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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 1:10 · 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. Wind
    2. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Mex
    5. GoonGoondone 2:05
  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 · 23 steps
    1. GoonGoon ×2
    2. Mex
    3. Wind
    4. GoonGoon
    5. Wind
    6. Mex
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind ×2
    9. GoonGoon
    10. Converter
    11. Mex
    12. Wind ×4
    13. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    14. Converter
    15. Mex
    16. GuardGuard
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind ×2
    19. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. ShipyardShipyarddone 4:39 · 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 · 105 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind
    3. HerringMissile corvette
    4. Wind
    5. HerringMissile corvette
    6. Wind
    7. HerringMissile corvette
    8. Wind ×2
    9. HerringMissile corvette
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. HerringMissile corvette
    13. Wind
    14. Hovercraft PlatformEat Hovercraft Platformreclaimed for its metal
    15. OppressorDestroyerdone 6:17 · typical 6:46
    16. Wind
    17. Mex
    18. Energy storage
    19. Mex
    20. RiptideFrigatedone 6:34 · typical 5:49
    21. Mex
    22. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    23. RiptideFrigate
    24. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    25. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    26. Wind
    27. RiptideFrigate
    28. Wind ×3
    29. RiptideFrigate
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. RiptideFrigate
    35. Converter
    36. OppressorDestroyer
    37. Converter ×2
    38. Wind
    39. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    40. Wind ×2
    41. ThistleThistle
    42. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    43. Wind ×2
    44. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    45. Wind
    46. ThistleThistle
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:06 · typical 9:56
    48. Wind
    49. Converter ×2
    50. WardenWarden
    51. Converter
    52. Construction ShipCon ship
    53. Converter
    54. Naval Construction Turret
    55. OppressorDestroyer
    56. Naval Construction Turret
    57. Converter
    58. Wind ×3
    59. Naval Construction Turret
    60. Wind
    61. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    62. Wind
    63. Naval Construction Turret
    64. Wind
    65. Advanced ShipyardAdvanced Shipyardnot finished by 15:00
    66. Wind ×2
    67. Advanced ShipyardEat Advanced Shipyardreclaimed for its metal
    68. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    69. Wind
    70. OppressorDestroyer
    71. Wind ×4
    72. Advanced ShipyardAdvanced Shipyarddone 12:26
    73. Wind ×5
    74. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    75. Wind ×8
    76. Advanced Construction SubAdvanced Construction Sub
    77. Wind ×2
    78. PathfinderPathfinder
    79. Wind
    80. PathfinderPathfinder ×2
    81. Wind
    82. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    83. PathfinderPathfinder
    84. Wind
    85. PathfinderPathfinder
    86. Naval Advanced Metal ExtractorNaval Advanced Metal Extractordone 13:47
    87. Wind
    88. OasisOasis
    89. Wind ×4
    90. PhantasmRadar jammer ship
    91. Wind
    92. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    93. Wind
    94. DespotBattleshipdone 14:27
    95. Wind ×2
    96. Naval Advanced Metal ExtractorNaval Advanced Metal Extractor
    97. Wind
    98. SAMSAM
    99. Wind ×4
    100. DespotBattleship
    101. Naval Advanced Metal ExtractorNaval Advanced Metal Extractor
    102. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    103. Wind ×2
    104. Dragon's MawDragon's Maw
    105. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is tech_boy888's (31 OS, 06/10/2026); 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

tech_boy888

30.8 OS · 06/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
826 metal received · 39283 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