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Beach sea / Armada / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Hovercraft raid

Player rushes a Hovercraft Platform by 1:10 and pushes out Seeker hovercraft as an early raid by 2:13, well before the shipyard which is delayed to around 4:16, using the raid to harass while sea presence catches up later.

Hovers first

#raid #amphibious #rush · 80 distinct matches · 30 players · 12% of Armada Beach sea games · team won 51% of 80 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platform in 100%14% of all Beach sea games by then
  • SeekerSeeker in 99%14% of all Beach sea games by then

Then transitions into destroyer (32% of army), seeker (19% of army), dolphin (10% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Hovercraft Platform by 1:10

  1. Open with mex and wind instead of straight shipyard.
  2. Build a Hovercraft Platform right after your initial eco.
  3. Push out a Seeker raid to harass enemy sea entry early.
  4. Put down the shipyard once the raid is out.
  5. Add Corsair and settle into standard sea play from here.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 80 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 Hovercraft Platform

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor3Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind+3 vs standard
    Order
    1. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platform after 3 mex, 4 winddone ~1:41, middle half 1:36–1:52

    Some games also: energy storage (44%) · wind for allies (38%)

    By 1:09 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind (standard 1)

    The example game in this phase · 7 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Windfor Air
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Windfor Air
    6. Wind
    7. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platformdone 1:50 · typical 1:41
  2. 2

    Hovercraft Platform to Shipyard

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor3Mex
    • Wind Turbine5Wind+4 vs standard
    Order
    1. ShipyardShipyard after 6 mex, 10 winddone ~4:16, middle half 4:00–4:46
    Builders
    • Construction Hovercraft3 Con hovercraft +3 vs standard
    Army
    • Seeker7 Seeker +7 vs standard

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 tidal · 2 con ship · 2 skater · 2 dolphin

    By 3:56 in all: 6 mex · 10 wind (standard 2) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 14 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    3. Wind ×4
    4. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    5. SeekerSeeker ×5
    6. Mex
    7. SeekerSeeker ×2
    8. Mex
    9. SeekerSeeker
    10. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    11. Mex
    12. Construction HovercraftCon hovercraft
    13. Mex
    14. ShipyardShipyarddone 4:13 · typical 4:16
  3. 3

    Shipyard to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine14Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret
    • Grim Reaper1 Grim Reaper
    • Construction Ship1 Con ship
    Army
    • Sentry2 Sentry
    • Dolphin3 Dolphin −2 vs standard
    • Corsair3 Destroyer
    • Skater3 Skater
    Other
    • Naval Radar / Sonar Tower1 Naval Radar / Sonar Tower

    Some games also: Harpoon (45%) · tidal (43%) · converter (38%) · Nettle (36%) · Naval Construction Turret (36%)

    By 10:00 in all: 10 mex · 24 wind (standard 16) · 1 energy storage · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 224 steps
    1. Mex
    2. NettleNettle
    3. SkaterSkater ×2
    4. Mex
    5. DolphinDolphin ×2
    6. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    7. DolphinDolphin ×3
    8. CorsairDestroyerdone 5:48 · typical 5:55
    9. Con turret
    10. Mex ×2
    11. Grim ReaperGrim Reaper
    12. Tidal ×2
    13. Mex
    14. Tidal
    15. Wind
    16. CorsairDestroyer
    17. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 6:47
    18. Wind
    19. Mex
    20. Wind ×2
    21. BlitzBlitz ×2
    22. Wind
    23. BlitzBlitz
    24. Wind
    25. BlitzBlitz ×2
    26. Wind
    27. BlitzBlitz
    28. Wind
    29. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    30. Wind
    31. BlitzBlitz ×2
    32. SkaterSkater
    33. BlitzBlitz
    34. Wind
    35. Naval Construction Turret
    36. BlitzBlitz
    37. Mexfor Front
    38. Wind
    39. BlitzBlitz
    40. Wind
    41. CorsairDestroyer
    42. BlitzBlitz
    43. Wind
    44. Construction ShipCon ship
    45. BlitzBlitz
    46. Wind
    47. BlitzBlitz
    48. Solarfor Geo
    49. BlitzBlitzfor Front
    50. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    51. Wind
    52. BlitzBlitzfor Front
    53. CauteriserCauteriser
    54. BlitzBlitzfor Front
    55. Construction ShipCon ship
    56. Wind
    57. BlitzBlitzfor Front
    58. Wind ×2
    59. Naval Construction Turret
    60. Construction ShipCon ship
    61. Wind
    62. Tidal
    63. Wind
    64. Tidal
    65. Wind
    66. Construction ShipCon ship
    67. Tidal
    68. BlitzBlitzfor Front
    69. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    70. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:57 · typical 9:26
    71. Wind
    72. BlitzBlitzfor Front
    73. Tidal
    74. BlitzBlitzfor Front
    75. Tidal
    76. BlitzBlitzfor Front
    77. Naval Construction Turret
    78. BlitzBlitzfor Front
    79. Wind
    80. Tidal
    81. BlitzBlitz
    82. Tidal ×2
    83. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    84. Wind
    85. Tidal
    86. Naval Construction Turret
    87. Tidal
    88. Metal storage
    89. Naval Construction Turret
    90. Tidal
    91. Wind
    92. Tidal ×2
    93. Seaplane PlatformSeaplane Platformdone 11:00
    94. Tidal
    95. Wind
    96. Tidal ×2
    97. Wind
    98. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    99. Tidal
    100. Wind
    101. SabreSabre
    102. Tidal ×2
    103. SabreSabre
    104. Tidal
    105. Wind
    106. Naval Energy Converter
    107. SabreSabre
    108. Tidal ×2
    109. Naval Energy Converter
    110. Wind
    111. SabreSabre
    112. Tidal
    113. Naval Energy Converter
    114. Wind
    115. Tidal
    116. SabreSabre
    117. Wind
    118. Naval Energy Converter
    119. Tidal ×2
    120. SabreSabre
    121. Tidal
    122. Naval Energy Converter
    123. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    124. Wind
    125. Energy storage
    126. SabreSabre
    127. Naval Energy Converter
    128. Wind
    129. Tidal ×2
    130. Wind
    131. SabreSabre
    132. Naval Energy Converter
    133. ShipyardShipyarddone 12:40
    134. Tidal
    135. Wind
    136. Naval Energy Converter
    137. Tidal
    138. SabreSabre
    139. Naval Construction Turret
    140. Wind
    141. Naval Energy Converter
    142. Wind
    143. Naval Construction Turret ×2
    144. Naval Energy Converter
    145. Tidal
    146. Wind
    147. SkaterSkater
    148. SabreSabre
    149. SkaterSkater
    150. Wind
    151. Naval Energy Converter
    152. SabreSabre
    153. Wind
    154. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:22
    155. SkaterSkater
    156. Tidal
    157. Wind
    158. Naval Energy Converter
    159. SabreSabre
    160. SkaterSkater
    161. Wind
    162. Naval Energy Converter
    163. SabreSabre
    164. Tidal
    165. SkaterSkater
    166. Wind
    167. Construction BotCon bot
    168. SabreSabre
    169. Naval Energy Converter
    170. SkaterSkater
    171. Wind
    172. Construction BotCon bot
    173. SabreSabre
    174. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    175. Wind
    176. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    177. Tidal
    178. Naval Energy Converter
    179. Advanced ShipyardAdvanced Shipyarddone 14:37
    180. Construction BotCon bot
    181. SkaterSkater
    182. Wind
    183. Naval Energy Converter
    184. Construction BotCon bot
    185. Wind
    186. Tidal
    187. Wind
    188. Construction BotCon bot
    189. Naval Energy Converter
    190. Wind
    191. Naval Energy Converter
    192. Wind
    193. BeamerBeamer
    194. Construction BotCon bot
    195. Wind
    196. Construction BotCon bot
    197. Naval Energy Converter
    198. Tidal
    199. Wind ×2
    200. Naval Energy Converter
    201. Construction BotCon bot
    202. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    203. Naval Energy Converter
    204. Wind
    205. Construction BotCon bot
    206. Tidal
    207. SkaterSkater
    208. Construction BotCon bot
    209. Wind
    210. Naval Energy Converter
    211. Advanced Construction SubAdvanced Construction Sub
    212. Naval Energy Converter
    213. Wind
    214. Construction BotCon bot
    215. SkaterSkater
    216. Wind
    217. Construction BotCon bot
    218. Naval Energy Converter
    219. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    220. Tidal
    221. Construction BotCon bot
    222. Wind ×2
    223. SkaterSkater
    224. Advanced Construction SubAdvanced Construction Sub

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is KingBenjai's (46 OS, 27/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Wind Turbine2 Wind to Airfirst at 1:48 · in 46% of games

You get

  • Finch1 Finch from Airfirst at 1:49 · in 56% of games
  • Lazarus1 Lazarus from Geofirst at 2:01 · in 53% of games
  • Hercules1 Light transport from Airfirst at 2:10 · in 31% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 8:01 · in 80% 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

80 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
1:004044040000
2:009389380000
3:00154815830000
4:002381254451515147
5:0037533731436255254125
6:0050885156885572566298
7:006490672312411146838591
8:00802883191869167611401039
9:009561100252368249816921656
10:0011405118893384362621132396
11:0013792141884045465325403207
12:0016233169374757547132073948
13:0018586197725201647238344879
14:0021229224036461733947915782
15:0023838253196927836852086703
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won more often than the standard build with a similar economy but far more early kills by 5:00.

  • + Enemy metal destroyed hit 444 by 5:00 vs 180 standard.
  • + Own metal lost stayed lower at 15:00 despite the raid.
  • − Metal produced trails standard by 10:00 and 15:00.
  • − Enemy metal destroyed by 15:00 falls behind standard (6667 vs 8279).
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

KingBenjai

46.5 OS · 27/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
745 metal received · 12467 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Hovercraft Platform1:41Middle 50%: 1:36–1:52 · n=80
Shipyard4:16Middle 50%: 4:00–4:46 · n=68
Corsair5:55Middle 50%: 5:27–7:16 · n=64
Advanced Metal Extractor9:26Middle 50%: 8:56–10:34 · n=66

Played most by

KingBenjai21games of this buildRysica10games of this build[ADS]Kackbarren5games of this buildAdeus4games of this buildCentientWaffle4games of this build