Chain selection **directly shapes airdrop success** through four key factors:  

1. **Ecosystem Maturity** – Newer chains (e.g., Berachain, Monad) offer higher drop odds but higher risks.  
2. **Cost Efficiency** – Low-fee chains (Solana, Cosmos) enable high-volume farming vs. expensive Ethereum L1.  
3. **Regulatory Exposure** – U.S.-friendly chains (Polygon, Avalanche) avoid OFAC-sanctioned pitfalls like Tornado Cash.  
4. **Competition Levels** – Less saturated chains (Canto, Injective) offer better reward ratios than crowded L2s.  

*Strategy*: Allocate **60% to established chains** (Arbitrum, zkSync) and **40% to high-potential newcomers**. Track trends via **[Chainlist](https://chainlist.org)**.