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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Windfor Air
    4. Wind
    5. Bot LabBot Labdone 1:20 · 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 · 7 steps
    1. GraverobberGraverobber
    2. Windfor Air
    3. GraverobberGraverobber
    4. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    5. TrasherTrasher
    6. Con turret
    7. ShipyardShipyarddone 2:55 · 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 · 6 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. Energy storage
    3. Mex
    4. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    5. Construction ShipCon ship
    6. RiptideFrigatedone 3:39 · 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 · 112 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. RiptideFrigate
    3. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    4. Construction ShipCon ship
    5. GuardGuard
    6. OppressorDestroyerdone 5:29 · typical 5:04
    7. GuardGuard
    8. Mex
    9. GuardGuard ×2
    10. Mex
    11. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    12. GuardGuard
    13. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    14. GuardGuard
    15. Wind ×3
    16. HerringMissile corvette
    17. Wind ×3
    18. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    19. Wind ×3
    20. RiptideFrigate
    21. Wind
    22. GuardGuard
    23. Wind ×6
    24. Converter ×2
    25. RiptideFrigate
    26. Wind
    27. Converter ×2
    28. OppressorDestroyer
    29. Wind
    30. Converter ×2
    31. Wind ×4
    32. HerringMissile corvette
    33. Con turret
    34. Wind ×3
    35. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    36. Wind ×4
    37. RiptideFrigate
    38. Geothermal PowerplantGeodone 11:21
    39. RiptideFrigate
    40. OppressorDestroyer
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:53
    42. Con turret
    43. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    44. HerringMissile corvette
    45. Construction ShipCon ship
    46. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    47. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    48. Wind ×2
    49. Con turret
    50. Wind ×2
    51. Converter
    52. Wind
    53. Mex
    54. RiptideFrigate
    55. Wind
    56. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    57. RiptideFrigate
    58. Wind
    59. Con turret
    60. Wind
    61. Converter
    62. Wind
    63. OppressorDestroyer
    64. Wind
    65. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    66. Wind
    67. HerringMissile corvette
    68. Wind
    69. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    70. Converter
    71. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    72. Wind
    73. RiptideFrigate
    74. Wind
    75. Construction ShipCon ship
    76. Wind
    77. RiptideFrigate
    78. Wind
    79. Converter
    80. Wind
    81. OppressorDestroyer
    82. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    83. Wind ×2
    84. HerringMissile corvette
    85. Converter
    86. Wind
    87. Naval Construction Turret
    88. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    89. Wind ×2
    90. RiptideFrigate
    91. Naval Construction Turret
    92. Wind ×2
    93. Converter
    94. RiptideFrigate
    95. Wind
    96. OppressorDestroyer
    97. Wind
    98. Converter
    99. Wind
    100. HerringMissile corvette
    101. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    102. Converter
    103. Wind
    104. RiptideFrigate
    105. Wind
    106. Converter
    107. RiptideFrigate
    108. Wind
    109. Seaplane PlatformSeaplane Platformdone 14:59
    110. OppressorDestroyer
    111. Advanced Geothermal PowerplantAdvanced Geothermal Powerplantnot finished by 15:00
    112. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is PlatinumBlonde's (50 OS, 07/08/2026); 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

50.2 OS · 07/08/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
278 metal received · 13149 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