BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
Pond / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Destroyer rush

Pond skips its usual boosting job and rushes a Shipyard by 3:02 to push a T1 naval assault of Riptides and Oppressors into the middle from around 4:09, fighting mostly in the middle with occasional pushes into the enemy base.

Usually pumps units (63%)

#naval #rush #push · 16 distinct matches · 13 players · 6% of Cortex Pond games · team won 44% of 16 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • RiptideT1 naval assault from 4:09 · 6% of role by thenFrom the Shipyard. Only 6% of Pond games have it by then; others who build it get it around 4:21
  • HerringMissile corvette in 100%5% of all Pond games by then
  • ShipyardShipyard in 94%5% of all Pond games by then
  • OppressorDestroyer in 50%3% of all Pond games by then
  • HerculesLight transport from an ally in 50%5% of all Pond games by then

Started with Riptide (50%), Oppressor (50%).

Where those units first fight, in 15 games with kill data: in the middle 80%, on their own side 20%.

Those units destroy a typical 3,508 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into destroyer (38% 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 16 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 ~1:12, middle half 1:09–6:42

    Some games also: wind for allies (44%) · tidal for allies (31%)

    By 0:56 in all: 3 mex (standard 0) · 2 wind (standard 0)

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Wind ×2for Air
    4. Bot LabBot Labdone 1:13 · typical 1:12
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Shipyard

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex−3 vs standard
    Order
    1. ShipyardShipyard after 4 mex, 5 wind, 1 energy storagedone ~3:02, middle half 2:44–3:45

    Some games also: Graverobber (44%) · wind (44%) · con bot (44%) · trasher (38%) · energy storage (38%)

    By 2:46 in all: 4 mex · 5 wind (standard 1)

    The example game in this phase · 14 steps
    1. GraverobberGraverobber
    2. Wind ×2
    3. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. TrasherTrasher
    7. Con turret
    8. GruntGrunt ×2
    9. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    10. Energy storage
    11. Mex
    12. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    13. Mex
    14. ShipyardShipyarddone 3:51 · typical 3:02
  3. 3

    Shipyard to T1 naval assault

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    Order
    1. RiptideT1 naval assault after 5 mex, 5 wind, 1 energy storagedone ~4:24, middle half 3:42–5:35

    Some games also: Radar Tower (50%) · con ship (50%) · missile corvette (44%) · wind (38%) · Guard (31%)

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

    By 4:03 in all: 6 mex (standard 4) · 5 wind · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 7 steps
    1. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    2. Mex
    3. Construction ShipCon ship
    4. GuardGuard
    5. HerringMissile corvette
    6. GuardGuard
    7. RiptideFrigatedone 4:24 · typical 4:24
  4. 4

    T1 naval assault to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor3Mex+3 vs standard
    Builders
    • Death Cavalry2 Death Cavalry +2 vs standard
    • Construction Ship1 Con ship
    Army
    • Riptide4 Frigate +4 vs standard
    • Oppressor2 Destroyer +2 vs standard
    • Herring2 Missile corvette +2 vs standard
    Other
    • Naval Radar / Sonar Tower1 Naval Radar / Sonar Tower

    Some games also: wind (50%) · converter (31%) · Radar Tower (31%) · geo (31%)

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

    By 10:00 in all: 9 mex (standard 4) · 12 wind · 1 tidal · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 39 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Converter
    3. RiptideFrigate
    4. GuardGuard
    5. Converter
    6. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    7. Mex
    8. GuardGuard
    9. Geothermal PowerplantGeodone 6:07
    10. HerringMissile corvette
    11. OppressorDestroyerdone 5:54 · typical 5:06
    12. HerringMissile corvette ×2
    13. Converter
    14. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    15. Converter
    16. Construction ShipCon ship
    17. OppressorDestroyer
    18. Converter
    19. Mex
    20. Wind
    21. Converter
    22. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    23. Converter
    24. Mex
    25. HerringMissile corvette
    26. RiptideFrigate
    27. Converter
    28. RiptideFrigate
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:09 · typical 9:28
    30. Mex
    31. RiptideFrigate
    32. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    33. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    34. OppressorDestroyer
    35. Mex
    36. RiptideFrigate
    37. Mex
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [MooDeng]NongJohn's (39 OS, 25/09/2026); 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 31% of games
  • Wind Turbine2 Wind to Air or Suicide front or Frontfirst at 1:35 · in 50% of games

You get

  • Finch1 Finch from Airfirst at 1:41 · in 50% of games
  • Hercules1 Light transport from Air or Beach seafirst at 2:10 · in 50% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 7:58 · in 44% 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

16 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
1:003961150000
2:009242780000
3:0014828160000
4:00241515090000
5:00353222161630510
6:00474829606090920
7:006241381711632932610
8:006573462115501058856176
9:0074765535270315071166591
10:0094406670341021171631899
11:001145082503685265216311350
12:0011623101563915307120221664
13:0013225124954234341930202143
14:0016107144714627382033212820
15:0018865168514627419040563522
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

[MooDeng]NongJohn

39.2 OS · 25/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
458 metal received · 24201 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab1:12Middle 50%: 1:09–6:42 · n=10
Shipyard3:02Middle 50%: 2:44–3:45 · n=15
Riptide4:24Middle 50%: 3:42–5:35 · n=13
Oppressor5:06Middle 50%: 4:43–5:48 · n=16
Advanced Metal Extractor9:28Middle 50%: 9:06–10:00 · n=8

Played most by

PlatinumBlonde3games of this buildDeathkebab2games of this build[AFUS]Trotski1game of this build[MooDeng]NongJohn1game of this buildAlphacure1game of this build