ploy vs stratagem

ploy and stratagem both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
ploy	Yes	No	No	No
stratagem	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, ploy and stratagem are synonyms defined as:

Other synonyms of ploy include gambit.

ploy (noun)	stratagem (noun)
a maneuver in a game or conversation	a maneuver in a game or conversation
an opening remark intended to secure an advantage for the speaker	an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade