Strategy Graveyard

Real trading strategies that failed in backtesting. Learn from their mistakes and rebuild them better.

Naive RSI 30/70

BTC 1h
PnL: -18.4%
Win Rate: 38.5%
Trades: 187

Classic mean-reversion strategy using RSI 30/70 thresholds on BTC 1H.

Golden Cross 50/200

BTC 4h
PnL: -9.6%
Win Rate: 41.7%
Trades: 12

Classic golden cross strategy using 50/200 EMA crossover on BTC 4H.

MACD Default Settings

ETH 1h
PnL: -23.1%
Win Rate: 36.5%
Trades: 156

Default MACD (12,26,9) parameters on ETH 1H.

20-Bar Breakout

SOL 4h
PnL: -27.9%
Win Rate: 33.7%
Trades: 89

20-bar breakout strategy on SOL 4H with time-based exit.

Bollinger Squeeze

BTC 1h
PnL: -14.6%
Win Rate: 42.3%
Trades: 201

Bollinger Band bounce strategy on BTC 1H with fixed percentage exit.

RSI Scalper 5m

ETH 5m
PnL: -32.2%
Win Rate: 48.2%
Trades: 1842

5-minute RSI scalping strategy on ETH.

Fast EMA 5/20

DOGE 15m
PnL: -38.9%
Win Rate: 35.2%
Trades: 534

Fast EMA 5/20 crossover strategy on DOGE 15m.

MACD Daily BTC

BTC 1d
PnL: -11.2%
Win Rate: 37.5%
Trades: 8

Daily MACD crossover strategy on BTC with wide TP/SL.

Short Breakout XRP

XRP 1h
PnL: -34.6%
Win Rate: 31.3%
Trades: 278

10-bar short breakout strategy on XRP 1H.

Bollinger 1H SOL

SOL 1h
PnL: -21.4%
Win Rate: 39.3%
Trades: 145

Bollinger Band bounce strategy on SOL 1H with ATR exit.

RSI Extreme 10/90

BNB 4h
PnL: -8.9%
Win Rate: 33.3%
Trades: 6

Extreme RSI 10/90 threshold strategy on BNB 4H.

Triple EMA Stack

BTC 1h
PnL: -25.7%
Win Rate: 37.8%
Trades: 312

Fast EMA 8/21 crossover on BTC 1H — marketed as triple EMA but is actually just a dual cross.

Volume Breakout ETH

ETH 4h
PnL: -19.9%
Win Rate: 34.3%
Trades: 67

Volume breakout strategy on ETH 4H looking for 2x volume spikes.

SMC Structure BTC

BTC 4h
PnL: -13.5%
Win Rate: 40.7%
Trades: 54

Smart Money Concept structure break strategy on BTC 4H.

SMC Level Entry ETH

ETH 1h
PnL: -26.8%
Win Rate: 36.7%
Trades: 98

Smart Money Concept level entry strategy on ETH 1H.

MACD Scalper SOL

SOL 5m
PnL: -41.2%
Win Rate: 46.8%
Trades: 1567

MACD scalping strategy on SOL 5m with fast parameters.

RSI Divergence BTC

BTC 4h
PnL: -15.7%
Win Rate: 40.5%
Trades: 42

RSI divergence strategy on BTC 4H with ATR exit.

Slow EMA 100/200

ETH 1d
PnL: -12.3%
Win Rate: 40.0%
Trades: 5

Ultra-slow EMA 100/200 crossover strategy on ETH daily.

50-Bar Breakout BTC

BTC 4h
PnL: -18.9%
Win Rate: 34.8%
Trades: 23

50-bar breakout strategy on BTC 4H.

Tight Bollinger LINK

LINK 1h
PnL: -23.5%
Win Rate: 41.0%
Trades: 456

Tight Bollinger Bands (10 period, 1.5 std dev) strategy on LINK 1H.

Classic RSI TRX

TRX 4h
PnL: -28.9%
Win Rate: 35.8%
Trades: 123

Classic RSI 30/70 strategy on TRX 4H.

Death Cross SUI

SUI 1d
PnL: -15.7%
Win Rate: 25.0%
Trades: 4

Death cross strategy on SUI daily using 50/200 EMA with time-based exit.

MACD Hourly XRP

XRP 1h
PnL: -22.4%
Win Rate: 37.1%
Trades: 167

MACD default parameters strategy on XRP 1H with ATR exit.

Volume Spike DOGE

DOGE 1h
PnL: -35.7%
Win Rate: 32.6%
Trades: 89

Volume spike strategy on DOGE 1H looking for 3x volume explosion.

Daily Breakout BNB

BNB 1d
PnL: -16.8%
Win Rate: 36.4%
Trades: 11

Daily 30-bar breakout strategy on BNB.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Strategy Graveyard?

A Strategy Graveyard is a collection of trading strategies that were backtested on real market data and found to be unprofitable. Each strategy includes the exact parameters used, performance metrics, and an analysis of why it failed.

Why should I study failed trading strategies?

Studying failed strategies helps you avoid common mistakes like over-fitting, poor risk management, and ignoring market regime changes. Learning what doesn't work is just as important as learning what does.

Can these failed strategies be fixed?

Many strategies in the graveyard can be improved with better exit rules, different timeframes, or additional filters. Each strategy includes an improvement hint and a link to the Strategy Rebuild tool where you can test modifications.

Try the Strategy Rebuild Tool