ICT Venom Trading Model [TradingFinder] SMC NY Session 2025Setup

Introduction

The ICT Venom Model is one of the most advanced strategies in the ICT framework, designed for intraday trading on major US indices such as US100, US30, and US500. This model is rooted in liquidity theory, time and price dynamics, and institutional order flow.

The Venom Model focuses on detecting Liquidity Sweeps, identifying Fair Value Gaps (FVG), and analyzing Market Structure Shifts (MSS). By combining these ICT core concepts, traders can filter false breakouts, capture sharp reversals, and align their entries with the real institutional liquidity flow during the New York Session.


Key Highlights of ICT Venom Model:

1. Intraday focus: Optimized for US indices (US100, US30, US500).
   
2. Time element: Critical window is 08:00–09:30 AM (Venom Box).
   
3. Liquidity sweep logic: Price grabs liquidity at 09:30 AM open.
   
4. Confirmation tools: MSS, CISD, FVG, and Order Blocks.
   
5. Dual setups: Works in both Bullish Venom and Bearish Venom conditions.
   

At its core, the ICT Venom Strategy is a framework that explains how institutional players manipulate liquidity pools by engineering false breakouts around the initial range of the market. Between 08:00 and 09:30 AM New York time, a range called the “Venom Box” is formed.

This range acts as a trap for retail traders, and once the 09:30 AM market open occurs, price usually sweeps either the high or the low of this box to collect stop-loss liquidity. After this liquidity grab, the market often reverses sharply, giving birth to a classic Bullish Venom Setup or Bearish Venom Setup


The Venom Model (ICT Venom Trading Strategy) is not just a pattern recognition tool but a precise institutional trading model based on time, liquidity, and market structure. By understanding the Initial Balance Range, watching for Liquidity Sweeps, and entering trades from FVG zones or Order Blocks, traders can anticipate market reversals with high accuracy. This strategy is widely respected among ICT followers because it offers both risk management discipline and clear entry/exit conditions. In short, the Venom Model transforms liquidity manipulation into actionable trading opportunities.

Bullish Setup:



Bearish Setup:




🔵How to Use

The ICT Venom Model is applied by observing price behavior during the early hours of the New York session. The first step is to define the Initial Range, also called the Venom Box, which is formed between 08:00 and 09:30 AM EST. This range marks the high and low points where institutional traders often create traps for retail participants. Once the official market opens at 09:30 AM, price usually sweeps either the top or bottom of this box to collect liquidity.

After this liquidity grab, the market tends to reverse in alignment with the true directional bias. To confirm the setup, traders look for signals such as a Market Structure Shift (MSS), Change in State of Delivery (CISD), or the appearance of a Fair Value Gap (FVG). These elements validate the reversal and provide precise levels for trade execution.

🟣Bullish Setup

In a Bullish Venom Setup, the market first sweeps the low of the Venom Box after 09:30 AM, triggering sell-side liquidity collection. This downward move is often sharp and deceptive, designed to stop out retail long positions and attract new sellers. Once liquidity is taken, the market typically shifts direction, forming an MSS or CISD that signals a reversal to the upside.

Traders then wait for price to retrace into a Fair Value Gap or a demand-side Order Block created during the reversal leg. This retracement offers the ideal entry point for long positions. Stop-loss placement should be just below the liquidity sweep low, while profit targets are set at the Venom Box high and, if momentum continues, at higher session or daily highs.




🟣Bearish Setup

In a Bearish Venom Setup, the process is similar but reversed. After the Initial Range is defined, if price breaks above the Venom Box high following the 09:30 AM open, it signals a false breakout designed to collect buy-side liquidity. This move usually traps eager buyers and clears out stop-losses above the high.

After the liquidity sweep, confirmation comes through an MSS or CISD pointing to a reversal downward. At this stage, traders anticipate a retracement into a Fair Value Gap or a supply-side Order Block formed during the reversal. Short entries are taken within this zone, with stop-loss positioned just above the liquidity sweep high. The logical profit targets include the Venom Box low and, in stronger bearish momentum, deeper session or daily lows.




🔵Settings

Refine Order Block: Enables finer adjustments to Order Block levels for more accurate price responses.

Mitigation Level OB: Allows users to set specific reaction points within an Order Block, including: Proximal: Closest level to the current price. 50% OB: Midpoint of the Order Block. Distal: Farthest level from the current price.

FVG Filter: The Judas Swing indicator includes a filter for Fair Value Gap (FVG), allowing different filtering based on FVG width: FVG Filter Type: Can be set to "Very Aggressive," "Aggressive," "Defensive," or "Very Defensive." Higher defensiveness narrows the FVG width, focusing on narrower gaps.

Mitigation Level FVG: Like the Order Block, you can set price reaction levels for FVG with options such as Proximal, 50% OB, and Distal.

CISD: The Bar Back Check option enables traders to specify the number of past candles checked for identifying the CISD Level, enhancing CISD Level accuracy on the chart.


🔵Conclusion

The ICT Venom Model is more than just a reversal setup; it is a complete intraday trading framework that blends liquidity theory, time precision, and market structure analysis. By focusing on the Initial Range between 08:00 and 09:30 AM New York time and observing how price reacts at the 09:30 AM open, traders can identify liquidity sweeps that reveal institutional intentions.

Whether in a Bullish Venom Setup or a Bearish Venom Setup, the model allows for precise entries through Fair Value Gaps (FVGs) and Order Blocks, while maintaining clear risk management with well-defined stop-loss and target levels.

Ultimately, the ICT Venom Model provides traders with a structured way to filter false moves and align their trades with institutional order flow. Its strength lies in transforming liquidity manipulation into actionable opportunities, giving intraday traders an edge in timing, accuracy, and consistency. For those who master its logic, the Venom Model becomes not only a strategy for entry and exit, but also a deeper framework for understanding how liquidity truly drives price in the New York session.