Reclaimed Order Block
Also: reclaimed block, bullish reclaimed block, bearish reclaimed order block
An order block formed on the sell side of the market maker curve (the prior swing) that is reused for new entries on the buy side of the opposing curve. Bullish: a down candle (bullish OB) that showed minor displacement (short-term bounce) during the markdown is "reclaimed" when price, now on the buy side of the curve, retraces back into that same candle and provides a long entry. Bearish: an up candle (bearish OB) that showed minor displacement (short-term decline) during the markup is "reclaimed" when price, on the sell side of the curve, retraces back into that candle and provides a short entry. The concept is anchored to the market maker buy/sell model — OBs formed during hedging on the prior curve become entry points on the opposing curve.
Identification4
- Identify the market maker curve context: buy model (price dropped to support to go higher) or sell model (price rallied to resistance to go lower).
- On the sell side of the curve (the prior swing), locate {direction} order blocks — down candles (bullish) or up candles (bearish) — that produced a minor displacement confirming hedging.
- Once on the buy side / sell side of the opposing curve (after the swing completes), wait for price to retrace back into those previously identified OBs.
- Each OB from the prior curve is matched sequentially as price works its way through the opposing move.
Entry2
- Bullish reclaimed block: enter long when price trades back down into the prior down candle (OB) identified during the sell side of the curve.
- Bearish reclaimed block: enter short when price trades back up into the prior up candle (OB) identified during the buy side of the curve.
Stop1
- Not explicitly stated in source. Implied: stop beyond the OB body on the opposing side of entry.
Target1
- Not explicitly stated in source. Implied: next reclaimed OB in the sequence, or the terminus of the market maker swing.
Invalidation2
- Price trades through the OB without responsive reaction and continues in the direction of the retracement.
- Context shift: the market maker model assumption is invalidated (e.g., price does not complete the expected swing).
Inferred Conditions (Unvalidated)
- Minor displacement (a short-term bounce or decline after the OB during the prior curve) is a required qualifier — it confirms hedging was occurring at that candle.
- The matching is sequential: every OB from the prior curve should be revisited in order as the opposing curve unfolds.
ICT Quotes
"Every new buying opportunity is going to be matched up to the previous down candle while the price was dropping earlier on the sell side of the curve. And ultimately everything will match up with the down candles on both sides of the market maker by model."
"we use the market maker buy and sell models to be able to match up old order blocks during the buy side and the sell side of the curve. And we wait for that reclaimed mechanism that takes place where the market makers will use the same reference points and facilitate new positions."
Version History4 versions
31-ICT Mentorship Core Content - Month 4 - Reclaimed ICT Orderblock.srt
"what is a bullish reclaimed block is a candle or bar that was previously used to buy price in a short term bounce confirms minor displacement. In the buy side of the curve, these old blocks or down ca…"
31-ICT Mentorship Core Content - Month 4 - Reclaimed ICT Orderblock.srt
"in summary, a bearish reclaimed order block is a candle or bar this was previously used to sell price and a short term decline confirms minor displacement in the sell side of the curve these old block…"
ICT YT - 2024-09-27 - ICT 2024 Mentorship - Lecture 35.srt
"Here's the order block. This could become reclaimed order block bullish and run for the buy side here."
Term reappears in 2024 live sessions without the explicit market-maker-curve framing. Applied to: an order block that price has traded below (clearing sell side liquidity below it) and now may return to it as bullish support — "reclaimed" in the sense that the OB is recaptured for bullish delivery.
ICT YT - 2024-09-30 - ICT 2024 Mentorship - Lecture 36.srt
"if we ever trade back above and back into this fair value gap and come back down into it, this would be classified as a reclaimed, bullish fair value gap, because it's an up close candle. That's how y…"
MATERIAL CORRECTION: ICT explicitly distinguishes reclaimed FVG from inversion FVG. Reclaimed bullish FVG = an up-close (bullish) candle's fair value gap that price returns to from above; classified by the direction of the FVG candle (up close = bullish). Inversion FVG = a bearish FVG used bullishly after price trades through it from below. This corrects a prior on-air mislabeling from Lecture 35 (week before) where ICT called a reclaimed FVG an inversion FVG.
Notes
Status updated to active: the term "reclaimed order block" reappears in the 2024 Mentorship series (Lectures 28 and 35). The 2016 market-maker-curve framing may not apply directly — in 2024 usage ICT applies the label more loosely to any order block that is revisited after the directional context has shifted: e.g., a bullish OB that sold off through it, then price returns from below to use it as support. The underlying mechanic (OBs revisited on the opposing move) survives; the market-maker-curve framing is less prominent in 2024 live sessions. A distinct but related sub-concept also appears: "reclaimed fair value gap" (L28, L35, L36). In L36 ICT explicitly corrects a live-session mislabeling: an FVG formed by an up-close candle that price returns to from above = reclaimed bullish FVG (not inversion FVG). See fair-value-gap.yaml for the full correction note. This distinction matters: — Inversion FVG: bearish FVG (3-candle, formed by down-close middle candle) that price trades through from below — the gap's premium side becomes the new support. — Reclaimed bullish FVG: bullish FVG (up-close candle) that price trades back into from above — the discount side is retested as support. ICT says (L36): "I made the mistake of calling it an inversion fair value gap last week when it wasn't — so it should have been called a reclaimed, bullish, fair value gap."