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Pond / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Gunslinger buy

Cortex Pond build order · Supreme Isthmus

Pond pays Tech from early to buy Gunslingers delivered from 4:35, pushing skirmish bots to the middle well before the role's normal T2 constructor timing.

#push #team support · 33 distinct matches · 9 players · 10% of Cortex Pond games · team won 52% of 33 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GunslingerGunslinger from Tech arrives 4:35 · 9% of role by thenTech makes it and hands it over.

Paid for by sending allies about 870 metal and 20,000 energy by 5:00; standard pond sends 450 metal and 13,000 energy.

Where those units first fight, in 33 games with kill data: in the middle 94%, on their own side 6%.

Those units destroy a typical 2,162 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into tick (17% of army), grunt (14% of army), blitz (9% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Gunslinger by 4:35

  1. Open tidals, mex and wind to run your normal Pond eco.
  2. Receive the Gunslinger from Tech and push it straight to middle.
  3. Send Tech early metal and heavy energy to fund the skirmish bot buy.
  4. Get your own lab up once the buy is paid for.
  5. Move into advanced mex and the role's usual T2 transition.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 33 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD POND
  1. 1
  2. 2
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 5:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine10Wind+3 vs standard
    • Tidal Generator8Tidalfor allies
    • Tidal Generator2Tidal
    • Energy Converter1Converter
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage

    Some games also: con turret (33%)

    By 5:00 in all: 4 mex · 10 wind (standard 7) · 2 tidal · 1 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 7 steps
    1. Tidal ×7for Suicide front
    2. Tidal ×2
    3. Mex ×3
    4. Wind ×4
    5. Mex
    6. Wind ×4for Suicide front
    7. Wind ×6
  2. 2

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine8Wind

    Some games also: Thistle (45%) · con turret (39%) · con turret (39%) · wind (33%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 3 converter

    By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 19 wind · 2 tidal · 2 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 22 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. Wind ×11
    3. Energy storage
    4. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 9:20
    5. PincerPincer ×3
    6. Vehicle PlantEat Vehicle Plantreclaimed for its metal
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:05 · typical 9:16
    8. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 11:19
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    10. Vehicle PlantEat Vehicle Plantreclaimed for its metal
    11. Con turret
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    13. Con turret ×2
    14. Wind ×6
    15. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:29
    16. FalconFighterfor Air
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. Con turret ×2
    19. FalconFighter ×12for Air
    20. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00
    21. FalconFighter ×4for Air
    22. FalconFighter ×6

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is maccommander's (40 OS, 10/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Tidal Generator8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:17 · in 97% of games

You get

  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 2:26 · in 33% of games
  • Hercules1 Light transport from Air or Techfirst at 4:22 · in 33% of games
  • Gunslinger1 Gunslinger from Techfirst at 4:35 · in 100% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 7:59 · in 100% of games

How it plays out

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

  • This build
  • Standard pond

Metal produced

010k20k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Enemy metal destroyed

02k4k6k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

02k4k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Metal sent to allies

01k2k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Energy sent to allies

050k100k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

33 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildMetal produced: Standard pondEnemy metal destroyed: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: Standard pondOwn metal lost: This buildOwn metal lost: Standard pondMetal sent to allies: This buildMetal sent to allies: Standard pondEnergy sent to allies: This buildEnergy sent to allies: Standard pond
1:0011511500000015341052
2:0028628500000035982848
3:0084082200002060924945
4:0015251494000058643111388188
5:002211225700008654482043613143
6:002907313721600010447302946117257
7:003663401611380937011399763558520608
8:00437448501660249595161126310274781928447
9:00533863232078555650511130010275800429716
10:006426818325541240822859130010276464930120
11:00771597922849154611151231130010277216431305
12:009451120743421169714001405165110277336834728
13:0011267140323549188621391586171310277693842543
14:0013690163914177246331892530171310278277045040
15:0015923186524203301035883482171310279826349057
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Highest win rate of the three buys, with solid kills by 15:00 despite the smallest sample.

  • + Best win rate of the three Pond buys, above the standard build's 47%.
  • + Own losses by 10:00 are lower than standard (822 vs 859).
  • − Metal production by 15:00 trails standard build (15923 vs 18652).
  • − Catch unit destroys the least metal of the three buys by 15:00 (2162).
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

maccommander

39.6 OS · 10/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
207 metal received · 65969 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Advanced Metal Extractor9:16Middle 50%: 8:33–10:20 · n=32

Played most by

Boozha13games of this buildDeathkebab13games of this buildDontStreamSnipeMeBro1game of this buildCommandoMan1game of this buildenderOS11game of this build