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Pond / Armada / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Blitz raid

Pond skips straight to a Vehicle Plant by 3:37 and pushes a Blitz-led tank raid into the middle from around 4:14, with units reaching the enemy base in over half its games, before settling into the usual eco transition.

#raid #rush · 53 distinct matches · 30 players · 6% of Armada Pond games · team won 64% of 53 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • BlitzT1 vehicle raid from 4:14 · 5% of role by thenFrom the Vehicle Plant. Only 5% of Pond games have it by then; others who build it get it around 8:33
  • Vehicle PlantVehicle Plant in 98%8% of all Pond games by then
  • BlitzBlitz in 74%5% of all Pond games by then

Started with Blitz (70%), Pincer (21%), Rover (8%), Rascal (2%).

Where those units first fight, in 53 games with kill data: in the middle 74%, on their own side 17%, in the enemy base 9%.

Those units destroy a typical 1,529 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Vehicle Plant by 3:37

  1. Open tidals and mexes as usual, boosting the fronts early.
  2. Skip the bot-lab-first pattern and rush a Vehicle Plant instead.
  3. Get the plant finished well ahead of the normal Pond timing.
  4. Push Blitz out to raid the middle and into the enemy base.
  5. Add a Bot Lab and transition toward the usual T2 constructor step.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 53 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD POND
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
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 vehicle raid

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Tidal Generator8Tidalfor allies
    • Wind Turbine8Wind
    • Tidal Generator1Tidal
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Order
    1. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plant after 4 mex, 6 wind, 1 tidal
    2. BlitzT1 vehicle raid after 4 mex, 8 wind, 1 tidal

    Some games also: converter (40%) · con vehicle (38%)

    By 4:14 in all: 4 mex · 8 wind · 1 tidal · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 34 steps
    1. Tidal ×9for Suicide front
    2. Tidal
    3. Energy storage
    4. Mex
    5. Wind
    6. Mex
    7. Mex
    8. Mex
    9. Wind ×3
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Wind
    14. Wind
    15. Converter
    16. Wind
    17. Converter
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. Wind
    21. Converter
    22. Energy storage
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Wind
    30. Converter ×2
    31. Wind ×4
    32. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 6:04
    33. Wind
    34. RascalRascaldone 6:12
  2. 2

    T1 vehicle raid to Bot Lab

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine14Wind−6 vs standard
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 4 mex, 22 wind, 2 con turretdone ~9:50, middle half 3:12–12:00
    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret
    • Construction Vehicle1 Con vehicle
    Army
    • Blitz9 Blitz +9 vs standard

    Some games also: converter (45%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 converter

    By 9:30 in all: 4 mex · 22 wind · 1 tidal · 4 converter · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 48 steps
    1. Wind
    2. RascalRascal
    3. Wind
    4. RascalRascal
    5. Wind
    6. RascalRascal
    7. Wind
    8. RascalRascal
    9. Wind
    10. RascalRascal
    11. Wind
    12. RascalRascal ×2
    13. Wind
    14. RascalRascal
    15. Wind
    16. RascalRascal
    17. Wind
    18. RascalRascal
    19. Wind
    20. RascalRascal
    21. Wind
    22. RascalRascal
    23. Wind
    24. RascalRascal
    25. Wind
    26. RascalRascal
    27. Wind
    28. RascalRascal
    29. Wind
    30. RascalRascal
    31. Wind
    32. RascalRascal ×2
    33. Wind
    34. RascalRascal
    35. Wind
    36. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    37. Wind
    38. Mexfor Tech
    39. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    40. Wind
    41. Con turret
    42. PounderPounder
    43. Mexfor Tech
    44. Wind
    45. RascalRascal
    46. Con turret
    47. RascalRascal
    48. Wind
  3. 3

    Bot Lab to 15:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine23Wind
    • Energy Converter4Converter+3 vs standard
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret

    Some games also: blitz (43%) · tick (34%) · Vehicle Plant (30%)

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

    By 15:00 in all: 4 mex · 46 wind · 1 tidal · 10 converter · 1 energy storage · 5 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 124 steps
    1. RascalRascal ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:30 · typical 9:53
    4. RascalRascal
    5. SentrySentry ×2
    6. Wind
    7. RascalRascal
    8. Wind
    9. RascalRascal
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    13. RascalRascal
    14. Converter
    15. RascalRascal
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. RascalRascal
    19. Wind
    20. RascalRascal
    21. Converter
    22. RascalRascal
    23. Converter
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. RascalRascal ×2
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. RascalRascal ×2
    29. Wind
    30. RascalRascal ×2
    31. Con turret
    32. RascalRascal
    33. Con turret
    34. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    35. RascalRascal
    36. Con turret
    37. PounderPounder
    38. LasherLasher
    39. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:31
    40. LasherLasher
    41. GraverobberGraverobber
    42. LasherLasher
    43. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    44. LasherLasher
    45. GraverobberGraverobber ×3
    46. Wind
    47. LasherLasher
    48. GraverobberGraverobber
    49. Wind
    50. GruntGrunt ×2
    51. Wind
    52. IncisorIncisor
    53. GruntGrunt ×2
    54. Wind
    55. IncisorIncisor
    56. GruntGrunt
    57. Wind
    58. GruntGrunt
    59. IncisorIncisor
    60. GruntGrunt
    61. Wind
    62. GruntGrunt
    63. IncisorIncisor
    64. GruntGrunt
    65. Wind
    66. GruntGrunt
    67. IncisorIncisor
    68. GraverobberGraverobber
    69. Wind
    70. GraverobberGraverobber
    71. IncisorIncisor
    72. Wind
    73. GruntGrunt
    74. Wind
    75. GruntGrunt
    76. IncisorIncisor
    77. GruntGrunt ×2
    78. Wind
    79. IncisorIncisor
    80. GruntGrunt
    81. Wind
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. IncisorIncisor
    84. GruntGrunt
    85. Wind
    86. GruntGrunt
    87. Cortex CommanderCortex Commanderfor Suicide front
    88. IncisorIncisor
    89. GruntGrunt
    90. Wind
    91. GruntGrunt
    92. IncisorIncisor
    93. Mex
    94. GraverobberGraverobber
    95. Wind
    96. IncisorIncisor
    97. GraverobberGraverobber
    98. Wind
    99. GruntGrunt
    100. PawnPawn
    101. Wind
    102. IncisorIncisor
    103. GruntGrunt
    104. PounderPounder
    105. GruntGrunt
    106. Wind
    107. GruntGrunt
    108. IncisorIncisor
    109. GruntGrunt ×2
    110. SheldonSheldondone 14:40
    111. GruntGrunt
    112. IncisorIncisor
    113. Wind
    114. GruntGrunt
    115. Wind
    116. IncisorIncisor
    117. GruntGrunt
    118. Wind
    119. IncisorIncisor
    120. GruntGrunt
    121. GraverobberGraverobber
    122. BullBulldone 14:58
    123. IncisorIncisor
    124. GraverobberGraverobber

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is jazmastah's (39 OS, 22/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Tidal Generator8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:13 · in 79% of games

You get

  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 8:12 · in 83% 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

02k4k6k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

53 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
1:001151150000
2:002842730000
3:008448170000
4:00152315100000
5:00223622310000
6:00301429850000
7:00405038416764804400
8:004973474211881276990148
9:0058845693152920251320379
10:0070716872229228651913720
11:00868983342678331721541188
12:0010685102902858368424911616
13:0012622125933435426234551966
14:0014499149143829478040972454
15:0017552174564439532448933030
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won clearly more often than the standard build even though it destroyed less enemy metal and lost more of its own.

  • + Team win rate well above standard (63% vs 48%)
  • + Metal produced by 15:00 slightly ahead (17640 vs 17389)
  • − Own metal lost by 10:00 much higher (1837 vs 756)
  • − Enemy metal destroyed by 15:00 behind standard (4230 vs 5316)
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

jazmastah

39.4 OS · 22/08/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
291 metal received · 28663 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Vehicle Plant3:54Middle 50%: 3:29–5:21 · n=52
Bot Lab9:50Middle 50%: 3:12–12:00 · n=30
Advanced Metal Extractor9:53Middle 50%: 9:11–10:44 · n=44

Played most by

zeus_on_god11games of this buildhaaven4games of this buildViltrum4games of this build[Grump]Grumpiness3games of this buildAlRelSoulfire2games of this build