In the fast-paced world of crypto, spotting the right trades can make all the difference between modest gains and life-changing wealth. Recently, trader and builder Nico (@nicodotfun) dropped a comprehensive list of what he considers the standout trades of this cycle so far. Responding to his own query on X about the best moves, Nico compiled a chronological-ish rundown that spans everything from blue-chip longs to wild meme coin rides. If you're diving into meme tokens or broader blockchain plays, this breakdown offers valuable insights to sharpen your strategy.

Why This List Matters for Meme Enthusiasts

Nico's thread isn't just a nostalgia trip—it's a roadmap for understanding market patterns, especially in the meme space where volatility reigns supreme. As someone who's been in the trenches (pun intended, given his bio), Nico highlights trades that capitalized on hype, fundamentals, and timely FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt). For those building a knowledge base on meme tokens, pay close attention to the Solana and Pumpfun sections, where quick flips turned small caps into monsters.

Key Categories and Highlights

Nico organized his picks loosely by theme and timeline, covering major ecosystems like Bitcoin, Solana, Ethereum, and emerging niches like AI and restaking. Here's a distilled version with simple explanations for newcomers—think of it as your cheat sheet to the cycle's winners.

Bitcoin and Early Cycle Plays

Starting with the basics, Nico emphasizes longing Bitcoin (BTC) on major dips during bull markets. This means buying low when panic selling hits and holding as prices rebound. Other gems include:

• Solana (SOL) buys under $20, which rocketed higher as the ecosystem boomed.
• TAO longs from $50 to $600—TAO is a token tied to decentralized AI infrastructure.
• Celestia from $3 to $18, a modular blockchain project that gained traction for its data availability layer.

Airdrops played a big role too, like those from GMX (a perp trading platform), Canto, Maker, and Arbitrum (ARB). Airdrops are essentially free tokens distributed to early users, often leading to "cup and handle" chart patterns—a bullish setup where prices consolidate before breaking out.

Meme Coin Mania on Solana and Beyond

This is where things get fun for meme token hunters. Solana's ecosystem has been a hotbed for explosive trades:

• Early SOL memes like BOME (Book of Meme), which captured cultural hype.
• Pumpfun season standouts: WIF (dogwifhat) from under $0.30 to $3-4, SPX, MOG, GIGA, FWOG, PNUT, Retardio, POPCAT, MEW, MOODENG, NPC, ZYN, LOCKIN, SIGMA, CHILLGUY, and MICHI. Pumpfun is a Solana-based platform for launching meme coins quickly, leading to viral pumps.
• BONK longs when it was dirt cheap, riding the dog-themed wave.

Beyond Solana, Pepe longs and betas like HPOS10INI and Neiro tapped into the evergreen frog and dog meta. AI memes stole the show too: GOAT, FARTCOIN, AI16Z, FREYSA AI, and Zerebro, blending artificial intelligence hype with meme culture for rapid gains.

Nico also shouts out longs on Fartcoin at $300 million market cap and Bonk during its early days—proof that timing the bottom in memes can yield massive returns.

DeFi and Dex Dominance

Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and DeFi protocols offered steady plays:

• Aerodrome on Base, pumping from under $0.10 to $2 as the chain's main DEX.
• Related Base memes like Brett and Toshi (from $40-50M to $500M caps), and DEGEN ($50M to $600M).
• Raydium (Solana's top DEX) from $1.50 to $5-7.
• Jupiter (JUP) aggregator from $0.50 to $1.50.
• Drift and Crime as Solana perp DEXs, with Drift hitting $1.50 from $0.50.

Pendle (from $0.05 to $6) and Lido focused on yield farming and liquid staking—ways to earn passive income on staked assets.

NFT and Ordinals Crossovers

Don't sleep on NFTs bleeding into tokens:

• Buying Pudgies (Pudgy Penguins) at 8-10 ETH ahead of their PENGU launch, doubling to 20 ETH plus airdrops.
• Miladys at 2-2.5 ETH and CryptoPunks at 20-25 ETH, now around 50 ETH.
• Bitcoin Ordinals like Puppets, OMB, STACKS (from $0.50 to $3), and ORDI ($3 to $80).

Shorts (betting on price drops) included ANIME (Azuki's coin) on launch and CULT during Milady stagnation.

Emerging Narratives: AI, Restaking, and L1s

• Ondo during ETH season, Pandora, Restake Finance, CPOOL, SSV—all tied to restaking, where you stake already-staked assets for extra yields.
• TON longs from $2 to $8, leveraging Telegram's massive user base.
• XRP from $0.50 to $2 as a community-backed, government-friendly coin.
• KEETA from $0.10 to $1.50, positioned as an alt L1 for payments competing with XRP.

Hyperliquid's airdrop and TGE (token generation event), plus Purr and HyperEVM, created wealth overnight. Virtuals as a Base meme/AI launchpad, with AIXBT shining.

Strategic Shorts and Flips

Not all wins come from buying—Nico notes shorts like Trump coin after its curve, SOL at $260-270, ETH at $4K flipped to short, Dogecoin from $0.45 after retesting highs. Longing SOL at $95 amid FUD shows the power of contrarian plays.

Other notables: BNB pumps on CZ's release ($200 to $600), Thena as BNB's #2 DEX, Banana Gun and Unibot during ETH meme meta, Friend.tech airdrop, Pump TGE longs, ENA bottom buys, Zora (social platform), USELESS + BONK on Bonkfun.

Lessons for the Next Leg Up

Nico's list underscores timeless crypto truths: Buy the dip in bull markets, chase narratives like AI and memes, farm airdrops, and don't fear shorts for downside protection. For meme insiders, the Pumpfun explosion and AI crossovers highlight how cultural trends drive token value—often faster than fundamentals.

If you're inspired, check out the original thread for the full vibe. What's your top trade this cycle? Drop it in the comments below, and let's build that knowledge base together. Stay tuned to Meme Insider for more breakdowns on emerging tokens and strategies to level up your game.