Phantom Foundations 2026 Canonical Curriculum
Discretionary · Currencies & CFDs · Day / Intraweek

Phantom Foundations

The discretionary method — best for trading currencies on day-to-intraweek moves — in two parts. The 7 Foundations teach the building blocks; The Process is the nine-step decision tree you run on every trade. Work them in order; each filter qualifies the next.

The master rule

No entry can rescue a bad narrative. Every trade must survive every filter before execution is allowed. Bias qualifies the week, order flow qualifies the direction, targets qualify the reason, the POI qualifies the location — and only then does an entry matter.

The Journey · Zero to Funded

The Whole Journey, in Eight Phases

Foundations and The Process teach you the method; the roadmap is the journey — the order in which you build mastery and a funded account, from your first chart to your first payout. Everything below is how you complete Phase 1.

1
Comprehension
2
Application
3
Data Collection
4
Data Analysis
5
Plan Development
6
Plan Evaluation
7
Active Trading
8
Scaling
Read the roadmap →

The Zero-to-Funded Roadmap

The definitive guide to turning the Phantom method into your own data-driven trading plan — with a readiness gate before each step, so you always know what to do next and how to tell you're ready to move on.

Free preview
The Markets & Mechanics primer, the first two Foundations lessons, the Glossary, and the complete Zero-to-Funded Roadmap are free to read (look for the FREE PREVIEW tag). The full Operating System — the Framework overview, all 7 Foundations, and the 9-step Process — is included with Phantom membership. Want proof it works? See 6 years of member funding results →
You're a member
Pick up where you left off — continue in your courses → with the full video library, progress tracking, and search.
Overview · Start here

The PTM Framework

The entire methodology in one page — definitions, reading the market, context, targets, zones, execution, risk, and the master decision tree. Read this for the whole picture, then learn the Foundations and run The Process.

Primer · New to forex? Start here

Markets & Mechanics

What you're actually trading and the plumbing beneath every trade — pairs, pips, lots, leverage, spread and sessions — plus the lot size calculator. The vocabulary the rest of Foundations assumes you already own.

Part 1

Foundations

The building blocks — the vocabulary and mechanics every later step assumes. Seven lessons, no trading yet: just learning to read the chart correctly.

Lesson 1

Timeframes & the Top-Down Map

The timeframe stack and each one's job — monthly/weekly/daily for bias, 4H for the map, 15M for order flow, 1M for the entry. Bigger trumps lower.

  • Timeframe roles
  • The top-down build
  • Bigger trumps lower
  • No man's land
Lesson 2

Market Structure & Liquidity

How structure is defined and what actually counts as liquidity — the objective tests that keep zones and sweeps honest.

  • Body Closes vs Sweeps
  • Structural Liquidity
  • Strong vs Weak Highs & Lows
Lesson 3

Supply & Demand Zones

The atomic unit — what a zone is, how it's drawn, when it exists, zone failure (wick) vs structural break (body), and mitigation.

  • Drawing a zone
  • Failure vs break
  • Mitigation
  • Refinement & the imbalance
Lesson 4

Order Flow & the Flip

Who's in control — order flow vs structure, the asymmetry rule (one side losing ≠ the other gaining), the flip lifecycle, and LPOD/LPOS.

  • Order flow vs structure
  • The asymmetry rule
  • The flip lifecycle
  • LPOD / LPOS & pro order flow
Lesson 5

Internal Structure, the True Leg & IRL

Why levels "melt through" — the true leg, internal vs swing structure, and internal range liquidity (the void) that becomes your target.

  • The true leg
  • Internal vs swing structure
  • IRL / the void
  • Decay into IRL
Lesson 6

Candle Profiling

Reading the monthly, weekly & daily candle for context — the one-side rule, the inside & outside cases, and when a candle's direction is set.

  • The One-Side Rule
  • Inside & Outside Bars
  • Daily Wick Logic
  • Catalyst Timing
Lesson 7

Risk, R-Multiples & the Trading Day

The money side — R-multiples, the 2R/3R protocol, risk per trade, the daily limits, the NY session & pairs, and the mindset.

  • R-multiples & RR
  • 2R / 3R protocol
  • Risk & daily limits
  • Session, pairs & mindset
Part 2

The Process

The nine-step decision tree, run on every trade — exactly the Master Decision Tree, stage by stage. Each step is a filter; if one fails, the trade doesn't exist.

Step 1

Weekly Outlook

Pre-plan the week: the top-down narrative, weekly candle profiling, zone classification, the pullback question, and the pivot.

  • The top-down build
  • Classifying every zone
  • The pullback question & pivot
  • Defining the pivot
Step 2

Daily Context

Align the day with the weekly narrative — bias alignment, the one-side rule, the news filter, the range budget, and realistic expectations.

  • Daily bias alignment
  • The news filter
  • The range budget
  • Realistic expectation
Step 3

Order Flow

Determine who's in control on the 15M — control status, flow direction, the two shift triggers, and how to anchor & qualify zones.

  • The four-part control read
  • Triggers vs supporting state
  • The two shift triggers
  • Qualifying zones
Step 4

Target Selection

Confirm targets with order flow — valid targets, logical destinations, and the four target questions that gate every entry.

  • The two valid targets
  • Order-flow alignment
  • The four target questions
  • Never target through strong
Step 5

POI Selection

Choose the zone to enter from — a valid POI of a real type, past the LPOD risk rule, that price has actually reached.

  • The six POI types
  • Is this actually a POI?
  • The LPOD risk rule
  • Has price reached the POI?
Step 6

Narrative Alignment & Trade Grade

The go/no-go and the aggression call — high probability / valid / invalid, and whether to enter on a single or a double confirmation.

  • The three grades
  • The three alignment questions
  • Single vs double
  • Sizing & limits
Step 7

Entry Model

Execute the liquidity → entry model — liquidity, sweep, trigger, confirmation, execution — and where the edge actually is.

  • The five-step model
  • Flip vs liquidity POI
  • Limit vs market
  • The invalidation-point stop
Step 8

Risk Filter

Validate risk before committing — the logical invalidation, a logical stop, and whether the target justifies the risk.

  • Logical invalidation
  • Stop placement
  • The ~3R gate
  • The proximity veto
Step 9

Execution & Pivot

Manage the trade — the 2R/3R protocol, adapting to genuine change vs noise, and the pivot.

  • The 2R/3R protocol
  • Bank vs runner
  • Adapting vs noise
  • The pivot
Reference

Reference

The whole Process on one page, and every term in one place.

The rule set

The Rulebook

Every rule of the order-flow method in one place, grouped by the eight stages, each with an evidence grade. The lessons explain and motivate the rules; this is the rules — when they disagree, the rulebook wins.

  • All eight stages, numbered
  • Taught / measured / convention tags
  • The canonical source of record
Visual map

The Master Decision Tree

All nine steps of The Process on a single poster — the live decision flow with every key question, output, and the risk-governance rules. Print it and pin it.

  • The 9 steps at a glance
  • Decision pills & key outputs
  • Risk governance & mindset
Interactive

Walk the Decision Tree

The same nine-step flow as a guided, step-by-step walkthrough — answer each question and it tells you what to look for, what to do, or to stand down. It links you to the matching lesson and builds your decision path as you go.

  • One question at a time
  • Deep-links to each lesson
  • Live no-trade gating + plan summary
Run it live

The Pre-Trade Checklist

The whole Process condensed into one interactive, tick-as-you-go checklist — every make-or-break gate from all nine steps, in order. Your state is saved per device; reset for the next trade.

  • All nine steps, one page
  • Tap to check · progress tracked
  • The live no-trade filter
Daily tool

The Lot Size Calculator

Dollar-risk-first sizing for forex — set the risk and the stop, get the lot size, with pip value converted to your account currency. Live ECB rates; saved per device.

  • Risk as $ or % of balance
  • Full account-currency selector
  • Standard / mini / micro lots
Close the day

End-of-Day Review

The other half of the loop — log every trade, score the process (not the P&L), and learn one thing for tomorrow. Resets daily; a no-trade day still gets reviewed.

  • Log · review · learn
  • Good loss vs bad win
  • Feeds tomorrow's plan
Common questions

The FAQ

The eight questions members ask most — POI validity, sweep vs break, "is this trade valid?", entries, timeframes, order flow, risk, and what to trade. Each answer grounded in the canon, with a self-check and deep-dive links.

  • Real questions from the community
  • Short answer + the principle behind it
  • Walk-the-gate before you ask
Quick reference

The Glossary

Every term in the method, defined and grouped — structure, zones, order flow, targets, candles, execution & risk, and process.

  • Objective definitions, no "looks right"
  • Grouped by category
  • The vocabulary the course assumes
How to use the curriculum
Read the Framework overview first for the whole picture. Then learn Foundations top to bottom — it teaches the vocabulary and mechanics, not how to trade yet. The Process is what you run live, every trade, in order. If a step's filter fails, the trade doesn't exist — no entry can rescue a bad narrative.