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Beach sea / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Goon raid

Cortex Beach sea build order · Supreme Isthmus

A land-side hovercraft raid: instead of the usual shipyard-first opening, the player builds a Hovercraft Platform by around 1:20 and pushes Goons out from 2:00, fighting mostly in the middle and enemy base rather than defensively, before…

Usually hovers first (95%)

#raid #amphibious · 42 distinct matches · 21 players · 2% of Cortex Beach sea games · team won 62% of 42 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GoonHover raid from 1:58 · 5% of role by thenFrom the Hovercraft Platform. Only 5% of Beach sea games have it by then; others who build it get it around 2:51
  • Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platform in 93%6% of all Beach sea games by then

Where those units first fight, in 42 games with kill data: in the middle 71%, in the enemy base 24%.

Those units destroy a typical 561 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into frigate (32% of army), destroyer (26% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Hovercraft Platform by 1:21

  1. Open 3 mex into wind, skip shipyard-first and get eco rolling.
  2. Drop Hovercraft Platform instead of shipyard as your first factory.
  3. Push Goons out from the platform into middle and enemy base.
  4. Add shipyard once raid is rolling for Riptide and Oppressor.
  5. Reclaim the Hovercraft Platform once it has done its job.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 42 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD BEACH SEA
  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 Hovercraft Platform

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor3Mex
    • Wind Turbine5Wind+3 vs standard
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Order
    1. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platform after 3 mex, 4 winddone ~1:40, middle half 1:24–1:59

    By 1:07 in all: 3 mex · 5 wind (standard 2) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platformdone 1:13 · typical 1:40
  2. 2

    Hovercraft Platform to Hover raid

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine1Wind
    Order
    1. GoonHover raid after 3 mex, 6 wind, 1 energy storage
    Builders
    • Construction Hovercraft1 Con hovercraft

    By 1:58 in all: 3 mex · 6 wind (standard 2) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Mex
    4. GoonGoondone 2:02
  3. 3

    Hover raid to Shipyard

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor3Mex
    • Wind Turbine3Wind+3 vs standard
    Order
    1. ShipyardShipyard after 6 mex, 10 wind, 1 energy storagedone ~4:25, middle half 4:11–4:50
    Builders
    • Construction Hovercraft1 Con hovercraft
    Army
    • Goon6 Goon +6 vs standard

    By 4:09 in all: 6 mex · 10 wind (standard 3) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 15 steps
    1. GoonGoon ×2
    2. Mex
    3. GoonGoon
    4. Mex
    5. Wind
    6. GoonGoon
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    9. Wind
    10. Mex
    11. Converter
    12. Con turret
    13. Wind ×4
    14. Mex
    15. ShipyardShipyarddone 4:16 · typical 4:25
  4. 4

    Shipyard to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex+2 vs standard
    • Wind Turbine8Wind+8 vs standard
    Order
    1. Hovercraft PlatformEat Hovercraft Platform
    Builders
    • Construction Ship1 Con ship
    • Death Cavalry1 Death Cavalry
    Army
    • Urchin1 Urchin
    • Guard1 Guard
    • Riptide5 Frigate
    • Oppressor2 Destroyer
    • Herring2 Missile corvette

    Some games also: converter (48%) · Naval Construction Turret (45%) · con turret (40%) · tidal (38%) · Thistle (33%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 10 wind

    By 10:00 in all: 10 mex · 17 wind (standard 4) · 1 energy storage · 1 con turret · 1 Naval Construction Turret

    The example game in this phase · 133 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind
    3. GuardGuard
    4. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    5. Con turret
    6. Wind ×2
    7. HerringMissile corvette
    8. Wind
    9. Con turret
    10. Wind
    11. HerringMissile corvette
    12. Converter
    13. Hovercraft PlatformEat Hovercraft Platformreclaimed for its metal
    14. Wind
    15. HerringMissile corvette
    16. Wind
    17. HerringMissile corvette
    18. Wind
    19. HerringMissile corvette
    20. OppressorDestroyerdone 6:10 · typical 6:46
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Mex
    23. Converter
    24. Wind ×3
    25. Mex
    26. Energy storage
    27. Mex
    28. RiptideFrigatedone 6:40 · typical 5:49
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Mex
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Mex
    33. RiptideFrigate
    34. Wind
    35. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    36. Wind ×2
    37. RiptideFrigate
    38. Converter
    39. BeholderBeholder ×2
    40. Converter
    41. RiptideFrigate
    42. Converter
    43. BeholderBeholder
    44. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    45. Converter
    46. RiptideFrigate
    47. BeholderBeholder
    48. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    49. Construction ShipCon ship
    50. Wind ×2
    51. Naval Construction Turret
    52. BeholderBeholder
    53. Wind
    54. Naval Construction Turret
    55. Wind
    56. Naval Construction Turret
    57. Wind
    58. BeholderBeholder
    59. Wind
    60. Naval Construction Turret
    61. Wind
    62. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    63. Advanced ShipyardAdvanced Shipyarddone 10:32
    64. Converter
    65. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    66. Converter
    67. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    68. Converter
    69. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:57 · typical 9:56
    70. Converter ×2
    71. ThistleThistle
    72. Wind ×3
    73. ThistleThistle
    74. Wind ×3
    75. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    76. Wind ×4
    77. Advanced Construction SubAdvanced Construction Sub
    78. Wind ×3
    79. PathfinderPathfinder
    80. Wind
    81. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    82. PathfinderPathfinder
    83. Wind
    84. PathfinderPathfinder
    85. Wind
    86. PathfinderPathfinder
    87. Wind
    88. PathfinderPathfinder
    89. Wind ×2
    90. Naval Advanced Metal ExtractorNaval Advanced Metal Extractordone 11:56
    91. Wind ×3
    92. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    93. Wind
    94. OasisOasis
    95. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:28
    96. Wind
    97. Naval Advanced Metal ExtractorNaval Advanced Metal Extractor
    98. Wind
    99. PhantasmRadar jammer ship
    100. Wind
    101. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    102. HerculesLight transport
    103. Wind ×2
    104. Naval Advanced Metal ExtractorNaval Advanced Metal Extractor
    105. Wind ×2
    106. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    107. Wind ×4
    108. ShipyardShipyarddone 13:29
    109. Wind
    110. Con turret
    111. Wind
    112. Naval Advanced Metal ExtractorNaval Advanced Metal Extractor
    113. Construction ShipCon ship
    114. Wind ×2
    115. Advanced ShipyardAdvanced Shipyarddone 14:23
    116. Wind
    117. OasisOasis
    118. Wind
    119. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    120. Wind ×2
    121. Advanced Construction SubAdvanced Construction Sub
    122. Wind
    123. ShipyardEat Shipyardreclaimed for its metal
    124. Wind
    125. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    126. Wind
    127. ShipyardEat Shipyardreclaimed for its metal
    128. VoyagerVoyager ×2
    129. Wind
    130. VoyagerVoyager
    131. Wind
    132. VoyagerVoyager ×2
    133. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is yedddoo's (32 OS, 19/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Finch1 Finch from Airfirst at 1:54 · in 62% of games
  • Lazarus1 Lazarus from Geofirst at 2:16 · in 57% of games
  • Hercules1 Light transport from Airfirst at 2:17 · in 33% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Geo or Suicide frontfirst at 2:18 · in 38% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 8:11 · in 90% of games

How it plays out

Typical game of this build against the role’s standard build, running totals by minute

  • This build
  • Standard beach sea

Metal produced

010k20k30k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Enemy metal destroyed

05k10k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

02.5k5k7.5k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

42 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildMetal produced: Standard beach seaEnemy metal destroyed: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: Standard beach seaOwn metal lost: This buildOwn metal lost: Standard beach sea
1:004024030000
2:009359370000
3:00149815530000
4:00237025404302651
5:0035763717294176225101
6:0048385049560487419280
7:0062106492797975605592
8:00760480701421166510841001
9:00922896792040261414331532
10:0011120115362840372417332325
11:0013216136854061474420693105
12:0015778162505269585527983871
13:0018880189516540687834434629
14:0022387216737453792443425680
15:0025060245658617885648036501
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won more often than the standard build, with less metal lost and more enemy metal destroyed by 5:00.

  • + Own losses at 5:00 are under half the standard build's.
  • + Destroys more enemy metal early (362 vs 200 at 5:00).
  • − Metal production lags standard build across the whole window.
  • − Eats the Hovercraft Platform in 89% of games, costing a factory slot.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

yedddoo

31.5 OS · 19/08/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
268 metal received · 21131 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Hovercraft Platform1:40Middle 50%: 1:24–1:59 · n=39
Shipyard4:25Middle 50%: 4:11–4:50 · n=41
Riptide5:49Middle 50%: 5:09–6:39 · n=38
Oppressor6:46Middle 50%: 6:06–7:44 · n=38
Advanced Metal Extractor9:56Middle 50%: 9:25–10:44 · n=36

Played most by

Kbot_my_Ahole7games of this buildEXZoPrimer36games of this buildEpicTyrannus4games of this buildAdeus3games of this buildyedddoo3games of this build