BAR / BUILD ATLAS
SUPREME ISTHMUS / 8 VS 8

Know your ground.
Build your advantage.

Openings found in real games.
Follow the sequence. Understand the role.
Find your next first move.

THE OPENING BOOK

Builds from the battlefield45

MOST COMMON FIRST · WHAT SETS EACH BUILD APART · TYPICAL TIMINGSEVIDENCE
25
FrontCortexEconomy first#raid#artillery#push

Lasher skirmishers

Vehicle Plant opens instead of Bot Lab, and by 2:08 the player commits to Lasher missile trucks (with early Incisor raiding) that push straight to middle and fight there, well ahead of the role's usual T2 constructor timing.

T1 vehicle skirmishers from 2:08 · 9% of role by thenVehicle Plant in 100%Incisor in 100%Lasher in 82%

Vehicle Plant → Advanced Metal Extractor

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×3×3→Wind Turbine ×2×2→Vehicle Plant→Wind Turbine→Metal Extractor ×2×2→Guard ×2×2→Twin Guard→Metal Extractor ×2×2

7% of Cortex Front games · team won 59% of 17 · Then: incisor, brute · Last seen 23 Sept

17MATCHES11 players
26
AirCortexEconomy first#rush#raid#air

Whirlwind bomber rush

Skips the usual transport-first routine to build Whirlwind bombers from an Aircraft Plant as early as 5 minutes, sending them to hit the enemy base and middle well before the front stabilizes, before easing back into the normal…

T1 air bombers from 5:04 · 7% of role by thenAircraft Plant in 47%Whirlwind in 47%Light transport in 42%

Aircraft Plant → Advanced Metal Extractor → Fusion Reactor

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×3×3→Wind Turbine ×4×4→Aircraft Plant→Wind Turbine ×10×10→Metal Extractor→Thistle ×2×2→Construction Turret→Wind Turbine

3% of Cortex Air games · team won 63% of 19 · Then: valiant, fighter · Last seen 24 Sept

19MATCHES12 players
27
PondCortexEconomy first#air#drop#push

Shuriken air support

Pond goes air instead of the usual ground boost, building an Aircraft Plant by ~3:30 and dropping in a transport, then sending Shuriken and Valiant to fight forward in the middle from under 5 minutes.

T1 air support from 4:39 · 10% of role by thenAircraft Plant in 100%Heavy transport in 92%Shuriken in 69%

Aircraft Plant → Advanced Metal Extractor

OPENINGTidal Generator ×9×9→Wind Turbine ×2×2→Metal Extractor ×4×4→Wind Turbine→Energy Storage→Wind Turbine→Aircraft Plant→Energy Converter ×3×3

5% of Cortex Pond games · team won 62% of 13 · Then: valiant, grunt · Last seen 22 Sept

13MATCHES6 players
28
PondEconomy first#naval#rush#push

Destroyer rush

Pond skips the usual eco-only start to build a shipyard by ~3:00 and push Riptides and Oppressors into the middle from under 4 minutes, pumping T1 naval assault far earlier than any normal Pond.

T1 naval assault from 3:57 · 6% of role by thenMissile corvette in 100%Shipyard in 93%Destroyer in 53%

Bot Lab → Shipyard → Frigate → Destroyer

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×3×3→Wind Turbine ×4×4→Bot Lab→Wind Turbine ×2×2→Construction Turret→Energy Storage→Wind Turbine→Metal Extractor

6% of Cortex Pond games · team won 40% of 15 · Then: frigate, missile corvette · Last seen 25 Sept

15MATCHES12 players
29
GeoArmadaEconomy first#t2

Sharpshooter snipers

Geo pushes to an Advanced Bot Lab and fields Sharpshooter snipers from 8:17 with Smuggler and Welder support, but units mostly fight defensively on the team's own side rather than advancing.

T2 bot snipers from 8:17 · 3% of role by thenAdvanced Bot Lab in 100%Jammer bot in 81%Welder in 50%

Bot Lab → Geothermal Powerplant → Advanced Metal Extractor → Advanced Bot Lab

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×2×2→Solar Collector→Bot Lab→Wind Turbine ×2×2→Solar Collector→Wind Turbine ×4×4→Energy Storage→Metal Extractor

1% of Armada Geo games · team won 38% of 16 · Then: Welder, blitz · Last seen 23 Sept

16MATCHES11 players
30
FrontArmadaQuick factory#rush#push

Mace rush

Front skips the usual Vehicle Plant opening for an early Bot Lab, pushing Mace bots out by 2:18 to fight forward at middle well before the norm, later adding Centurion to hold the line.

T1 bot assault from 2:18 · 3% of role by thenMace in 87%Centurion in 40%

Bot Lab → Advanced Metal Extractor

OPENINGMetal Extractor→Bot Lab→Wind Turbine ×2×2→Metal Extractor ×5×5→Construction Turret→Sentry→Wind Turbine ×4×4→Sentry

1% of Armada Front games · team won 47% of 15 · Then: pawn · Last seen 21 Sept

15MATCHES8 players
31
Suicide frontCortexEconomy first#push#raid#artillery

Pounder assault push

Vehicle plant into an early Pounder riot line by 1:16, backed by Rascal raiders, Wolverine artillery and Brute assault tanks, pushing into the middle earlier than the norm.

T1 vehicle riot from 1:16 · 10% of role by thenVehicle Plant in 100%Wolverine in 84%Rascal in 79%

Vehicle Plant → Advanced Metal Extractor

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×2×2→Wind Turbine ×2×2→Vehicle Plant→Metal Extractor→Guard→Metal Extractor→Guard→Radar Tower

3% of Cortex Suicide front games · team won 63% of 19 · Then: brute, wolverine, Rattlesnake · Last seen 24 Sept

18MATCHES6 players
32
GeoCortexEconomy first#rush#push

Tzar rush

Geo rushes an Advanced Vehicle Plant to field a Tzar around 6 minutes, far earlier than the role's typical first T2 unit, leading the front push before adding Omen support and Fury anti-air.

T2 vehicle assault from 5:57 · 3% of role by thenRadar vehicle in 79%Vehicle Plant in 74%Advanced Vehicle Plant in 68%

Bot Lab → Geothermal Powerplant → Vehicle Plant → Advanced Vehicle Plant

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×2×2→Wind Turbine ×3×3→Energy Storage→Wind Turbine ×4×4→Vehicle Plant→Metal Extractor→Wind Turbine→Geothermal Powerplant

5% of Cortex Geo games · team won 63% of 19 · Then: tiger · Last seen 20 Sept

19MATCHES12 players
33
PondArmadaEconomy first#raid#amphibious

Seeker hover raid

Pond rushes a Hovercraft Platform by 3:21 and sends Seeker hovercraft raiding from around 4:04, reaching the enemy base in a large share of its games.

Hover raid from 4:04 · 2% of role by thenHovercraft Platform in 95%Seeker in 65%

Hovercraft Platform → Bot Lab → Advanced Metal Extractor

OPENINGTidal Generator ×12×12→Metal Extractor ×4×4→Wind Turbine ×4×4→Energy Storage→Hovercraft Platform→Energy Converter→Sentry→Metal Extractor ×2×2

2% of Armada Pond games · team won 50% of 20 · Last seen 15 Sept

20MATCHES9 players
34
GeoArmadaEconomy first#raid#amphibious

Seeker hover raid

Geo builds a Hovercraft Platform very early and raids with Seeker hovercraft from 4:44, reaching the enemy base in most games, a distinct detour from the usual T2-first Geo plan.

Hover raid from 4:44 · 1% of role by thenHovercraft Platform in 100%

Bot Lab → Geothermal Powerplant → Hovercraft Platform → Advanced Metal Extractor

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×2×2→Wind Turbine ×3×3→Bot Lab→Solar Collector→Wind Turbine ×4×4→Metal Extractor ×2×2→Energy Storage→Geothermal Powerplant

1% of Armada Geo games · team won 79% of 14 · Then: Starlight, Jaguar, bomber · Last seen 12 Sept

14MATCHES10 players
35
FrontEconomy first#rush#push

Stout rush

Front skips early economy expansion to push Stout tanks out of the Vehicle Plant by 4:38, reaching a real Stout push around 7:00 to fight forward at middle before falling back on a delayed Bot Lab and mex.

T1 vehicle assault from 4:38 · 8% of role by thenStout in 78%Arty in 52%

Vehicle Plant → Advanced Metal Extractor → Bot Lab

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×2×2→Vehicle Plant→Wind Turbine ×3×3→Metal Extractor ×4×4→Dragon's Teeth ×5×5→Metal Extractor→Sentry ×2×2→Dragon's Teeth ×8×8

2% of Armada Front games · team won 35% of 23 · Then: janus, blitz · Last seen 22 Sept

23MATCHES11 players
36
FrontArmadaEconomy first#artillery#rush

Shellshocker artillery

Front rushes Shellshocker artillery from the Vehicle Plant by 3:09, well earlier than the norm, using it with Janus to shell the middle before transitioning into the usual Blitz-led army.

T1 vehicle artillery from 3:09 · 10% of role by thenArty in 56%Janus in 50%

Vehicle Plant → Advanced Metal Extractor

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×3×3→Vehicle Plant→Wind Turbine ×3×3→Metal Extractor ×3×3→Construction Turret→Dragon's Teeth ×2×2→Construction Turret→Dragon's Teeth ×3×3

1% of Armada Front games · team won 63% of 16 · Then: blitz, janus, Rattlesnake · Last seen 20 Sept

16MATCHES9 players
37
PondCortexEconomy first#raid#push

Thug bot assault

Pond opens a Bot Lab by ~3:15 and pushes Thugs into the middle from just after 4 minutes, fighting forward instead of the usual pure economy start.

T1 bot assault from 4:03 · 4% of role by thenThug in 75%Bot Lab in 50%Grunt in 42%

Bot Lab → Advanced Metal Extractor

OPENINGTidal Generator ×9×9→Energy Converter→Metal Extractor ×4×4→Wind Turbine ×4×4→Energy Storage→Wind Turbine ×4×4→Bot Lab→Construction Turret

5% of Cortex Pond games · team won 50% of 12 · Last seen 18 Sept

12MATCHES9 players
38
PondCortexEconomy firstSIGNATURE BUILD#t2#rush#push

Tzar rush

Pond rushes straight to an Advanced Vehicle Plant by ~4:00 and pushes a Tzar with Quaker and Fury support into the enemy base from under 5 minutes, skipping the normal boost/lab phase entirely for a fast T2 assault.

T2 vehicle assault from 4:03 · 5% of role by thenAdvanced Vehicle Plant in 100%Vehicle Plant in 100%Radar vehicle in 100%

Vehicle Plant → Advanced Vehicle Plant → Tzar → Quaker

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×3×3→Wind Turbine ×4×4→Vehicle Plant→Energy Storage→Wind Turbine ×2×2→Metal Extractor→Construction Turret→Advanced Vehicle Plant

4% of Cortex Pond games · team won 91% of 11 · Then: tiger, quaker · Last seen 24 Sept

11MATCHES1 player
39
PondArmadaEconomy first#air#raid

Banshee air

Pond opens an Aircraft Plant by ~2:57 and commits to Banshee gunships with Falcon support from around 3:15, an unusual full air-focused build for the role with dedicated repeat players.

T1 air gunships from 3:15 · 2% of role by thenAircraft Plant in 100%Fighter in 71%Fighter in 57%

Aircraft Plant → Bot Lab → Advanced Metal Extractor

OPENINGTidal Generator ×9×9→Metal Extractor ×4×4→Energy Storage→Wind Turbine ×3×3→Aircraft Plant→Construction Turret→Wind Turbine ×7×7→Metal Extractor

2% of Armada Pond games · team won 33% of 21 · Then: blitz, fighter · Last seen 12 Sept

21MATCHES7 players
40
GeoCortexEconomy first#push#artillery

Starlight push

Geo builds toward T2 vehicles and brings out Starlight tachyon tanks around 8-9 minutes to snipe from range in the middle, alongside Umbra support, instead of the usual bot-based T2 push.

T2 vehicle snipers from 8:22 · 6% of role by thenBot Lab in 92%Vehicle Plant in 92%Advanced Vehicle Plant in 85%

Bot Lab → Geothermal Powerplant → Advanced Metal Extractor → Bot Lab

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×3×3→Wind Turbine ×3×3→Bot Lab→Energy Storage→Construction Turret→Metal Extractor→Geothermal Powerplant→Energy Converter

3% of Cortex Geo games · team won 69% of 13 · Then: Jaguar · Last seen 22 Sept

13MATCHES6 players
41
GeoArmadaEconomy first#nuke

Nuke rush

Geo skips the usual T2 unit supply role and commits straight to an Armageddon nuke launcher from 8:11, aiming it at the enemy base rather than sending units to front.

Armageddon from 8:11 · 1% of role by thenFusion Reactor in 50%

Bot Lab → Geothermal Powerplant → Advanced Metal Extractor → Advanced Geothermal Powerplant

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×2×2→Wind Turbine ×3×3→Metal Extractor→Bot Lab→Wind Turbine ×5×5→Metal Extractor→Geothermal Powerplant→Energy Storage

1% of Armada Geo games · team won 5 of 8 · Then: Starlight · Last seen 25 Sept

8MATCHES4 players
42
GeoCortexEconomy first#rush#push

Thug rush

Geo skips ahead to T1 bot assault with Thug from under 2 minutes, pushing into the middle very early while relying on an ally for T2 constructor supply, before transitioning to Arbiter and Mammoth.

T1 bot assault from 1:53 · 3% of role by thenArbiter in 54%Persecutor in 46%Mammoth in 46%

Bot Lab → Geothermal Powerplant → Advanced Metal Extractor → Advanced Geothermal Powerplant

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×2×2→Wind Turbine→Solar Collector→Wind Turbine ×2×2→Bot Lab→Solar Collector→Wind Turbine ×3×3→Metal Extractor

3% of Cortex Geo games · team won 69% of 13 · Then: Arbiter, Sumo, Sheldon · Last seen 25 Sept

13MATCHES4 players
43
GeoCortexEconomy first#air#drop#rush

Valiant push

Geo builds an Aircraft Plant almost immediately and uses a light transport to drop Valiant fighters and Whirlwind bombers behind enemy lines from under 4 minutes, well before any T1 lab norm timing.

T1 air fighters from 3:53 · 3% of role by thenAircraft Plant in 100%Light transport in 83%Whirlwind in 75%

Bot Lab → Geothermal Powerplant → Aircraft Plant → Advanced Metal Extractor

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×3×3→Wind Turbine ×3×3→Metal Extractor→Wind Turbine ×2×2→Bot Lab→Geothermal Powerplant→Construction Turret ×2×2→Wind Turbine

3% of Cortex Geo games · team won 83% of 12 · Then: Sumo, Arbiter · Last seen 20 Sept

12MATCHES2 players
44
GeoLegionEconomy first#t2#air#drop

Drone plant T2

Com-blow economy that adds a Legion Drone Plant before Advanced Geothermal, using the drones and T2 vehicles (anti-air, support) to send an Aeolus drop into the enemy base by mid-game instead of just funneling T2 units to front.

Aeolus in 67%Legion Drone in 67%Flak in 67%Radar jammer in 67%

Legion Bot Lab → Geothermal Powerplant → Advanced Metal Extractor → Legion Drone Plant

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×2×2→Wind Turbine ×4×4→Legion Bot Lab→Wind Turbine ×2×2→Metal Extractor→Wind Turbine ×2×2→Metal Extractor→Wind Turbine ×2×2

15% of Legion Geo games · team won 2 of 6 · Then: Boreas, Medusa, transport · Last seen 24 Sept

6MATCHES3 players
45
GeoArmadaEconomy first#t3#push

Fast experimental gantry

Geo abandons the standard T2-supply role entirely to rush an Experimental Gantry from 8:22, fielding Marauder and Razorback experimentals well ahead of the role's norm, a radical departure that wins every recorded game.

Experimental Gantry from 8:22 · 0% of role by thenMarauder in 100%Razorback in 80%Vehicle Plant in 40%

Bot Lab → Geothermal Powerplant → Vehicle Plant → Advanced Metal Extractor

OPENINGMetal Extractor ×3×3→Wind Turbine ×2×2→Bot Lab→Wind Turbine ×6×6→Metal Extractor→Wind Turbine ×2×2→Construction Turret ×2×2→Wind Turbine

0% of Armada Geo games · team won 5 of 5 · Then: Marauder, Razorback, Vanguard · Last seen 11 Sept

5MATCHES3 players
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Real games. Real sequences.

02 / RECOGNISE

Repeated openings, made readable.

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