---
title: "80 strategies"
description: "The 80 strategies from kepano's “Many ways to win” as a filterable table — and which of them grow into one of the 35 moats."
canonical: https://moa.giglabo.com/strategies/
locale: en
---

# 80 strategies

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How things win — and which of it becomes a moat

The 80 strategies come from kepano's essay “Many ways to win” — a taxonomy of how organisms, products and companies gain an edge. The essay's point is that winners run a narrow, unusual combination of strategies. The Atlas adds one layer on top: which of these strategies grow into a moat, and which only take a position without holding it. That layer — the Role and Moats columns — is the Atlas's reading, not the essay's.

Strategy taxonomy © kepano (Steph Ango), paraphrased with attribution. Role and moat mapping © Moat Atlas. https://stephango.com/

[Lanes](https://moa.giglabo.com/strategies/?view=lanes) · [Map (SVG)](https://moa.giglabo.com/strategies/lanes.svg)

## Accumulation · 6

| Strategy | Gist | Nature | Business | Role | Moats | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usership | critical mass of users; network effect | ant trails | phone system, the internet, large social networks | Holds | [#1](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/1/), [#21](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/21/) | 4 |
| Completeness | all-in-one, one-stop shop | — | Swiss army knife, Walmart | Holds | [#5](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/5/), [#27](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/27/) | 2 |
| Aggregation | an environment built for broad participation | reefs | cities, malls, Amazon, Craigslist | Holds | [#2](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/2/), [#1](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/1/) | 4 |
| Diversification | low dependence on any single resource stream | omnivores | conglomerates | Holds | [#22](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/22/) | 4 |
| Omnipresence | available everywhere, accepted by default | dandelions | Visa, Coca-Cola | Holds | [#16](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/16/), [#31](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/31/) | 4 |
| Cloning | grows by replicating identical copies | aspen groves, sourdough starter | franchises | Holds | [#15](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/15/), [#16](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/16/) | 3 |

Notes:

- **Diversification** — Weak moat on its own.

## Price · 4

| Strategy | Gist | Nature | Business | Role | Moats | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affordability | comparatively low cost | — | mass production, fast food, fast fashion | Holds | [#15](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/15/), [#35](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/35/), [#24](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/24/) | 4 |
| Luxury | deliberately high cost; status signal | — | Veblen goods, supercars, luxury watches | Position | [→ #8](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/8/), [→ #18](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/18/) | → 4 |
| Skimming | very many very small transactions | baleen whales, planktivores | credit cards | Holds | [#24](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/24/), [#15](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/15/) | 4 |
| Bundling | packaged for free with something people already want | seeds in fruit | Microsoft Office, cable channels | Holds | [#27](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/27/), [#26](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/26/) | 3 |

Notes:

- **Affordability** — A moat only if the cost structure itself is hard to copy.

## Time · 4

| Strategy | Gist | Nature | Business | Role | Moats | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage | multi-generational legacy | — | religions, old companies | Holds | [#8](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/8/), [#34](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/34/) | 4 |
| Craftsmanship | more time, precision and care than peers | — | handmade watches, bespoke tailoring, Leica | Holds | [#13](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/13/), [#19?](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/19/) | 1 |
| Organic | natural growth that cannot be accelerated | trees, ecosystems | aged cheese | Holds | [#35](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/35/), [#8](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/8/) | 4 |
| Endurance | operates continuously for a very long time | marathon runners | nuclear submarines | Holds | [#9](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/9/), [#22](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/22/) | 4 |

Notes:

- **Heritage** — Time is the input nobody can buy.
- **Craftsmanship** — #13 by default; #19 only when the craft is a team's repeatable process visible from outside.

## Uniqueness · 9

| Strategy | Gist | Nature | Business | Role | Moats | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Specialization | deep competence in a narrow niche | pandas | trade schools | Position | [→ #17](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/17/) | → 3 |
| Versatility | general competence across many tasks | opposable thumbs | CPUs | Position | [→ #17](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/17/) | → 3 |
| Hybrid | two strengths not usually found together | frogs | cronuts, amphibious vehicles, hybrid cars | Position | [→ #17](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/17/), [→ #33](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/33/) | → 3 |
| Divergence | creative differentiation from the norm | — | Van Gogh, Picasso, Frank Gehry | Position | [→ #8](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/8/), [→ #33](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/33/) | → 4 |
| Authenticity | traceable to its source where fakes are common | — | money, olive oil, art | Holds | [#8](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/8/), [#12](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/12/) | 4 |
| Rarity | naturally limited quantity | — | beachfront property, Victor Wembanyama | Holds | [#18](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/18/) | 3 |
| Scarcity | artificially limited quantity | — | collectibles, NFTs | Holds | [#18](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/18/) | 3 |
| Secrecy | hard to copy because knowledge is protected | — | magicians, Coca-Cola, trade secrets | Holds | [#3](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/3/), [#4](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/4/), [#19](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/19/) | 4 |
| Irreverence | contrarian, disregards tradition | — | Richard Branson, South Park | Holds | [#17](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/17/), [#33](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/33/) | 3 |

Notes:

- **Scarcity** — Weaker than Rarity: the limit can be abandoned.
- **Irreverence** — A stance incumbents cannot copy without hurting themselves.

## Offense · 11

| Strategy | Gist | Nature | Business | Role | Moats | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violence | destroys or consumes the opponent by force | predators | military attacks | Takes | — | — |
| Litigation | weakens opponents with legal burden | — | patent trolls, lawsuits | Holds | [#14](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/14/) | 3 |
| Nettlesomeness | makes the opponent make mistakes | — | Magnus Carlsen | Takes | — | — |
| Sabotage | creates weaknesses in the opponent's structure | — | Stuxnet, cutting undersea cables | Takes | — | — |
| Parasitism | extracts or hijacks resources from a host | mosquitoes, tapeworm | — | Takes | — | — |
| Scavenging | opportunistically consumes the weakened | vultures | private equity | Takes | — | — |
| Espionage | acquires the enemy's secrets | — | spies | Takes | — | — |
| Swarming | mass attack by individually weak agents | bees | DDoS, Zerg rush | Takes | — | — |
| Highest bidder | outbids competitors to secure exclusivity | — | Real Madrid, SoftBank, art collectors | Holds | [#22](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/22/), [#18](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/18/) | 4 |
| Chokepoint | controls a passage everyone must pass | grizzlies at a waterfall | Suez Canal | Holds | [#18](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/18/), [#16](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/16/) | 3 |
| Puppeteering | takes over a host's behaviour to serve itself | Cordyceps, Toxoplasma | — | Takes | — | — |

Notes:

- **Highest bidder** — Holds only while the money lasts.

## Defense · 11

| Strategy | Gist | Nature | Business | Role | Moats | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deterrence (disputed) | projected fear of retaliation | — | nuclear weapons, trademarks, patents | Holds | [#14](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/14/) | 3 |
| Reliability | low maintenance, minimal downtime | — | Zippo lighters, Toyota | Holds | [#8](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/8/), [#5](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/5/) | 4 |
| Predictability | repeatable, consistent experience | — | Disneyland, Starbucks | Holds | [#8](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/8/), [#25](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/25/) | 4 |
| Unpredictability | surprise, confusion, variability | squid ink | smoke screen, Banksy, Lady Gaga | Protects | — | — |
| Decentralization | redundancy, no single point of failure | — | solar power, grassroots movements | Protects | — | — |
| Security | resistance to theft and unwanted access | — | banks, vaults, locks | Holds | [#7](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/7/), [#8](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/8/) | 4 |
| Privacy | protection against information disclosure | — | encrypted messengers, VPNs | Holds | [#7](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/7/), [#8](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/8/) | 4 |
| Durability | physical robustness | LeBron James | cast-iron skillets | Protects | [#10?](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/10/) | 3? |
| Neutrality (disputed) | long-term non-belligerence, safe haven | — | Switzerland, Red Cross | Protects | — | — |
| Obscurity (disputed) | survives by staying unknown | deep-sea creatures | closed-source software | Protects | — | — |
| Antifragility | gets stronger under stress or use | muscles | BitTorrent | Holds | [#1](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/1/), [#9](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/9/) | 4 |

Notes:

- **Deterrence** — Broader than #14: deterrence by reputation or by capital has no moat in the Atlas.
- **Durability** — #10 only for a physical product.
- **Neutrality** — Platform neutrality (not competing with your own customers) is a real reason to be chosen; the Atlas has no moat for it.
- **Obscurity** — Arguably a moat: nobody attacks what nobody sees.

## Deception · 5

| Strategy | Gist | Nature | Business | Role | Moats | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camouflage | blends into the environment | chameleons | stealth aircraft | Takes | — | — |
| Mimicry | superficially imitates another to trick | harmless snakes mimicking venomous ones | — | Takes | — | — |
| Decoy | distracts or misleads adversaries | — | chaff, fake security cameras | Takes | — | — |
| Lure | attractive traps | anglerfish | honeypot | Takes | — | — |
| Infiltration | gets past defenses unnoticed | — | Trojan horse, malware, smuggling | Takes | — | — |

## Timing · 3

| Strategy | Gist | Nature | Business | Role | Moats | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-mover | acts first — Entry, not defense | — | Netflix, Tesla | Takes | — | — |
| Second-mover | copies the first mover quickly — Entry, not defense | — | Facebook vs Snapchat | Takes | — | — |
| Last-mover | waits until others have burned energy on failed approaches — Entry, not defense | — | Apple | Takes | — | — |

Notes:

- **First-mover** — Timing is how the position was taken; it never holds.

## Accreditation · 3

| Strategy | Gist | Nature | Business | Role | Moats | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monopoly | market control sanctioned by a governing body | — | patents, regulatory capture | Holds | [#30](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/30/), [#14](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/14/) | 4 |
| Prestige | endorsed by authoritative sources | — | Michelin-starred restaurants, Ivy League graduates | Holds | [#8](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/8/), [#34](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/34/) | 4 |
| Curation | selectiveness in choosing and grouping | — | art galleries, HBO, venture capital | Holds | [#33](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/33/), [#8](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/8/) | 4 |

## Collaboration · 9

| Strategy | Gist | Nature | Business | Role | Moats | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union | potential competitors adopt one set of rules | — | M&A, United States, European Union | Structure | [→ #11](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/11/), [→ #29](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/29/) | → 4 |
| Alliance | partnership with independence kept | — | partnerships | Structure | [→ #11](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/11/) | → 2 |
| Emergence | hive mind, wisdom of the crowd | ant colonies, beehives | democracy | Holds | [#21](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/21/), [#32](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/32/) | 2 |
| Centralization | single decision-maker | — | dictatorships | Structure | — | — |
| Standardization | emergent alignment that reduces friction | — | language, railway gauge, metric system | Holds | [#29](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/29/), [#5](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/5/) | 4 |
| Symbiosis | mutually beneficial dependency | fig wasp | two-party political system | Structure | — | — |
| Herding | grouping for protection | schools of fish | trade associations | Structure | [→ #11](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/11/) | → 2 |
| Distributed ownership | owned by the community | — | REI Co-op, Green Bay Packers | Holds | [#21](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/21/), [#32](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/32/) | 2 |
| Transparency | visible inner workings that build trust | — | open-source software | Holds | [#21](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/21/), [#20](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/20/) | 3 |

## Speed and scale · 7

| Strategy | Gist | Nature | Business | Role | Moats | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iteration | short cycle between improvements | — | SpaceX | Holds | [#23](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/23/) | 1 |
| Efficiency | same capability with less energy or resources | — | LED bulbs | Holds | [#15](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/15/), [#35](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/35/) | 3 |
| Agility | adapts easily to a changing environment | squirrels | gymnasts, go-karts | Takes | — | — |
| Precision | high accuracy and exactness | — | Swiss watches, CNC machining | Takes | [→ #19](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/19/) | → 4 |
| Blitzing | sudden concentrated expenditure of resources | — | hostile takeovers, blitz marketing | Takes | — | — |
| Composability | components assemble in many configurations | — | APIs, Stripe | Holds | [#20](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/20/), [#6](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/6/) | 3 |
| Modularity | independent units usable in combinations | — | LEGO, prefab buildings | Holds | [#20](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/20/), [#6](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/6/) | 3 |

Notes:

- **Iteration** — Depth 1; a real hold only when it compounds into #3 or #19.

## Ease · 5

| Strategy | Gist | Nature | Business | Role | Moats | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intuitiveness | usable without instruction | — | Dieter Rams designs | Holds | [#25](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/25/), [#13](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/13/) | 2 |
| Fun | enjoyment and amusement | — | video games, amusement parks, Duolingo | Holds | [#25](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/25/), [#8](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/8/) | 4 |
| Simplicity | few points of failure, minimal design | — | hammer, MUJI | Holds | [#13](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/13/), [#25](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/25/) | 2 |
| Low-friction | minimal hassle in use | — | one-click ordering | Holds | [#25](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/25/), [#13](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/13/) | 2 |
| Charm | loyalty through personality or aesthetics | — | Oprah Winfrey, Paris | Holds | [#8](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/8/), [#32](https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/32/) | 4 |

## Transformation · 3

| Strategy | Gist | Nature | Business | Role | Moats | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malleability | easily modified or customised | — | clay, software code, method actors | Morphs | — | — |
| Metamorphosis | switches between states optimised for different contexts | caterpillar → butterfly, tadpole → frog | — | Morphs | — | — |
| Copycat | replicates another's method or style | — | fast fashion, generic brands | Morphs | — | — |

## Roles

- **Holds** — leads to a moat
- **Position** — a positioning choice; becomes a moat only through #17 or #33
- **Structure** — how participants are organised; a moat only when it yields a standard or capture
- **Protects** — protects but does not compound with scale
- **Takes** — wins a position, does not keep it
- **Morphs** — adaptability, not defense

- → #17 — via
- #10? — under conditions

## Related

- HTML version of this page: https://moa.giglabo.com/strategies/
- Русский: https://moa.giglabo.com/ru/strategies/
- Atlas: https://moa.giglabo.com/
- Catalogue: https://moa.giglabo.com/moats/
- Calculator: https://moa.giglabo.com/calculator/
- Site map for agents: https://moa.giglabo.com/llms.txt