diff --git a/lib/linearizer.js b/lib/linearizer.js
index 34707f63..0ee72188 100644
--- a/lib/linearizer.js
+++ b/lib/linearizer.js
@@ -161,39 +161,6 @@ module.exports = class Linearizer {
     }
   }
 
-  /* Tip ordering methods */
-
-  _orderTip () {
-    const tip = []
-    const stack = [...this.tails]
-
-    while (stack.length) {
-      const node = stack.pop()
-      if (node.ordering) continue
-
-      node.ordering = node.dependencies.size
-      stack.push(...node.dependents)
-    }
-
-    stack.push(...this.tails)
-    stack.sort(keySort)
-
-    while (stack.length) {
-      const node = stack.pop()
-      tip.push(node)
-
-      const batch = []
-
-      for (const dep of node.dependents) {
-        if (--dep.ordering === 0) batch.push(dep)
-      }
-
-      if (batch.length > 0) stack.push(...batch.sort(keySort))
-    }
-
-    return tip
-  }
-
   /* Ack methods */
 
   shouldAck (writer, pending = false) {
@@ -390,20 +357,14 @@ module.exports = class Linearizer {
   }
 }
 
-// if same key, earlier node is first
 function tieBreak (a, b) {
-  return keySort(a, b) > 0 // keySort sorts high to low
+  return Topolist.compare(a, b) < 0 // lowest key wis
 }
 
 function getFirst (set) {
   return set[Symbol.iterator]().next().value
 }
 
-function keySort (a, b) {
-  const cmp = b4a.compare(a.writer.core.key, b.writer.core.key)
-  return cmp === 0 ? b.length - a.length : -cmp
-}
-
 function sameNode (a, b) {
   return b4a.equals(a.key, b.writer.core.key) && a.length === b.length
 }
diff --git a/lib/topolist.js b/lib/topolist.js
index 946c7ab9..f728032b 100644
--- a/lib/topolist.js
+++ b/lib/topolist.js
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ module.exports = class TopoList {
     this.shared = 0
   }
 
+  static compare (a, b) {
+    return cmp(a, b)
+  }
+
   mark () {
     this.shared = this.tip.length
     this.undo = 0