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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 · 43 distinct matches · 22 players · 2% of Cortex Beach sea games · team won 63% of 43 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GoonHover raid from 1:58 · 6% of role by thenFrom the Hovercraft Platform. Only 6% of Beach sea games have it by then; others who build it get it around 2:49
  • Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platform in 93%6% of all Beach sea games by then

Where those units first fight, in 43 games with kill data: in the middle 72%, in the enemy base 23%.

Those units destroy a typical 565 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 43 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 Turbine4Wind+2 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 · 4 wind (standard 2) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. Wind ×3
    5. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platformdone 1:28 · 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 · 5 steps
    1. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    2. Wind ×5
    3. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    4. Wind ×2
    5. GoonGoondone 2:29
  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 ~4:26, middle half 4:12–4:52
    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 · 18 steps
    1. GoonGoon ×3
    2. Mex
    3. GoonGoon ×5
    4. MangonelHover rocket bot
    5. Mex
    6. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    7. Mex
    8. Con turret
    9. Mex ×2
    10. GoonGoon
    11. Mex
    12. GoonGoon ×2
    13. GuardGuard
    14. GoonGoon ×2
    15. Con turret
    16. GoonGoon
    17. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    18. ShipyardShipyarddone 5:46 · typical 4:26
  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: Naval Construction Turret (47%) · converter (47%) · con turret (42%) · tidal (37%) · Thistle (33%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 9 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 · 100 steps
    1. GuardGuard
    2. Construction ShipCon ship
    3. GuardGuard
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Naval Construction Turret
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Hovercraft PlatformEat Hovercraft Platformreclaimed for its metal
    8. Wind
    9. OppressorDestroyerdone 6:53 · typical 6:49
    10. Wind ×7
    11. RiptideFrigatedone 7:20 · typical 5:49
    12. Wind
    13. Mex
    14. Wind ×3
    15. RiptideFrigate
    16. Wind ×2
    17. RiptideFrigate
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind ×2
    20. HerringMissile corvette
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:48
    22. Wind ×5
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Naval Construction Turret
    26. Wind ×3
    27. Naval Construction Turret
    28. Wind ×4
    29. Naval Energy Converter
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. Wind ×3
    32. Naval Energy Converter ×2
    33. Wind
    34. Naval Energy Converter
    35. Wind ×2
    36. Naval Energy Converter ×2
    37. Wind
    38. Naval Energy Converter
    39. Wind ×2
    40. Naval Energy Converter
    41. Advanced ShipyardAdvanced Shipyarddone 11:05
    42. Wind ×10
    43. ShipyardEat Shipyardreclaimed for its metal
    44. Wind ×3
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. Wind ×5
    47. Advanced Construction SubAdvanced Construction Sub
    48. Wind ×6
    49. PathfinderPathfinder
    50. Wind ×3
    51. PathfinderPathfinder
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    53. Wind ×2
    54. Naval Advanced Metal ExtractorNaval Advanced Metal Extractordone 12:20
    55. Wind ×10
    56. GuardGuard
    57. Wind
    58. Naval Advanced Metal ExtractorNaval Advanced Metal Extractor
    59. Wind
    60. Advanced Construction SubAdvanced Construction Sub
    61. Wind
    62. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:06
    63. Wind ×2
    64. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    65. Wind
    66. Con turret
    67. Construction BotCon bot
    68. Wind ×3
    69. Naval Advanced Metal ExtractorNaval Advanced Metal Extractor
    70. Wind ×2
    71. Con turret
    72. Naval Construction Turret
    73. Wind
    74. Naval Construction Turret
    75. Wind
    76. Naval Construction Turret
    77. Con turret
    78. GruntGrunt
    79. Con turret
    80. GruntGrunt
    81. Con turret
    82. CastroCastro
    83. GruntGrunt
    84. Con turret
    85. TrasherTrasher
    86. Naval Construction Turret
    87. Naval Advanced Metal ExtractorNaval Advanced Metal Extractor
    88. Con turret ×2
    89. Naval Construction Turret
    90. GruntGrunt
    91. Con turret
    92. Naval Construction Turret
    93. Con turret
    94. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00
    95. Naval Construction Turret ×2
    96. Con turret
    97. GruntGrunt
    98. Con turret
    99. Naval Construction Turret
    100. Con turret

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Salosin's (34 OS, 02/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Finch1 Finch from Airfirst at 1:54 · in 60% of games
  • Lazarus1 Lazarus from Geofirst at 2:15 · in 58% of games
  • Hercules1 Light transport from Airfirst at 2:18 · in 35% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Geo or Suicide frontfirst at 2:18 · in 37% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 8:11 · in 88% 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

43 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
3:00149815520000
4:0023692539430051
5:0035503717301176225101
6:0047995049563485418276
7:0062106495799982544590
8:00762180811440167010771000
9:00935596851834261413311521
10:0011132115412754371117152298
11:0013246136854022471920313060
12:0015871162375255578827943851
13:0018883189046332687733654613
14:0022434216317423792243105659
15:0025224245338605888747666511
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

Salosin

33.7 OS · 02/09/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
165 metal received · 19024 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=40
Shipyard4:26Middle 50%: 4:12–4:52 · n=42
Riptide5:49Middle 50%: 5:12–6:40 · n=39
Oppressor6:49Middle 50%: 6:07–7:42 · n=39
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