism of pegging differs across stablecoins, with each having its own risk profile.
The following aTokens (cryptocurrencies and stablecoins) are available on the Aave Protocol. The Supported by Aavegotchi column indicates whether a given aToken will be available for Aavegotchi gameplay. The list of supported aTokens are not finalized; there will be twitter votes/DAO votes to add in more aTokens for Aavegotchi gameplay based on player demand.
Stablecoins
| Image | Name | Description | Supported by Aavegotchi |
|---|---|---|---|
 | aDAI | Stablecoin backed by collateral on the Maker Platform. | Yes |
 | aUSDC | A fully collateralized US dollar stablecoin jointly created by Circle and Coinbase. | Yes |
 | aTUSD | Stablecoin issued by TrustToken that is fully collateralized and legally protected. | TBC |
 | aUSDT | A stablecoin that mirrors the price of the U.S. dollar, issued by Tether. | Yes |
 | asUSD | A synthetic USD token enabled by the Synthetix protocol. | TBC |
 | aBUSD | A 1:1 USD-backed stable coin issued by Binance (in partnership with Paxos). | TBC |
Cryptocurrencies
| Image | Name | Description | Supported by Aavegotchi |
|---|---|---|---|
 | aETH | Digital, global money. The currency of Ethereum DApps. | Yes |
 | aAAVE | Governance token of Aave Protocol. Stakers provide security to the protocol. | Yes |
 | aUNI | Governance token of Uniswap Exchange. | Yes |
 | aYFI | Governance token of Yearn Finance. | Yes |
 | aBAT | Token that powers Brave Browser and digital advertising. | TBC |
 | aREN | Token that powers the RenVM and Darknodes. | TBC |
 | aENJ | Token used to back the value of assets created on Enjin. | TBC |
 | aKNC | Token that powers Kyber Network. | TBC |
 | aLINK | Token that powers a decentralized oracle network. | Yes |
 | aMANA | Native currency in Decentraland. | TBC |
 | aREP | Token used to participate in Augur's prediction markets. | TBC |
 | aSNX | Token that backs the synthetic assets on Synthetix Exchange. | TBC |
 | aWBTC | Tokenized version of Bitcoin on Ethereum. | TBC |
 | aZRX | Token that is used to pay fees on the 0x protocol. | TBC |
 | aCRV | Governance token of Curve Finance. | TBC |
Getting aTokens
The following steps are taken from the Zero to Hero Guide 2.0 from Aave Medium. It has been replicated here for the reader's convenience.
1). Head over to the Aave Protocol to get started!
2). Here you have a few options to link your crypto wallet, depending on which type of wallet you have:
3). Before you can use Aave Protocol, you’re going to want to have some crypto assets. The list of available crypto assets are shown in the Stablecoins and the Cryptocurrencies sections above.
If you don’t own any crypto but you want to join the fun, you’ll need to convert your fiat currency (normal money, like dollars, euros, etc.) into a cryptographic asset (like one of the above).
Lucky for you, Aave recently introduced a fiat to crypto onramp where you can buy crypto assets directly from the Aave Protocol application! Now you can use Transak or Ramp Instant to buy the asset of your choice directly with a credit or debit card or wire transfer in just a few minutes (see below).
4). Once you have connected your wallet to the platform, you can deposit an asset into Aave Protocol. When you click “deposit”, the interface will show you what you have available in your wallet to deposit. You then select the asset you would like to deposit, choose how much to deposit, and then voilá, you’ve done it! Note: there will be an "approve" transaction before the actual deposit transaction takes place. This is to grant permission to the deposit contract to use that particular asset you are depositing.
As soon as your deposit transaction goes through, you benefit from the deposit interest rate. The aToken version of the asset can now be seen in your wallet.
Converting aTokens into maTokens
Got your aTokens? Good!
Let's head over to the maTokens page for Step 2!
