I still remember the May 2022 crash vividly. LUNA dropped from dozens of dollars to just a few cents. I stared at my phone screen, completely numb—that was my savings from over half a year, reduced to almost nothing in 72 hours. During that time, I couldn’t sleep at all. I’d check the price apps in the middle of the night, watching the numbers fall nonstop, my heart feeling like it was being cut by a knife.

To be honest, I almost quit the space then. But later, I thought, since I’d already lost so much, I at least needed to figure out how I fell into the trap. Over these three years, by sticking to a very simple selection logic, not only did I earn back my principal, but I even bought a new car last year. I’ve seen too many people stay up all night studying a pile of technical indicators, only to end up losing everything. I realized that surviving in this market isn’t about who knows more formulas, but about who can avoid most of the pitfalls.

**Install a "Minefield Detection System" in Your Coin Selection List: Avoid These Three Types at All Costs**

When I first entered the market, I bought anything and everything. If someone in a chat group mentioned a “potential coin,” I’d dive in without even checking who the project team was. Looking back, those coins whose founding teams can’t even be explained clearly are no different from snake oil sold on the street. After paying so much in “tuition,” I’ve come up with a “three don’ts” rule that can help you filter out 90% of the junk:

**Don’t Touch Obscure Coins:** If it’s not in the top 100 by market cap or has less than $10 million in daily trading volume, don’t even look at it. These markets are too small; a whale can easily manipulate the price. By the time you realize something’s wrong and want to exit, it’s already too late. Liquidity is so poor that your orders might not even get filled, and you’ll be forced to watch your account shrink.