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Pond / Armada / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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.

#air #raid · 21 distinct matches · 7 players · 2% of Armada Pond games · team won 33% of 21 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • BansheeT1 air gunships from 3:15 · 2% of role by thenFrom the Aircraft Plant. Only 2% of Pond games have it by then; others who build it get it around 4:47
  • Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant in 100%4% of all Pond games by then
  • FalconFighter in 71%2% of all Pond games by then
  • FalconFighter in 57%1% of all Pond games by then
  • BansheeBanshee in 57%1% of all Pond games by then

Where those units first fight, in 21 games with kill data: in the middle 76%, on their own side 24%.

Those units destroy a typical 2,823 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into blitz (13% of army), fighter (11% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 3:15

  1. Open tidal-based eco, skipping Pond's usual ground lab plan.
  2. Rush Aircraft Plant instead of boosting front on the ground.
  3. Push Banshee gunships as the main early attacker.
  4. Mix in Falcon fighters to contest the middle skies.
  5. Keep reinforcing with Banshee as the core army composition.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 21 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD POND
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:00 step by step: what to build now, what comes next, and where it goes. At 1× it keeps pace with your own game.

  1. 1

    Up to the T1 air gunships

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine6Wind+2 vs standard
    • Solar Collector1Solar
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 4 mex, 5 wind, 1 solar
    2. BansheeT1 air gunships after 4 mex, 6 wind, 1 solar

    Some games also: energy storage (48%) · solar for allies (48%) · tidal (43%) · tidal for allies (38%)

    By 3:15 in all: 4 mex · 6 wind (standard 4) · 1 solar

    The example game in this phase · 7 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Solar ×6for Suicide front
    3. Solar
    4. Mex ×3
    5. Wind ×4
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 2:42 · typical 3:15
    7. BansheeBansheedone 3:08
  2. 2

    T1 air gunships to 5:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine1Wind−6 vs standard
    Army
    • Banshee4 Banshee +4 vs standard
    • Falcon2 Fighter +2 vs standard

    By 5:00 in all: 4 mex · 9 wind · 1 solar

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Wind ×4
    2. BansheeBanshee ×5
    3. FalconFighter ×3
  3. 3

    5:00 to Bot Lab

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine13Wind
    • Energy Converter2Converter
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 4 mex, 30 wind, 3 con turretdone ~9:38, middle half 5:54–12:18
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    Army
    • Banshee5 Banshee +5 vs standard

    Some games also: fighter (43%) · con aircraft (38%) · energy storage (33%)

    By 9:28 in all: 4 mex · 30 wind · 1 solar · 3 converter · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. BansheeBanshee ×7
    2. Wind ×5
    3. BansheeBanshee ×3
    4. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:09 · typical 9:38
  4. 4

    Bot Lab to 15:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine19Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret −2 vs standard

    Some games also: converter (33%) · banshee (33%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 6 tick

    By 15:00 in all: 4 mex · 46 wind · 1 solar · 5 converter (standard 9) · 1 energy storage · 5 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 78 steps
    1. Construction BotCon bot
    2. Wind
    3. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    4. CenturionCenturion ×2
    5. Wind
    6. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    7. CenturionCenturion
    8. Wind ×2
    9. CrossbowCrossbow
    10. LazarusLazarus
    11. Wind
    12. SentrySentry
    13. CenturionCenturion
    14. Wind
    15. SentrySentry
    16. Wind
    17. CenturionCenturion
    18. Wind
    19. CenturionCenturion
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:56
    21. Mex
    22. Wind
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:55 · typical 9:42
    24. Con turret
    25. Wind
    26. CrossbowCrossbow
    27. Wind
    28. LazarusLazarus
    29. Wind
    30. CenturionCenturion
    31. Wind
    32. Mex
    33. Wind
    34. CenturionCenturion
    35. Wind ×2
    36. CenturionCenturion
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    38. Wind
    39. CrossbowCrossbow
    40. LazarusLazarus
    41. Wind
    42. Con turret
    43. CenturionCenturion
    44. Wind
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. Mex
    47. NettleNettle
    48. Con turret
    49. Wind ×2
    50. Con turret
    51. CenturionCenturion
    52. Wind
    53. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    54. CenturionCenturion
    55. FerretFerret
    56. Wind
    57. CrossbowCrossbow
    58. FerretFerret ×2
    59. Wind
    60. FerretFerret
    61. LazarusLazarus
    62. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    63. Wind
    64. CenturionCenturion
    65. Wind
    66. CenturionCenturion
    67. Wind
    68. CenturionCenturion
    69. Con turret
    70. Wind
    71. Pit BullPit Bull
    72. Wind
    73. CrossbowCrossbow
    74. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    75. Wind
    76. LazarusLazarus
    77. Wind
    78. LazarusLazarus ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is yubiyubi's (35 OS, 13/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Tidal Generator8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:09 · in 38% of games
  • Solar Collector6 Solar to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:17 · in 48% of games

You get

  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 7:54 · in 90% of games

How it plays out

Typical game of this build against the role’s standard build, running totals by minute

  • This build
  • Standard pond

Metal produced

010k20k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Enemy metal destroyed

02k4k6k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

02k4k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

21 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildMetal produced: Standard pondEnemy metal destroyed: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: Standard pondOwn metal lost: This buildOwn metal lost: Standard pond
1:002311150000
2:006112730000
3:0012648170000
4:00191515100000
5:002520223100730
6:003213298516206340
7:00392138417694807480
8:004936474225311276956148
9:0057375693278020251361379
10:0066996872290628651642720
11:00787783343043331716891188
12:009791102903330368423171616
13:0011787125933548426228071966
14:0013732149143548478028072454
15:0016020174563649532430013030
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won far less often than the standard build, with lower metal produced and destroyed and more losses by 15:00.

  • + Aircraft Plant up by 2:57 in all games, radically earlier than role norm.
  • − Won only 30% of games vs 48% for standard.
  • − Destroyed just 3649 metal by 15:00, below standard's 5316, and lost more too.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

yubiyubi

35.4 OS · 13/08/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
647 metal received · 44201 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant3:15Middle 50%: 2:51–3:56 · n=21
Bot Lab9:38Middle 50%: 5:54–12:18 · n=11
Advanced Metal Extractor9:42Middle 50%: 8:51–10:59 · n=17

Played most by

yubiyubi11games of this buildUsurpeR3games of this buildHorlof2games of this buildViltrum2games of this build0neTw01game of this build