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Pond / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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.

Usually pumps units (60%)

#naval #rush #push · 15 distinct matches · 12 players · 6% of Cortex Pond games · team won 40% of 15 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • OppressorT1 naval assault from 3:57 · 6% of role by thenFrom the Shipyard. Only 6% of Pond games have it by then; others who build it get it around 4:24
  • HerringMissile corvette in 100%5% of all Pond games by then
  • ShipyardShipyard in 93%5% of all Pond games by then
  • OppressorDestroyer in 53%3% of all Pond games by then
  • HerculesLight transport from an ally in 47%5% of all Pond games by then

Started with Oppressor (53%), Riptide (47%).

Where those units first fight, in 14 games with kill data: in the middle 79%, on their own side 21%.

Those units destroy a typical 3,550 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into frigate (27% of army), missile corvette (9% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Shipyard by 2:46

  1. Skip the usual eco-first boosting job and rush a Shipyard instead.
  2. Get Shipyard up well ahead of the role's normal pace.
  3. Push out destroyer or frigate to start fighting the middle seas.
  4. Add Herring for light anti-air and sonar coverage at sea.
  5. Keep feeding destroyers as your main naval force.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 15 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 Bot Lab

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor3Mex+3 vs standard
    • Wind Turbine2Wind+2 vs standard
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 3 mex, 4 winddone ~1:11, middle half 1:09–8:29

    Some games also: wind for allies (40%) · tidal for allies (33%)

    By 0:55 in all: 3 mex (standard 0) · 2 wind (standard 0)

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Windfor Air
    4. Bot LabBot Labdone 1:11 · typical 1:11
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Shipyard

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex−3 vs standard
    Order
    1. ShipyardShipyard after 4 mex, 5 winddone ~3:02, middle half 2:44–3:38

    Some games also: Graverobber (40%) · con bot (40%) · wind (40%) · energy storage (33%) · trasher (33%)

    By 2:45 in all: 4 mex · 5 wind (standard 1)

    The example game in this phase · 16 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. Windfor Air
    4. GraverobberGraverobber
    5. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    6. Con turret
    7. TrasherTrasher
    8. GruntGrunt
    9. Energy storage
    10. Wind
    11. Mex
    12. Wind
    13. JellyfishJellyfish
    14. Wind
    15. Mex
    16. ShipyardShipyarddone 3:38 · typical 3:02
  3. 3

    Shipyard to T1 naval assault

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    Order
    1. OppressorT1 naval assault after 4 mex, 5 wind, 1 energy storagedone ~5:04, middle half 4:41–5:37

    Some games also: con ship (47%) · Radar Tower (47%) · missile corvette (40%) · wind (40%) · submarine (33%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 4 wind

    By 3:57 in all: 5 mex · 5 wind · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Mex
    3. RiptideFrigatedone 3:51 · typical 4:14
  4. 4

    T1 naval assault to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor2Mex+2 vs standard
    Builders
    • Construction Ship1 Con ship
    • Death Cavalry1 Death Cavalry
    Army
    • Riptide3 Frigate +3 vs standard
    • Oppressor2 Destroyer +2 vs standard
    • Herring1 Missile corvette
    Other
    • Naval Radar / Sonar Tower1 Naval Radar / Sonar Tower

    Some games also: wind (47%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 8 wind · 2 converter

    By 10:00 in all: 8 mex (standard 4) · 12 wind (standard 16) · 2 tidal · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 95 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Radar TowerRadar Tower ×2
    3. RiptideFrigate
    4. Wind
    5. Construction ShipCon ship
    6. OppressorDestroyerdone 5:04 · typical 5:04
    7. Wind
    8. Mex
    9. Wind
    10. Mex
    11. Wind
    12. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    13. HerringMissile corvette
    14. Wind
    15. RiptideFrigate
    16. Wind
    17. RiptideFrigate
    18. GuardGuard
    19. Wind
    20. GuardGuard
    21. OppressorDestroyer
    22. GuardGuard ×2
    23. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    24. GuardGuard
    25. HerringMissile corvette
    26. RiptideFrigate
    27. GuardGuard
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:09
    29. GuardGuard
    30. Geothermal PowerplantGeodone 10:41
    31. RiptideFrigate
    32. GuardGuard
    33. Mex
    34. OppressorDestroyer
    35. GuardGuard
    36. ThistleThistle
    37. GuardGuard
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    40. Mex
    41. HerringMissile corvette
    42. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00
    43. RiptideFrigate
    44. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    45. RiptideFrigate
    46. Mex
    47. OppressorDestroyer
    48. Naval Construction Turret
    49. Wind ×2
    50. Naval Construction Turret
    51. ShipyardShipyarddone 10:44
    52. Wind ×2
    53. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    54. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    55. Wind
    56. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    57. RiptideFrigate
    58. Wind
    59. RiptideFrigate
    60. Wind
    61. OppressorDestroyer
    62. HerringMissile corvette
    63. Naval Construction Turret
    64. Wind
    65. RiptideFrigate ×2
    66. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    67. OppressorDestroyer
    68. Wind
    69. HerringMissile corvette
    70. RiptideFrigate
    71. Wind
    72. Construction ShipCon ship
    73. RiptideFrigate
    74. Wind
    75. OppressorDestroyer
    76. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    77. Tidal
    78. Mex
    79. Tidal ×2
    80. HerringMissile corvette
    81. Tidal
    82. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    83. RiptideFrigate
    84. Tidal ×2
    85. RiptideFrigate
    86. Tidal
    87. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    88. OppressorDestroyer
    89. Tidal
    90. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    91. HerringMissile corvette
    92. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    93. Tidal
    94. RiptideFrigate
    95. Twin GuardTwin Guard

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is PlatinumBlonde's (57 OS, 16/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Tidal Generator8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:14 · in 33% of games
  • Wind Turbine2 Wind to Air or Suicide front or Frontfirst at 1:33 · in 47% of games

You get

  • Finch1 Finch from Airfirst at 1:30 · in 47% of games
  • Hercules1 Light transport from Air or Beach seafirst at 2:07 · in 47% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 7:58 · in 40% 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

15 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
1:003971150000
2:009272780000
3:0014858160000
4:00240715100000
5:00330322171510510
6:00425129626070940
7:006159382611202882400
8:006159462315201070720189
9:007469553521881507920591
10:0089626651338021711850899
11:001166982503439269318501360
12:0011669101943439313421931695
13:0013659125744077345441902159
14:0016438146684823382141902820
15:0019150170044823427441903392
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Dealt and took more damage than the standard build but the team won less often, trading eco role for early naval fights.

  • + Enemy metal destroyed well above standard by 10:00 (3380 vs 2196).
  • + Metal produced ahead of standard at every checkpoint shown.
  • − Team win rate 40% versus standard's 52%.
  • − Own metal lost at 10:00 nearly double standard (1850 vs 941).
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

PlatinumBlonde

57.1 OS · 16/08/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
603 metal received · 43933 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab1:11Middle 50%: 1:09–8:29 · n=9
Shipyard3:02Middle 50%: 2:44–3:38 · n=14
Riptide4:14Middle 50%: 3:41–5:46 · n=12
Oppressor5:04Middle 50%: 4:41–5:37 · n=15

Played most by

PlatinumBlonde3games of this buildDeathkebab2games of this build[AFUS]Trotski1game of this buildAlphacure1game of this buildCenturionPrimera1game of this build