The 2022 model: sweep, displace, gap, enter, in five steps
The 2022 model is the setup that pulled together the whole ICT method into one repeatable sequence, and it is the clearest way to apply everything from the earlier modules at once. It has five steps in a fixed order: a liquidity sweep, displacement that shifts structure, a fair value gap left by that displacement, an entry on the return into the gap, and a target at the opposing liquidity. Nothing here is new; it is the arrays and timing you already know, arranged into a checklist. This module walks the sequence step by step on gold.
The model overview
The 2022 model is a five-step sequence you run in order and only trade when every step is present. One, price sweeps a liquidity pool. Two, it displaces back through structure, a market structure shift. Three, that displacement leaves a fair value gap. Four, you enter on the return into the gap. Five, you target the opposing liquidity. The discipline is that steps cannot be skipped or reordered. If there was no sweep, there is no trade, however good the gap looks. The sequence is the edge.
Step one: the liquidity sweep
The model begins with a sweep. Price must raid an obvious pool first, the previous day high or low, an equal highs or lows pattern, the Asian or session extreme. This is the fuel, and it is what separates the model from chasing a break. Ideally the sweep lands inside a killzone and against a correlated-market SMT divergence from module 13. No sweep, no setup; the raid is step one for a reason.
Step two: displacement and the shift
Step two is displacement that breaks structure the other way. After the sweep, price must move with force, large bodies, little overlap, and close through the relevant swing, confirming a market structure shift. This is the proof the sweep reversed rather than continued. A limp move back is not enough; you want the energetic leg that signals intent. The displacement is what upgrades the sweep from a raid into a tradeable turn.
Step three: mark the fair value gap
Step three is to mark the fair value gap the displacement left. The energetic leg from step two will almost always leave a three-candle imbalance; that gap is your entry zone. Draw it as a box, noting its midpoint for a precise entry. If the displacement somehow left no gap, the move was weaker than it looked and you can stand aside. The gap is both the confirmation that displacement was real and the location you will enter from.
Step four: the entry
Step four is the entry on the return into the gap. Price retraces back up into the bearish gap (for a short) or down into the bullish gap (for a long), and you enter there, ideally at the midpoint. Place the stop just beyond the sweep extreme from step one, which is now defended liquidity. Optionally wait for a small lower-timeframe shift as price enters the gap for extra confirmation. The return into the gap is the only place you enter; chasing the displacement itself is the common mistake.
Step five: the target, on gold
Step five is the target: the opposing liquidity. A short that began at a swept high targets the sell-side below, the session or previous day low, equal lows, or the next clean pool. A long targets the buy-side above. Take partials at the first pool and let a runner go to the next if structure keeps shifting your way. On gold the full sequence often completes within a session when it fires in a killzone; if any step is missing or out of order, there is simply no trade, and waiting for the complete sequence is the whole method.
FAQ
What are the five steps of the 2022 model?
One, a liquidity sweep. Two, displacement that shifts structure the other way. Three, a fair value gap left by that displacement. Four, an entry on the return into the gap. Five, a target at the opposing liquidity. They must happen in that order.
Why must the sweep come first?
Because the sweep is the fuel. The model trades the reversal after the market has collected the stops it wanted, which is what separates it from chasing a breakout. No sweep means no setup, however clean the later pattern looks.
Where exactly do I enter and place the stop?
You enter on the return into the fair value gap left by the displacement, ideally at its midpoint. The stop goes just beyond the sweep extreme from step one, which is now defended liquidity, usually giving a tight, well-defined risk.
What do I target?
The opposing liquidity. A short that started at a swept high targets sell-side below, such as the session or previous day low or equal lows; a long targets buy-side above. Take partials at the first pool and let a runner go to the next if structure keeps agreeing.
What if one of the steps is missing?
Then there is no trade. The edge is the complete, ordered sequence. If there was no sweep, or the displacement left no gap, or structure did not actually shift, you wait. Forcing a trade from an incomplete sequence is how the model is misused.