> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.valhallaindicator.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.valhallaindicator.com/smc-indicator/overview.md).

# Overview

## <mark style="color:cyan;">The Core Philosophy: Structure-First Trading</mark>

<figure><img src="/files/IFj4Cmd5RbayoBswZFnZ" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Every indicator on your chart is doing the same thing, trying to answer one question: *who is in control right now, and is that about to change?*

Most answer it with math. Moving averages, oscillators, momentum formulas, they process past prices through equations and give you a derived number. The problem is that derived numbers lag. By the time the formula catches the shift, price has already moved.

Valhalla SMC answers it differently. Instead of computing a formula and hoping it correlates with what the market is doing, it reads the structure of the market itself — the actual sequence of highs and lows that define who is in control. This is the raw, unfiltered footprint of the battle between buyers and sellers, and it is the single most reliable framework for understanding price action.

This is what we mean by **structure-first**: market structure is not one of many inputs. It is the only input. Every other feature in the indicator, the trend band, the signals, the grading system, the targets, derives its state from structure. Nothing in Valhalla SMC can disagree with the structural read, because nothing operates independently of it.

### <mark style="color:cyan;">The Three States of Any Market</mark>

Strip away the noise, and price is always doing one of three things:

**Trending Bullish** - Buyers are in control. Price is making higher highs and higher lows, pushing upward in a staircase pattern. Each pullback holds above the last one, and each push makes new ground.

**Trending Bearish** - Sellers are in control. Price is making lower highs and lower lows, descending step by step. Each rally fails to reclaim the previous peak, and each decline cuts deeper.

**Consolidation** - Neither side has won. Price moves sideways in a range, with buyers and sellers reaching a temporary equilibrium. This state always resolves, eventually one side overwhelms the other, and a new trend begins.

Valhalla SMC is built to identify which of these states the market is in, and more importantly to detect the exact moment it transitions from one state to another. That transition point is where the highest-conviction trades live.

{% hint style="info" %} <mark style="color:cyan;">**Decision-Support Tool**</mark>

Valhalla SMC is designed as a decision-support framework, not a standalone signal generator. It surfaces institutional-grade market structure, grades the conviction behind each setup, and provides structure-anchored targets, but the final trading decision is always yours.
{% endhint %}

#### <mark style="color:cyan;">What's included</mark>

{% columns %}
{% column %} <mark style="color:cyan;">**Market Structure**</mark>

Automatic BOS/CHOCH detection from  swings, with full HH/HL/LH/LL labeling.

<mark style="color:cyan;">**Dual Signal Modes**</mark>

CHOCH Entry for reversal trades, Continuation Entry for pullback-to-band re-entries.

<mark style="color:cyan;">**Smart TP System**</mark>

Three-tier targets: TP1 Swing, TP2 Order Block, TP3 HTF Liquidity or fixed R multiples.

<mark style="color:cyan;">**Clarity Candles**</mark>

Structure-colored bars with band-reaction zones highlighted in orange and purple.
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %} <mark style="color:cyan;">**Trend Band**</mark>

Structure-slaved 3-line trailing ribbon. Always agrees with the current structural state.

<mark style="color:cyan;">**A / B / C Grading**</mark>

Market-mechanics scoring system grades every signal by conviction level.

<mark style="color:cyan;">**Order Blocks**</mark>

Structure-shift OBs with strength tiers, automatic mitigation removal, and volume labels.

<mark style="color:cyan;">**Dashboard & Stats**</mark>

Live trend state, session, MTF alignment, plus a full performance statistics panel.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}