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Beach sea / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Goon raid

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 · 20 distinct matches · 10 players · 2% of Cortex Beach sea games · team won 70% of 20 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GoonHover raid from 2:00 · 4% of role by thenFrom the Hovercraft Platform. Only 4% of Beach sea games have it by then; others who build it get it around 7:34
  • Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platform in 90%6% of all Beach sea games by then

Where those units first fight, in 20 games with kill data: in the middle 75%, in the enemy base 25%.

Those units destroy a typical 835 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into frigate (32% of army), destroyer (28% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Hovercraft Platform by 1:16, Goon raid from 2:00

  1. Take mex and wind as usual, skip the early bot lab.
  2. Drop hovercraft platform almost immediately.
  3. Push Goons out to raid before enemy sea sets up.
  4. Bring up shipyard, frigate and destroyer behind the raid.
  5. Transition into advanced mex and standard sea composition.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 20 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD BEACH SEA
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
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 Hover raid

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor3Mex
    • Wind Turbine6Wind+4 vs standard
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Order
    1. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platform after 3 mex, 5 wind, 1 energy storage
    2. GoonHover raid after 3 mex, 6 wind, 1 energy storage

    Some games also: con hovercraft (50%)

    By 2:00 in all: 3 mex · 6 wind (standard 2) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 6 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platformdone 1:44 · typical 1:52
    4. Wind ×4
    5. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    6. GoonGoondone 2:05
  2. 2

    Hover raid to Shipyard

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor3Mex
    • Wind Turbine2Wind+2 vs standard
    Order
    1. ShipyardShipyard after 6 mex, 9 wind, 1 energy storagedone ~4:26, middle half 4:10–4:51
    Builders
    • Construction Hovercraft2 Con hovercraft +2 vs standard
    Army
    • Goon9 Goon +9 vs standard

    Some games also: con turret (30%)

    By 4:10 in all: 6 mex · 9 wind (standard 3) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 12 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GoonGoon
    3. Wind ×2
    4. GoonGoon ×3
    5. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft ×2
    6. Mex
    7. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    8. Energy storage
    9. Mex
    10. GoonGoon
    11. Mex
    12. ShipyardShipyarddone 4:11 · typical 4:26
  3. 3

    Shipyard to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor5Mex+3 vs standard
    • Wind Turbine3Wind+3 vs standard
    • Tidal Generator2Tidal+2 vs standard
    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret
    • Construction Ship1 Con ship
    Army
    • Urchin1 Urchin
    • Guard1 Guard
    • Riptide5 Frigate
    • Oppressor2 Destroyer

    Some games also: Naval Construction Turret (45%) · goon (35%) · Death Cavalry (35%) · wind (35%) · con turret (30%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 12 wind

    By 10:00 in all: 10 mex · 14 wind (standard 4) · 3 tidal · 1 energy storage · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 131 steps
    1. GoonGoon ×2
    2. UrchinUrchin
    3. HerringMissile corvette
    4. Mex ×2
    5. Construction ShipCon ship
    6. GuardGuard
    7. Tidal
    8. Mex
    9. Tidal
    10. Mex
    11. UrchinUrchin
    12. Tidal
    13. GuardGuard
    14. Tidal ×3
    15. Mex
    16. GuardGuard
    17. RiptideFrigatedone 6:11 · typical 5:48
    18. Naval Construction Turret
    19. GuardGuard
    20. Mex
    21. OppressorDestroyerdone 6:49 · typical 6:49
    22. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    23. Mex
    24. UrchinUrchin
    25. GuardGuard
    26. GoonGoon
    27. RiptideFrigate
    28. GoonGoon
    29. Naval Construction Turret
    30. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower ×2
    31. GoonGoon
    32. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    33. GoonGoon
    34. GuardGuard
    35. GoonGoon
    36. Naval Construction Turret
    37. OppressorDestroyer
    38. GuardGuard
    39. Con turret
    40. GoonGoon
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:28 · typical 9:56
    42. Tidal
    43. GuardGuard
    44. OrcaSubmarinedone 8:56
    45. GoonGoon
    46. Dragon's MawDragon's Maw
    47. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    48. Tidal
    49. GuardGuard
    50. Wind
    51. Tidal
    52. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    53. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    54. GoonGoon
    55. Tidal
    56. Wind
    57. Wind ×2
    58. Wind
    59. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    60. Tidal
    61. Wind
    62. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    63. Wind
    64. Wind
    65. Wind
    66. Tidal
    67. Wind
    68. Wind
    69. Wind
    70. Tidal
    71. Wind ×2
    72. Wind
    73. Wind
    74. GuardGuard
    75. Wind
    76. Con turret
    77. Wind
    78. OrcaSubmarine
    79. Wind ×3
    80. Construction ShipCon ship
    81. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    82. Wind ×3
    83. Mex
    84. Wind ×5
    85. Mex
    86. Wind
    87. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    88. Wind
    89. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    90. UrchinUrchin
    91. Wind ×4
    92. Mex
    93. Naval Construction Turret
    94. Wind
    95. UrchinUrchin
    96. OppressorDestroyer
    97. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    98. Wind ×2
    99. Mex
    100. HerringMissile corvette ×2
    101. Wind
    102. Con turret
    103. HerringMissile corvette
    104. RiptideFrigate
    105. Wind
    106. RiptideFrigate
    107. Wind
    108. RiptideFrigate
    109. Wind
    110. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    111. RiptideFrigate
    112. Wind
    113. RiptideFrigate
    114. Wind
    115. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    116. OppressorDestroyer
    117. Wind
    118. Mex
    119. Wind ×2
    120. JellyfishJellyfish
    121. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    122. Wind
    123. OppressorDestroyer
    124. Wind ×2
    125. Construction ShipCon ship
    126. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    127. Wind
    128. Advanced ShipyardAdvanced Shipyardnot finished by 15:00
    129. Wind
    130. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    131. Wind ×5

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Zeker_niet_Philipp's (36 OS, 28/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Finch1 Finch from Airfirst at 1:57 · in 50% of games
  • Lazarus1 Lazarus from Geofirst at 2:17 · in 55% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Geofirst at 2:26 · in 40% 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

20 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
2:009379370000
3:00148715670000
4:0022602525021050
5:0036403701401197188100
6:0047875033702535409253
7:006099647910781089542590
8:00752480731765182310761036
9:00906396832522284414331610
10:0010987115893291399518582337
11:0013216138153604521620693090
12:0015628163584509616227983828
13:0018705191626084720534434613
14:0021557219587386831643055726
15:0024071249628087931244106596
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won more often than the standard build while losing less metal despite an aggressive early raid.

  • + Own metal lost is noticeably lower at 10:00 and 15:00.
  • + Destroys more enemy metal early at 5:00 than standard.
  • − Metal produced trails standard slightly at every checkpoint.
  • − Enemy metal destroyed falls behind standard by 15:00.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Zeker_niet_Philipp

36.3 OS · 28/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
704 metal received · 28932 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Hovercraft Platform1:52Middle 50%: 1:40–2:00 · n=18
Shipyard4:26Middle 50%: 4:10–4:51 · n=20
Riptide5:48Middle 50%: 5:12–6:06 · n=18
Oppressor6:49Middle 50%: 6:03–7:33 · n=19
Advanced Metal Extractor9:56Middle 50%: 9:09–10:47 · n=18

Played most by

EXZoPrimer36games of this buildKbot_my_Ahole4games of this buildAdeus3games of this buildEpicTyrannus1game of this buildHarryplotter1game of this build