Crypto Crash Playbook: 2 High-Conviction Buys to Consider Before the Rebound

Leo Sun, The Motley Fool

Sat, February 21, 2026 at 4:30 AM GMT+9 3 min read

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SOL-USD

+3.49%

ADA-USD

+3.69%

BTC-USD

+0.98%

ETH-USD

+1.23%

Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) and Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA) declined more than 50% and 60%, respectively, over the past 12 months. High Treasury yields, expectations for fewer interest rate cuts, and more conservative institutional investing all chilled the crypto market. Leveraged liquidations also triggered waves of profit-taking among retail and institutional investors.

During that sell-off, smaller altcoins like Solana and Cardano fared worse than “blue chip” plays like Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH). However, Solana and Cardano might be worth buying before those headwinds dissipate and the crypto market recovers.

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Image source: Getty Images.

What sets Solana and Cardano apart from other tokens?

Solana and Cardano are both proof-of-stake (PoS) tokens like Ethereum. They can’t be mined like Bitcoin, which uses the energy-intensive proof-of-work (PoW) mechanism.

However, Solana and Cardano can be staked (locked up on their blockchains to earn interest-like rewards) and support smart contracts, which are used to develop decentralized apps and other tokenized assets. Therefore, both tokens are usually valued by the growth of their developer ecosystems rather than by their scarcity.

Solana, which has a circulating supply of 620.8 million tokens, doesn’t have a supply cap. Cardano, with 36.01 billion tokens in circulation, has a maximum supply of 45 billion tokens.

Solana and Cardano both process transactions faster than Ethereum’s Layer 1 (L1) blockchain. Solana achieves this by integrating its own proof-of-history (PoH) validation mechanism (which timestamps transactions before they’re validated) into its PoS blockchain. Cardano’s own PoS blockchain, Ouroburos, divides its time slots more efficiently than Ethereum’s L1 blockchain.

Solana, which prioritizes speed, is also faster than Cardano. However, Cardano prioritizes security and stability by requiring formal peer reviews for all projects on its blockchain.

Ethereum is still the largest developer-oriented blockchain, but Solana is the fastest-growing one. Cardano is also growing rapidly and occasionally surpasses Ethereum in raw GitHub activity across its core projects. Both Solana and Cardano have fostered numerous partnerships. Solana mainly works with financial and consumer-oriented companies, while Cardano works with more enterprise, government, education, and infrastructure clients.

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Why should you buy Solana and Cardano today?

Many investors likely tossed out Solana and Cardano with the market’s smaller meme coins as the crypto market crashed over the past year. However, both tokens can be valued for their advantages over Ethereum and the growth of their developer ecosystems. That’s why I believe both of these underdogs will recover quickly once the crypto winter ends.

Should you buy stock in Solana right now?

Before you buy stock in Solana, consider this:

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Leo Sun has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Crypto Crash Playbook: 2 High-Conviction Buys to Consider Before the Rebound was originally published by The Motley Fool

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