Funding
Where the money comes from
Every USDC paid to a player comes out of the rewards pool, and the pool is filled from exactly two places. Nothing is minted to pay you, and nothing is promised that the pool does not already hold.
The rule
Payouts never exceed the pool. Tiers are sized from the pool's balance when a season opens. Bounties are paid from the same pool as they happen. If the pool runs ahead, the next season's tiers go up; the current season's never move.
USDC on Solana, to the wallet you played with. Connect a wallet to play ranked. Ladder tiers settle every Sunday; bounties settle with the ladder. Claims are yours to take any time after settlement.