Pond / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Fatboy buy

Cortex Pond build order · Supreme Isthmus

Pond pays Tech heavily from before 5 minutes to buy a Fatboy which Tech builds and hands over around 5:15, bringing it to the middle as an early push while still running its own eco.

#push #team support · 68 distinct matches · 20 players · 20% of Cortex Pond games · team won 46% of 68 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT

Fatboy from Tech arrives 5:15 · 19% of role by thenTech makes it and hands it over.
Heavy transport from an ally in 79%16% of all Pond games by then

Paid for by sending allies about 1,200 metal and 12,000 energy by 5:00; standard pond sends 450 metal and 13,000 energy.

Where those units first fight, in 64 games with kill data: in the middle 88%, on their own side 13%.

Those units destroy a typical 2,392 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into grunt (31% of army), tick (10% of army), incisor (9% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Fatboy by 5:15

0:03Open tidals plus mex and wind for your own standard Pond eco.
4:40Receive a heavy transport from an ally to help move it.
by 5:00Send Tech heavy metal and energy to fund the Fatboy buy.
5:15Take delivery of the Fatboy from Tech and send it to middle as a push.
6:02+Get your lab going and keep boosting front through the T2 transition.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 68 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD POND

10:00
25:38

PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:15 step by step: what to build now, what comes next, and where it goes. At 1× it keeps pace with your own game.

1
Up to the Bot Lab
0:00 – 5:38
Economy
- 4Mex
- 9Wind
- 8Tidalfor allies
- 1Tidal
- 2Converter+2 vs standard
- 1Energy storage
Order
1. Bot Lab ~5:38after 4 mex, 11 wind, 4 converterdone ~6:02, middle half 3:46–6:54
By 5:38 in all: 4 mex · 9 wind · 1 tidal · 2 converter (standard 0) · 1 energy storage
The example game in this phase · 16 steps
1. 0:03Tidal ×10for Suicide front
2. 1:38Mex ×3
3. 2:12Mex
4. 2:32Wind ×5
5. 2:58Energy storage
6. 3:13Wind ×4
7. 3:41Con turret
8. 4:01Wind ×2
9. 4:10Converter ×4
10. 4:41Con turret
11. 4:47Wind ×4
12. 5:13Con turret
13. 5:14Wind ×3
14. 5:34Wind
15. 5:36Wind
16. 5:38Wind
2
Bot Lab to 10:00
5:38 – 10:00
Economy
- 1Wind−6 vs standard
Some games also: con turret (47%) · con bot (43%) · grunt (43%) · converter (37%)
The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 converter
By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 16 wind · 1 tidal · 4 converter · 1 energy storage · 1 con turret
The example game in this phase · 99 steps
1. 5:42Wind ×3
2. 5:52Energy storage
3. 6:03Wind ×6
4. 6:27Bot Labdone 7:04
5. 7:04Tick ×4
6. 7:11Converter
7. 7:13Tick ×4
8. 7:21Converter
9. 7:23Tick ×3
10. 7:29Converter
11. 7:30Tick ×3
12. 7:36Converter
13. 7:38Tick ×11
14. 8:05Con turret
15. 8:07Tick ×5
16. 8:17T2 mexdone 9:07 · typical 10:04
17. 8:19Tick
18. 8:22Converter
19. 8:22Tick ×4
20. 8:32Converter
21. 8:34Tick ×3
22. 8:41Converter
23. 8:43Tick ×3
24. 8:49Converter
25. 8:52Tick ×5
26. 9:06Wind
27. 9:07Tick
28. 9:09T2 mex
29. 9:10Tick
30. 9:11Wind
31. 9:13Tick ×15
32. 9:56Wind
33. 9:58Tick ×4
34. 10:08Wind
35. 10:08T2 mex
36. 10:09Tick
37. 10:11Wind
38. 10:11Tick ×5
39. 10:22Wind
40. 10:24Tick ×5
41. 10:44Advanced Bot Labdone 12:41
42. 10:45Con bot
43. 10:55Sneaky Pete
44. 11:04Tick ×4
45. 11:13Wind
46. 11:14Tick ×16
47. 11:59Wind
48. 12:00Tick ×4
49. 12:10Urchin
50. 12:10Tick
51. 12:11Con turret
52. 12:13Tick ×4
53. 12:20Wind
54. 12:23Tick ×5
55. 12:35Con turret
56. 12:35Tick
57. 12:36Shipyarddone 13:09
58. 12:38Tick ×2
59. 12:42Platypus
60. 12:43Tick
61. 12:45Wind
62. 12:46Tick ×4
63. 12:54Platypus
64. 12:57Tick ×2
65. 13:02T2 mex
66. 13:02Tick
67. 13:04Con turret
68. 13:05Tick
69. 13:06Platypus
70. 13:07Tick ×2
71. 13:10Wind
72. 13:11Submarinedone 14:04
73. 13:12Tick ×3
74. 13:21Tidal
75. 13:22Tick ×3
76. 13:29Platypus
77. 13:31Tidal
78. 13:31Tick ×5
79. 13:44Tidal
80. 13:47Tick ×5
81. 14:01Jellyfish
82. 14:01Tick ×2
83. 14:05Submarine
84. 14:07Butler
85. 14:07Tick ×3
86. 14:13Wind
87. 14:16Tick ×3
88. 14:22Butler
89. 14:24Tick
90. 14:25Submarine
91. 14:27Tick ×2
92. 14:32Wind
93. 14:33Tick ×4
94. 14:44Wind
95. 14:45Tick
96. 14:45Submarine
97. 14:48Tick ×3
98. 14:56Wind
99. 14:57Tick ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Grump]Matsuri's (39 OS, 25/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:09 · in 100% of games

You get

1 Heavy transport from Air or Techfirst at 4:40 · in 79% of games
1 Fatboy from Techfirst at 5:14 · in 100% of games
1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 8:16 · in 93% 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

Metal sent to allies

01k2k

0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Energy sent to allies

020k40k60k

0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

68 games.

Show as table

By	Metal produced: This build	Metal produced: Standard pond	Enemy metal destroyed: This build	Enemy metal destroyed: Standard pond	Own metal lost: This build	Own metal lost: Standard pond	Metal sent to allies: This build	Metal sent to allies: Standard pond	Energy sent to allies: This build	Energy sent to allies: Standard pond
1:00	115	115	0	0	0	0	0	0	1037	1052
2:00	275	285	0	0	0	0	0	0	2340	2848
3:00	833	822	0	0	0	0	0	0	4017	4945
4:00	1522	1494	0	0	0	0	455	43	6361	8188
5:00	2271	2257	0	0	0	0	1179	448	12416	13143
6:00	3080	3137	0	0	0	0	1434	730	17721	17257
7:00	3957	4016	115	0	0	70	1553	976	19803	20608
8:00	4675	4850	1071	249	161	161	1685	1027	21552	28447
9:00	5507	6323	1768	555	618	511	1704	1027	23714	29716
10:00	6452	8183	2567	1240	1140	859	1710	1027	23714	30120
11:00	7716	9792	2974	1546	1669	1231	1728	1027	25618	31305
12:00	9083	12074	3424	1697	2258	1405	1749	1027	27531	34728
13:00	10539	14032	3947	1886	2778	1586	1752	1027	28524	42543
14:00	12629	16391	4381	2463	3228	2530	1756	1027	29760	45040
15:00	14880	18652	4862	3010	3858	3482	1807	1027	30153	49057

WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won slightly less than the standard build despite the Fatboy destroying a similar amount of metal by 15:00.

+ Enemy metal destroyed at 10:00 is roughly double the standard build (2567 vs 1240).
+ Early heavy transport arrives by 4:40 in 79% of games, far above the 16% role norm.

− Own metal production falls well behind standard by 10:00 (6452 vs 8183).
− Own losses by 15:00 run higher than standard (3858 vs 3482).

THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

[Grump]Matsuri

38.9 OS · 25/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
792 metal received · 68204 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab6:02Middle 50%: 3:46–6:54 · n=41

Advanced Metal Extractor10:04Middle 50%: 9:22–10:47 · n=64

Played most by

[Grump]Matsuri17games of this build zeus_on_god10games of this build MischievousDragonGF8games of this build Nazarid8games of this build JustSomeGuy4games of this build

Supporting games

Pick a game to read and play it above.

JustSomeGuy06/10/2026 · 41 OS↗JustSomeGuy06/10/2026 · 41 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri05/10/2026 · 38 OS↗s0uthy05/10/2026 · 39 OS↗zeus_on_god04/10/2026 · 38 OS↗zeus_on_god04/10/2026 · 38 OS↗zeus_on_god02/10/2026 · 38 OS↗s0uthy02/10/2026 · 38 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri25/09/2026 · 39 OS↗

32 more of 60, the most recent

Supreme Isthmus v2.1
Beyond All Reason test-31405-aa9c710
Naval balance tweaks off

Fatboy buy

Phase by phase

Up to the Bot Lab

Bot Lab to 10:00

Team trades

You hand over

You get

How it plays out

Metal produced

Enemy metal destroyed

Own metal lost

Metal sent to allies

Energy sent to allies

[Grump]Matsuri

Typical milestones

Played most by

Supporting games