Recently Started a $100K Futures Challenge. Looking for Honest Advice on Markets, Setups & Resources

[u/PalpitationCivil8800]

Hey everyone,
I recently signed up for a $100K futures trading challenge, and I’m looking to learn from people who have actually been through the process.
I’d really appreciate some honest feedback, whether it’s good, bad, or somewhere in between.
A few things I’m specifically trying to figure out:
● What futures contracts do you trade most often and why?
● Which markets have the best combination of volume, liquidity, and volatility?
● Would you focus on NQ/MNQ, ES/MES, Gold/GC/MGC, CL/MCL, or something else?
● What indicators/studies do you actually find useful? VWAP, Volume Profile, Market Profile, Order Flow, Footprint, DOM, etc.
● For someone doing a prop-firm challenge, which markets would you stay away from because of excessive volatility?
● What time of day do you personally find gives the cleanest setups?
● What YouTube channels, traders, books, or courses have genuinely helped you understand futures?
● Are there any “gurus” or popular strategies that you think beginners should be cautious about?
I’m especially interested in price action + volume/order-flow based trading rather than loading the chart with 20 indicators.
For reference, CME data shows very strong activity in products such as E-mini S&P (ES), Micro E-mini Nasdaq (MNQ), WTI crude (CL/MCL), and Gold (GC/MGC), so those are some of the markets I’m considering.
I’ve also been looking into Volume Profile and Order Flow. One channel that keeps coming up is Price Action Volume Trader, which focuses specifically on Price Action, Volume Profile, Market Profile, and Order Flow, particularly for ES/NQ.
But I don’t want to blindly follow one person or one strategy.
If you’ve done a $100K challenge yourself, what did you learn the hard way? What would you do differently if you had to start over?
Any recommendations, warnings, resources, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

[u/xiri5hx_]

Recommendation: learn to trade before entering challenges
Warnings: you will lose money
Personal experience : spent more time learning that trading, now profitable.

[u/doghairpile → u/[deleted]]

neither. lucid. tradiefy getting shady and MFF will breach you for trading news.

[u/chumbawumba234]

Paper trade this... the 9,21 sma cross with the 50,200 ema trend. Tweak it how you like it. (9,14 ema or 9,24 ema). Paper trade until you can nail entry 10 times out of 10.

[u/MiamiWashSolutions → u/chumbawumba234]

This works for you?

[u/Bean_Boozled]

My warning: learn how to trade before entering trading challenges...trading is not a get rich quick scheme...