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Rattlesnake defence

Armada Pond build order · Supreme Isthmus

Pond builds early turret-like artillery (Gauntlet, Rattlesnake) from 6:26 to defend the middle instead of its usual boosting.

#defence #artillery · 38 distinct matches · 22 players · 2% of Armada Pond games · team won 37% of 38 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • GauntletEarly defence from 6:26 · 2% of role by thenOnly 2% of Pond games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:46
  • HerculesLight transport from an ally in 50%9% of all Pond games by then

Started with Gauntlet (47%), Rattlesnake (39%), Agitator (11%), Persecutor (3%).

Where those units first fight, in 35 games with kill data: in the middle 91%, on their own side 9%.

Those units destroy a typical 860 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into Rattlesnake (21% of army), pawn (8% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Gauntlet/Rattlesnake defence by 5:43

  1. Open tidal and mex as usual, boosting front early.
  2. Build Bot Lab on a normal Pond timing.
  3. Add early Gauntlet for defensive arty near middle.
  4. Fight in the middle with Gauntlet and Rattlesnake together.
  5. Upgrade mex and shift to mixed arty/army composition.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 38 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD POND
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 7:26 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 Bot Lab

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Tidal Generator8Tidalfor allies
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Tidal Generator1Tidal
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 4 mex, 4 wind, 1 tidaldone ~3:57, middle half 3:07–7:23

    Some games also: con turret (32%)

    By 3:44 in all: 4 mex · 4 wind · 1 tidal · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 5 steps
    1. Tidal ×8for Suicide front
    2. Tidal ×3
    3. Energy storage
    4. Mex ×4
    5. Bot LabBot Labdone 3:21 · typical 3:57
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to Early defence

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine8Wind−3 vs standard
    Order
    1. GauntletEarly defence after 4 mex, 15 wind, 2 con turret
    Builders
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot

    Some games also: con turret (50%) · converter (45%)

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

    By 6:23 in all: 4 mex · 17 wind · 1 tidal · 1 converter (standard 4) · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 88 steps
    1. Construction BotCon bot
    2. Converter
    3. LazarusLazarus
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. LazarusLazarus
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. LazarusLazarus
    8. Wind
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Construction BotCon bot
    15. Converter
    16. Wind
    17. Construction BotCon bot
    18. Converter
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. Construction BotCon bot
    33. Wind ×2
    34. Converter
    35. Wind
    36. Construction BotCon bot
    37. Wind
    38. Converter
    39. Wind ×3
    40. Construction BotCon bot
    41. Converter
    42. Wind ×3
    43. Converter
    44. RocketeerRocketeer
    45. Wind
    46. Converter
    47. Wind
    48. Converter
    49. Wind ×3
    50. Converter ×2
    51. Wind
    52. RocketeerRocketeer
    53. Wind ×2
    54. Converter
    55. Wind
    56. Converter
    57. Wind ×2
    58. Converter
    59. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    60. Wind ×2
    61. Converter
    62. Wind
    63. Converter
    64. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:58 · typical 8:26
    65. Wind
    66. Converter
    67. Wind
    68. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    69. Converter
    70. Wind
    71. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    72. Wind ×2
    73. Converter ×2
    74. Wind
    75. BeamerBeamer
    76. Converter ×2
    77. Wind
    78. Converter
    79. Wind
    80. BeamerBeamer
    81. Converter ×2
    82. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    83. Wind ×2
    84. Converter
    85. Wind ×4
    86. Converter
    87. Wind ×3
    88. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 10:49
  3. 3

    Early defence to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine4Wind−17 vs standard
    Order
    1. Bot LabEat Bot Lab in 55% of games

    Some games also: con turret (47%) · converter (39%) · Dragon's Teeth (32%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 4 converter

    By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 29 wind · 1 tidal · 5 converter (standard 9) · 1 energy storage · 3 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 48 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. Con turret
    5. BeamerBeamer
    6. Wind ×3
    7. Converter ×2
    8. Wind ×2
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. Con turret
    14. Wind ×3
    15. Converter
    16. Wind ×3
    17. Converter
    18. Wind ×3
    19. Converter
    20. Wind
    21. BeamerBeamer
    22. Wind
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. Wind ×3
    29. Mex
    30. Converter ×2
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Converter
    33. Wind ×3
    34. Converter ×2
    35. Wind ×2
    36. Con turret
    37. Wind
    38. FerretFerret
    39. Converter
    40. Wind ×2
    41. Converter
    42. Wind
    43. Con turret
    44. FerretFerret
    45. Con turret
    46. Wind ×3
    47. Converter
    48. FerretFerret

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

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Tidal Generator8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:10 · in 92% of games

You get

  • Hercules1 Light transport from Airfirst at 3:23 · in 50% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:30 · in 84% 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

010k20k30k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Enemy metal destroyed

02k4k6k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

02.5k5k7.5k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

38 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 pond
1:001151150000
2:002822680000
3:008497990000
4:00151214730000
5:00227321850000
6:00319529950000
7:004132391016021110
8:0054304948281170231117
9:0066776223842379343316
10:00877577051143611767552
11:0010351964517008421755855
12:0012727120522021116921851289
13:0015168145382310155331991876
14:0017756174272723213450822535
15:0020839201884189259960563249
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won less often than the standard build despite higher metal production, trading extra losses for more enemy metal destroyed.

  • + Enemy metal destroyed by 15:00 nearly doubles standard (5525 vs 2982).
  • + Metal production ahead of standard by 15:00 (23551 vs 20997).
  • − Own metal lost nearly doubles standard by 15:00 (6224 vs 3531).
  • − Team win rate below standard (41% vs 45%).
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

gamercore

31.2 OS · 06/10/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
443 metal received · 19033 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab3:57Middle 50%: 3:07–7:23 · n=30
Advanced Metal Extractor8:26Middle 50%: 7:29–9:54 · n=32

Played most by

YogaBoy15849711games of this build_X_3games of this buildAlphacure2games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner2games of this buildGraceful2games of this build