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ICT Trading Models: AMD, MMXM, Silver Bullet, Turtle Soup & More
ICT trading is not one model — it is a framework from which several specific models emerge. Each one applies the same underlying AMD cycle with different timing, different pattern recognition, or different market relationships. Here is the complete map of every model in this cluster, with a guide to how they fit together.
The Inner Circle Traders
Updated July 2026
10 min read
Cluster: Models & Sessions
Key Takeaways
- All ICT trading models are applications of the same foundational AMD cycle: Accumulation, Manipulation, Distribution
- AMD is the skeleton — every specific model (Silver Bullet, Turtle Soup, MMXM, Judas Swing) adds timing and pattern detail on top of this same underlying logic
- Session-based models (Silver Bullet, Kill Zones) are defined primarily by WHEN they trade; price-pattern models (Turtle Soup, Judas Swing) are defined primarily by WHAT pattern they trade
- Mastering one model fully before adding another is the single most effective way to learn this cluster
- Every model in this cluster depends on the daily bias and liquidity concepts already covered in the Foundations and Liquidity clusters
This article does not teach any single model in depth — each one has its own dedicated guide below. This is the map: the foundational AMD concept every other model assumes you understand, plus a full directory of every model and where to go to learn it properly. This follows the same function as the ICT PD Array hub for the previous cluster.
The Foundation: What is the AMD Model?
The AMD model — short for Accumulation, Manipulation, Distribution — is the three-phase price cycle that underlies virtually all ICT trading models. Understanding it is the prerequisite for everything else in this cluster.
AMD defined
Accumulation — price consolidates in a range, building the energy and liquidity needed for the next move.
Manipulation — a false, deceptive move in the opposite direction of the eventual real move, sweeping resting liquidity.
Distribution — the real directional move, running toward the genuine liquidity target that was always the actual destination.
Figure 1 — The AMD cycle: Accumulation ranges flat, Manipulation sweeps liquidity with a false move, and Distribution delivers the real directional run toward the genuine target.
The critical insight from this diagram is the proportions. Accumulation is typically the longest phase by time but the smallest by range. Manipulation is sharp and brief — a spike or sweep that traps traders positioned in the wrong direction. Distribution is the payoff: the largest, most sustained move of the three phases, running cleanly once both sides of the liquidity equation have been addressed.
How AMD Connects to Every ICT Model
Every model in this cluster is AMD expressed with a specific refinement. The Silver Bullet identifies an AMD cycle compressed into a specific kill zone window. Turtle Soup specifically targets the Manipulation phase — the false breakout — as the trigger entry. The MMXM model describes the full AMD sequence through a market-maker lens, labelling each phase by institutional intent. The Judas Swing is the Manipulation phase of AMD named specifically for the early session false move. Even the Unicorn Model (Breaker Block plus FVG) is essentially looking for a PD array entry at the transition between the Manipulation and Distribution phases.
Understanding this is more valuable than memorising each model’s rules in isolation: once you see how every model maps back to AMD, you can adapt to variations in real market conditions without being rigidly dependent on one set of rules.
The Models & Sessions Directory
Every model below has a dedicated, full-depth guide. Descriptions here are intentionally brief — pick the model most relevant to your trading style and click through for the complete breakdown.
Session-Based
ICT Kill Zones
The time-defined windows — London Open, New York Open, and the Asian range — where institutional participation is highest and ICT setups are most reliable.
Institutional Model
MMXM Model
Market Maker Buy Model and Market Maker Sell Model — the full AMD cycle described through the lens of how market makers accumulate, manipulate, and distribute positions.
Correlation-Based
SMT Divergence
Smart Money Technique Divergence — using correlated instrument pairs (EURUSD/GBPUSD, NQ/ES) to identify when one market fails to confirm a new high or low made by the other, signalling institutional repositioning.
Session-Based
ICT Silver Bullet
A specific three-step entry model designed around a precise kill zone window, identifying the AMD manipulation phase and entering on the FVG left by the displacement move that follows it.
Pattern-Based
ICT Turtle Soup
A specific strategy targeting the Manipulation phase of AMD — the false breakout beyond a prior range high or low — and entering on the reversal that follows the liquidity sweep.
PD Array Confluence
ICT Unicorn Model
A high-confluence entry model combining a Breaker Block with a Fair Value Gap on the retest — two PD array tools confirming the same zone, applied at the Manipulation-to-Distribution transition.
Entry Timing
OTE Trading
Optimal Trade Entry — the Fibonacci-based retracement framework for finding the highest-probability entry level within a confirmed displacement move, particularly within the Distribution phase of AMD.
Session Pattern
Judas Swing
The early-session false move — typically the Asian session or the London Open — that sweeps liquidity in the opposite direction of the session’s genuine bias before the real move develops. This is AMD’s Manipulation phase named for the early-morning context in which it most commonly appears.
How to Choose a Model
The right model depends on your schedule, risk tolerance, and chart-reading strengths — not on which one has the highest theoretical win rate in a backtest.
If you trade fixed, predictable hours → Kill Zones or Silver Bullet. These models require you to be at your screen during specific time windows and reward discipline around session timing.
If you prefer seeing the full institutional cycle before entering → MMXM Model. This model waits for the full AMD sequence to become visible before committing to the Distribution entry, which is more conservative but slower.
If you prefer trading false breakouts and reversals → Turtle Soup or Judas Swing. These models specifically target the Manipulation phase as the trigger, requiring you to be comfortable fading moves that look like breakouts to most traders.
If you trade correlated pairs or markets → SMT Divergence. This model adds an additional confirmation layer by requiring the correlation between two instruments to break down at a swing point, which can significantly increase conviction on entries.
Whatever you choose, study one model completely — including backtesting it across at least three months of historical data — before adding a second. See our ICT Trading Strategy guide for how daily bias and the five-step process apply regardless of which specific model you use.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Choose the Right ICT Model for Your Style
ICT offers multiple trading models, each designed for different time commitments, risk tolerances, and market preferences. Choosing the wrong model for your actual trading circumstances is one of the most common reasons students plateau — they are studying a model that does not fit their available time or temperament.
If you have a full-time job and can only check charts briefly: the London Close Trade or Daily Bias model suits you best. These require 30-60 minutes of analysis in the morning, a brief check at a specific time window, and then minimal monitoring. The setup is defined before the session, and the trade either fills or it does not.
If you have 2-3 focused hours per day during a specific session: the Silver Bullet model is ideal. Three specific 1-hour windows (3-4 AM, 10-11 AM, 2-3 PM New York) provide defined opportunities without requiring all-day monitoring. Within those windows, the mechanical approach of marking the opening price and waiting for a FVG limits the time on-screen to the kill zone itself.
If you can trade full-time across both London and New York sessions: the MMXM or AMD model gives you the full daily delivery cycle to work with. These models are more complex, require more chart time, and demand a deeper understanding of session interplay — but they also provide more opportunities per day when applied correctly.
Combining ICT Models: What Works and What Doesn't
ICT models are not mutually exclusive — experienced traders combine them, using one for direction and another for entry timing. A common combination: use the AMD model for directional context (what phase is the day in — accumulation, manipulation, or distribution?), and use the Silver Bullet entry for the actual trade execution during the manipulation-to-distribution transition.
The effective combinations share a common logic: a higher-level model provides the framework (which direction, which phase), and a lower-level model provides the execution (when exactly, from which zone). AMD → Silver Bullet, MMXM → One Minute Mastery, and Power of 3 → Judas Swing are all examples of this framework-plus-execution combination.
What does not work: combining two framework-level models without resolving the conflict between them. Using MMXM AND Power of 3 simultaneously without a clear rule for which takes precedence creates decision paralysis when they point in different directions. Pick one framework model and one execution model. Add complexity only after you have thoroughly mastered both of your primary choices.
The Mastery Timeline: How Long Does Each Model Take?
Honest expectations for model mastery matter. Trading a model correctly in a live account requires not just understanding the rules but developing the pattern recognition to identify setups correctly in real time, under pressure, with real money at stake. This takes longer than most students expect.
A realistic timeline: 3-6 months of study and backtesting to understand the rules and identify historical examples. Another 3-6 months of forward testing (paper trading or very small live size) to develop real-time recognition. 6-12 months of consistent live trading to build confidence and refine the application. Total: 12-24 months from first learning a model to trading it with full conviction and consistent results.
This timeline assumes daily practice — reviewing charts, backtesting setups, and journaling every trade. Students who study intermittently or skip the journaling phase extend this timeline significantly. The mastery timeline is not discouraging — it is clarifying. It tells you that trading results in the first 6 months are training data, not performance data. Give yourself the full development period before judging whether a model works for you.
Watch: ICT Trading Models: AMD, MMXM, Silver Bullet, Turtle Soup & More
Original ICT teaching on this concept from the Inner Circle Trader YouTube channel.
What is the AMD model in ICT trading?+
AMD stands for Accumulation, Manipulation, Distribution — the three-phase price cycle that underpins all ICT trading models. Accumulation is the consolidation phase, Manipulation is the false/deceptive move that sweeps liquidity, and Distribution is the real directional move that follows.
What is the best ICT trading model?+
There is no universally best model — the right choice depends on your schedule, trading style, and preferred setup type. Session-based traders often start with Kill Zones or Silver Bullet. Pattern-based traders often gravitate toward Turtle Soup or Judas Swing. The best advice is to pick one model, study it completely, and backtest it across three months of historical data before adding another.
What is the difference between AMD and MMXM?+
AMD is the foundational three-phase cycle (Accumulation, Manipulation, Distribution). MMXM is a specific model that describes the same cycle through a market-maker lens, typically labelling each phase by the institutional intent behind it and providing a more detailed sub-structure within the Distribution phase. MMXM is AMD with more granular institutional labelling applied on top.
What is the Judas Swing in ICT trading?+
The Judas Swing is AMD's Manipulation phase applied specifically to the early session context — typically the Asian session or early London Open. Price makes a false, deceptive move that appears directional but is actually sweeping liquidity in the opposite direction of the genuine session bias, before reversing into the real move.
How many ICT models should I learn at once?+
One. Study one model completely — understanding its setup rules, practising identification on charts, and backtesting it — before attempting a second. Trying to trade multiple models simultaneously before mastering any single one is one of the most common and costly mistakes in ICT trading education.
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