From 0 to 10x: How I Picked a Meme Coin Winner on Solana (And Missed on ETH)

I’m not a crypto expert; I don’t trade full-time. But I’m just a regular crypto traders with a phone, a Phantom wallet, and an internet addiction. But I did something most people don’t get to say:

I turned $230 into $2,400 in three days with a Solana meme coin. Then I tried the same thing on Ethereum — and lost.

This is the full story of how I accidentally made 10 times more… and what I got painfully wrong right after.

I started with $230 and no expectations.

I didn’t get in early on Dogecoin, and I missed Shiba entirely. By the time $WIF hit X, it was already 40x. So when I saw “$BORK” trending on Solana — with almost no volume but a ridiculous dog in a lab coat as the logo — I figured, why not?

It had

• A dumb name
• A cult-like Telegram
• A 24-hour-old Twitter account with way too many memes

So I invested $230 worth at a $500K market cap.

Then it exploded.

Within 12 hours, it doubled. Then tripled. By the next morning, my bag was worth over $2,000. I thought, “Cool, I’ll ride it to $5K.” Classic mistake.

At the top, it hit $2,950 before dumping hard. I sold somewhere on the way down at around $2,400. Still — a 10x win for a meme coin that felt like a joke. I wasn’t a genius. But I wanted to know: why did this one work?

I Tried to Repeat the Win on Ethereum.

A few days later, I spotted a new ETH meme coin. It has the same formula — low cap, funny mascot, and hyped community. It was called $DERP. I bought in at a $400K market cap.

1. Gas fees: brutal.
2. Community: loud
3. Within 24 hours… it dumped 60%.

I held. Then it dumped more. I finally rage-quit at an 80% loss.

Why $BORK Worked (And $DERP Didn’t)

It wasn’t just luck. $BORK had:

1. Insane meme velocity — The memes hit faster than the price.
2. Community before token — people genuinely liked the vibe.
3. Low-friction entry — anyone with $10 could join.
4. No VCs, no promises — just chaos and vibes.

Meanwhile, $DERP tried to “launch with a utility” — never” a good sign for meme coins.

What Most People Get Wrong

After learning from Discord, I realized:

• Most meme coin gains come from timing + community, not charts.
• People buy for memes, not white papers.
• If it feels like a “project”
• If it feels like an inside joke with 500 people laughing — that’s alpha.

My New Meme Coin Checklist

Before I buy now, I ask:

• Is the Telegram unhinged but active?
• Do the memes look like they came from the community, not Fiverr?
• Is it cheap enough that gas won’t ruin my exit?
• Do I want to hold this bag if it goes to zero?