Patterns are just visual representations of order flow over time, I'm of the opinion that they don't fail, because they don't mean anything if you are just trying to predict where price is going to go. That's not to say that they aren't important (depending on the trader, I certainly 'see' patterns and pay attention to them), but if you are looking at patterns as a golden goose that's going to tell you where price will be, you are using them wrong.
A double top that is forming means nothing if the order flow for the day was heavy initial buying (first leg up), consolidation & buying on dips (dips being the middle and the 2nd leg down), because that double top has a decent chance of just turning into a bullish pennant if the 2nd leg fails, and if buying pressure doesn't subside and price eventually breaks out north, that may turn out to be a 'successful' pattern while the double top 'failed'. But either way, the patterns themselves meant nothing other than representing what has already happened during the day. They are ever evolving, and that is why I find no use in predicting where price is going based on a pattern, but at the same time still pay attention to them.
A double top that is forming means nothing if the order flow for the day was heavy initial buying (first leg up), consolidation & buying on dips (dips being the middle and the 2nd leg down), because that double top has a decent chance of just turning into a bullish pennant if the 2nd leg fails, and if buying pressure doesn't subside and price eventually breaks out north, that may turn out to be a 'successful' pattern while the double top 'failed'. But either way, the patterns themselves meant nothing other than representing what has already happened during the day. They are ever evolving, and that is why I find no use in predicting where price is going based on a pattern, but at the same time still pay attention to them.