ICT Entry Models Compared: Which Setup Should You Learn First?

Once you have learned fair value gaps, order blocks, breakers and kill zones, a new problem appears: there are too many ways to enter. Each one has a name, a following and a set of examples that look convincing in hindsight. This lesson lines up the most common ICT entry models so you can see what actually differs between them, then helps you pick one to practise first.

What it is

An ICT "entry model" is a set of rules for turning an idea into an order. Under the different names, most of them follow the same skeleton:

1. A draw on liquidity, the target the trader expects price to reach.
2. A sweep of liquidity on the opposite side.
3. Displacement, often with a market structure shift (MSS).
4. An entry on the retrace into a PD array.
5. A stop where the idea is clearly wrong.

What the models change is mostly step 4 and step 5: which array you enter at, and where the stop sits. Some add a time rule on top. Educators also define several of these slightly differently, so treat the table below as a practical summary rather than an official list.

The ten models at a glance

You can read more about the ICT 2022 model, the Unicorn model and Turtle Soup in their own lessons.

How to identify which model you are looking at

1. Find the sweep. Which liquidity was taken, and in which session?
2. Find the displacement. Did it break a swing point? If not, most models are not active yet.
3. List the arrays the displacement left. An FVG, an order block, a breaker, an OTE zone, or several at once.
4. Note overlaps. A breaker overlapping an FVG is a Unicorn; an FVG inside the OTE zone is a confluence many traders like.
5. Check the clock. If the sequence happens inside a Silver Bullet hour or a kill zone, the time-based models apply.
6. Pick the entry your rulebook allows, not the one that looks best after the fact.

Worked example: one setup, four entries

All prices are illustrative. Assume EUR/USD on the 5-minute chart during the London kill zone (02:00–05:00 ET).

• At 03:10 ET price sweeps the Asian low at 1.0820, trading down to 1.0812.
• It then displaces up to 1.0868, breaking a swing high at 1.0855 (the MSS). The breakout candle closes at 1.0858.
• The displacement leaves a bullish FVG from 1.0838 to 1.0846, with its 50% level at 1.0842.
• The leg is 56 pips (1.0868 − 1.0812). Its OTE levels are about 1.0833 (62%), 1.0829 (70.5%) and 1.0824 (79%).
• The draw on liquidity is the previous day high at 1.0900.
• Every version uses the same stop: 1.0807, 5 pips below the sweep low.

The setup is identical; only the entry changes. The MSS entry is almost certain to be filled but pays less than it risks. The OTE entry pays more than three times its risk but is the least likely to be filled, because price often turns before reaching it. Neither is "correct". They are different trade-offs, and your results depend on applying one consistently.

Position size also changes with the stop distance. With a $10,000 account risking 1% ($100) and about $10 per pip per standard lot, the FVG 50% entry allows $100 ÷ (35 × $10) ≈ 0.29 lots, while the OTE entry allows $100 ÷ (22 × $10) ≈ 0.45 lots. Same dollar risk, different size. The Position Size Calculator handles this for you.

How traders use it

• Start with one model. Many learners begin with the plain fair value gap entry after a sweep and MSS, because its rules are easy to write down and check. That is a reasonable first choice, not a requirement.
• Add filters, not models. Once the base model is familiar, add a time filter (a kill zone) or a location filter (discount for longs) rather than a second entry type.
• Use confluence carefully. An FVG sitting inside the OTE zone is one array confirming another. It is not a reason to double your size.
• Journal by model. Tag each trade with the model used so you can see which one suits your schedule and temperament.

Trading involves substantial risk of loss. No entry model removes it; a model only makes your decisions repeatable.

Common mistakes

• Switching models mid-trade. Entering on the MSS, then moving the stop as if it were an OTE entry.
• Collecting models. Learning all ten at once makes every chart look like a setup.
• Judging a model on three trades. A small sample says almost nothing.
• Ignoring missed fills. A deep entry that is rarely filled may look great on paper and produce few trades in practice.
• Same size, different stops. Keep risk in dollars fixed and let lot size adjust.

Summary

ICT entry models share one skeleton: draw on liquidity, sweep, displacement, then an entry on a retrace with a stop beyond the sweep. They differ in where you enter and how tight the stop is, which trades fill rate against reward-to-risk. Compare them on the same setup, choose one, write its rules down and practise it long enough to judge it fairly.