July saw a fierce crypto showdown. XRP emerged as the dark horse. It outperformed Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap.

XRP's price skyrocketed from $0.4 to $0.65. CryptoRank data shows a 35.3% monthly gain. Bitcoin crawled up by 6.09%. Dogecoin managed a measly 1.37% increase. Ethereum actually dipped by 3.46%.

What's behind XRP's surprise win? It's all about the legal drama. The ongoing battle with the SEC is the key player here. Judge Analisa Torres ruled that some XRP sales weren't securities. But Ripple's not off the hook yet for its $1.3 billion ICO.

The SEC initially demanded $2 billion. Ripple shot back with a $10 million offer. This tug-of-war left investors feeling pretty miffed. It's been dragging on for ages, hitting XRP's price hard.

But things took a turn this month. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse hinted at a light at the end of the tunnel. He said the lawsuit would wrap up soon. No specific date, though. Talk about keeping us on our toes!

Garlinghouse's comments lit a fire under XRP. The price jumped from under $0.58 to $0.65. Investors perked up. Daily trading volume spiked 14% on Wednesday, crossing $2.36 billion.

The crypto community is buzzing with anticipation. Many expect XRP to rally once the lawsuit concludes. It's been a long four years in the legal trenches.

One analyst, Common Sense Crypto, is particularly bullish. They reckon the end of the legal saga could push XRP to a whopping $100. That's some serious optimism right there.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The crypto world is as unpredictable as ever. XRP's July performance was impressive, no doubt. But in this game, today's underdog can be tomorrow's top dog.