Timing Games

Question

Which entities delay their blocks to extract more MEV?

Background

Some validators delay their block proposals to squeeze out more MEV. This analysis looks at the past week to see who's doing it.

How we score timing behavior

We calculate a timing game score (z-score) for each entity based on their median block arrival time:

• Conservative (z < 0): Blocks arrive faster than average
• Neutral (0 ≤ z ≤ 2): Normal timing
• Suspect (z > 2): Blocks consistently arrive late, ~2 standard deviations above the mean

Investigation

Classification Breakdown

Head Votes vs Blob Count

Late blocks with blobs get punished harder. The more blobs, the fewer head votes when you're late.

Score Distribution

Timing Scores by Entity

Sorted by score (most suspect at top). Only showing entities with enough blocks to matter.

Top Suspects (z > 2)

These entities consistently propose late. Min 10 blocks required.

All Entities

Takeaways

• Entities classified as "Suspect" (z > 2) consistently propose blocks later than average, likely to extract more MEV
• Late blocks with blobs are punished harder - the more blobs, the fewer head votes when proposing late
• The z-score distribution shows most entities cluster around neutral timing, with a tail of late proposers
• Conservative entities (z < 0) show that fast block propagation is possible - they're not playing timing games