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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 2:50
  • 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 1:14 · 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 2:06
  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 · 17 steps
    1. GoonGoon ×2
    2. Mex
    3. GoonGoon
    4. Wind
    5. Mex
    6. Wind
    7. GoonGoon
    8. Wind
    9. Con turret
    10. Wind
    11. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    12. Converter
    13. Mex
    14. Wind ×4
    15. Mex
    16. Converter
    17. ShipyardShipyarddone 4:19 · 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 · 102 steps
    1. GuardGuard
    2. Con turret
    3. Wind
    4. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    5. Wind ×2
    6. HerringMissile corvette
    7. Wind ×2
    8. HerringMissile corvette
    9. Converter
    10. HerringMissile corvette
    11. Wind ×2
    12. HerringMissile corvette ×2
    13. Hovercraft PlatformEat Hovercraft Platformreclaimed for its metal
    14. Wind
    15. OppressorDestroyerdone 5:44 · typical 6:46
    16. Wind
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. RiptideFrigatedone 6:07 · typical 5:49
    21. Wind ×3
    22. Mex
    23. Energy storage
    24. RiptideFrigate
    25. Wind
    26. Mex
    27. Wind ×3
    28. RiptideFrigate
    29. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    30. Wind
    31. Mex
    32. Wind ×2
    33. RiptideFrigate
    34. Converter ×2
    35. GuardGuard
    36. RiptideFrigate
    37. Converter
    38. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    39. Converter
    40. Wind
    41. GuardGuard
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Construction ShipCon ship
    44. Wind
    45. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    46. Naval Construction Turret
    47. Wind
    48. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    49. Naval Construction Turret
    50. Wind ×2
    51. Naval Construction Turret
    52. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    53. Naval Construction Turret
    54. Converter
    55. Advanced ShipyardAdvanced Shipyarddone 9:58
    56. Converter ×3
    57. Mex
    58. Converter
    59. Wind
    60. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:53 · typical 9:56
    61. Wind
    62. Mex
    63. Wind ×2
    64. Advanced Construction SubAdvanced Construction Sub
    65. Wind
    66. ThistleThistle
    67. Wind
    68. BeholderBeholder
    69. PathfinderPathfinder
    70. Wind
    71. BeholderBeholder
    72. Wind
    73. PathfinderPathfinder
    74. ThistleThistle
    75. BeholderBeholder
    76. Wind
    77. PathfinderPathfinder
    78. BeholderBeholder
    79. Wind
    80. PathfinderPathfinder
    81. Wind
    82. WardenWarden
    83. PathfinderPathfinder
    84. Wind
    85. OasisOasis
    86. Wind
    87. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    88. Wind ×4
    89. Naval Advanced Metal ExtractorNaval Advanced Metal Extractordone 11:55
    90. Wind ×6
    91. PhantasmRadar jammer ship
    92. Wind
    93. Naval Advanced Metal ExtractorNaval Advanced Metal Extractor
    94. DespotBattleshipnot finished by 15:00
    95. Wind
    96. TickTick
    97. Wind
    98. Wind
    99. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    100. Wind
    101. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Front
    102. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is yedddoo's (33 OS, 23/08/2026); 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
4:00237025394302651
5:0035763717294175225101
6:0048385049560484419279
7:0062106492797975605591
8:00760480731421166510841000
9:00922896792040261414331532
10:0011120115362840372417332320
11:0013216136844061474220693102
12:0015778162505269583227983861
13:0018880189516540687934434645
14:0022387216807453793343425680
15:0025060245868617888648036524
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

33.5 OS · 23/08/2026

Open source match ↗

36 received units · includes a constructor
695 metal received · 80979 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