Pond / Armada / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Rattlesnake defence

Pond builds pop-up artillery (Gauntlet/Rattlesnake/Agitator) from around 6:17, receiving a light transport from an ally early, to reinforce the front's defensive line.

#defence #artillery · 22 distinct matches · 9 players · 3% of Armada Pond games · team won 36% of 22 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT

Early defence from 6:17 · 2% of role by thenOnly 2% of Pond games have it by then; others who build it get it around 11:30
Light transport from an ally in 59%9% of all Pond games by then

Started with Gauntlet (45%), Rattlesnake (36%), Agitator (14%), Persecutor (5%).

Where those units first fight, in 22 games with kill data: in the middle 91%, on their own side 9%.

Those units destroy a typical 1,042 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into Rattlesnake (23% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Gauntlet by 6:17

0:03Open tidals and mex, then wind, skipping extra eco for boost duty.
2:50Drop a bot lab and start pumping units toward front.
4:43Place first Gauntlet to start the static plasma line.
6:17Layer Rattlesnake and Agitator behind Gauntlet to turtle middle.
9:15+Add advanced mex and keep receiving light transport from air for support.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 22 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD POND

10:00
2
37:00

PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 7:18 step by step: what to build now, what comes next, and where it goes. At 1× it keeps pace with your own game.

1
Up to the Early defence
0:00 – 6:00
Economy
- 4Mex
- 8Wind−7 vs standard
- 8Tidalfor allies
- 1Tidal
- 1Energy storage
Order
1. Early defence ~6:00after 4 mex, 8 wind, 2 con turret
Builders
- 2 Con turret +2 vs standard
Some games also: converter (36%) · con bot (32%)
The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 converter
By 6:00 in all: 4 mex · 8 wind (standard 15) · 1 tidal · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret (standard 0)
The example game in this phase · 33 steps
1. 0:03Tidal ×3for Suicide front
2. 0:27Windfor Front
3. 0:30Tidalfor Front
4. 0:36Windfor Front
5. 0:41Tidal ×2for Suicide front
6. 0:57Windfor Front
7. 0:58Tidal ×2for Suicide front
8. 1:14Tidal
9. 1:32Energy storage
10. 1:54Mex ×4
11. 2:50Vehicle Plantdone 3:09
12. 3:09Con vehicle
13. 3:10Wind ×5
14. 3:40Con vehicle
15. 3:45Wind
16. 3:49Converter ×3
17. 4:06Con vehicle
18. 4:13Converter
19. 4:16Wind
20. 4:19Converter
21. 4:23Wind
22. 4:26Con vehicle
23. 4:29Wind ×11
24. 5:23T2 mexdone 5:57 · typical 9:01
25. 5:23Con turret
26. 5:53T2 mex
27. 5:54Con turret
28. 5:57T2 mex ×2
29. 6:33Pit Bull
30. 6:46Wind ×10
31. 7:40Energy storage
32. 7:42Wind ×6
33. 8:20Rattlesnakedone 8:59
2
Early defence to Bot Lab
6:00 – 7:00
Order
1. Bot Lab ~7:00after 4 mex, 8 wind, 1 tidaldone ~7:19, middle half 4:06–10:04
Some games also: wind (41%) · con turret (36%)
The standard build makes here, this one skips: 2 wind
By 7:00 in all: 4 mex · 17 wind · 1 tidal · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret (standard 0)
The example game in this phase · 60 steps
1. 8:21Wind
2. 8:23Dragon's Teeth ×2
3. 8:26Wind
4. 8:28Con turret
5. 8:31Wind ×4
6. 8:51Dragon's Teeth
7. 8:54Con turret
8. 8:57Wind
9. 9:05Advanced Bot Labdone 9:37
10. 9:07Wind ×2
11. 9:19Converter ×2
12. 9:38Jammer bot
13. 9:41Converter
14. 9:43Wind
15. 9:44Radar bot
16. 9:47T2 mex
17. 9:48Con turret
18. 9:49Hound
19. 9:50Converter
20. 9:53Wind
21. 9:57T2 mex
22. 9:58Hound
23. 10:03Wind
24. 10:11Hound
25. 10:19Converter
26. 10:22Wind ×2
27. 10:29Hound
28. 10:31Wind
29. 10:35Fortification Wall ×3
30. 10:39Hound
31. 10:40Wind ×2
32. 10:42Fortification Wall ×2
33. 10:47Ghost
34. 10:48Wind ×2
35. 10:56Hound
36. 10:58Wind ×2
37. 11:04Hound
38. 11:06Wind ×3
39. 11:20Hound
40. 11:25Wind ×2
41. 11:36Hound
42. 11:38Wind ×2
43. 11:42Hound
44. 11:45Wind ×2
45. 11:48Jammer bot
46. 11:50Wind
47. 11:53Radar bot
48. 11:55Wind ×2
49. 11:58Hound ×2
50. 12:04Con turret ×2
51. 12:09Hound ×2
52. 12:16Con turret
53. 12:22Hound
54. 12:26Con turret ×3
55. 12:59Ghost
56. 13:05Wind ×2
57. 13:09T2 con bot
58. 13:11Wind ×2
59. 13:15Hound
60. 13:15Bot Labdone 13:21 · typical 7:19
3
Bot Lab to 10:00
7:00 – 10:00
Economy
- 1Wind−11 vs standard
Some games also: con turret (41%) · Dragon's Teeth (32%)
By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 19 wind (standard 31) · 1 tidal · 2 converter (standard 4) · 1 energy storage · 3 con turret
The example game in this phase · 40 steps
1. 13:20Hound
2. 13:21Wind ×3
3. 13:24Hound
4. 13:27Lazarus
5. 13:27Wind
6. 13:28Hound
7. 13:29Wind
8. 13:31Lazarus
9. 13:32Wind
10. 13:33Hound
11. 13:35Wind
12. 13:35Fusiondone 14:47
13. 13:35Lazarus
14. 13:37Wind
15. 13:38Jammer bot
16. 13:39Wind
17. 13:40Lazarus
18. 13:41Wind
19. 13:44Radar bot
20. 13:46Lazarus
21. 13:46Wind
22. 13:49Hound
23. 13:51Lazarus
24. 13:57Wind ×2
25. 14:01Hound
26. 14:02Lazarus
27. 14:05Wind
28. 14:07Lazarus
29. 14:09T2 mex
30. 14:10Hound
31. 14:13Lazarus
32. 14:18Wind
33. 14:26Metal storage
34. 14:26Lazarus
35. 14:33Experimental Gantrynot finished by 15:00
36. 14:35Lazarus
37. 14:35Wind ×2
38. 14:55Lazarus
39. 14:55Con turret
40. 14:58Armageddonnot finished by 15:00

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is UsurpeR's (51 OS, 24/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:10 · in 95% of games

You get

1 Con bot from Geo or Front or Suicide frontfirst at 2:20 · in 36% of games
1 Light transport from Airfirst at 2:52 · in 64% of games
1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:43 · in 86% of games
2 Butler from Techfirst at 9:29 · in 32% 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

02k4k6k

0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

22 games.

Show as table

By	Metal produced: This build	Metal produced: Standard pond	Enemy metal destroyed: This build	Enemy metal destroyed: Standard pond	Own metal lost: This build	Own metal lost: Standard pond
1:00	115	115	0	0	0	0
2:00	292	273	0	0	0	0
3:00	870	817	0	0	0	0
4:00	1531	1510	0	0	0	0
5:00	2296	2231	0	0	0	0
6:00	3317	2985	27	0	0	0
7:00	4122	3841	236	480	0	0
8:00	5307	4742	301	1276	217	148
9:00	6677	5693	838	2025	217	379
10:00	8775	6872	935	2865	697	720
11:00	10179	8334	2065	3317	2364	1188
12:00	12243	10290	2489	3684	2420	1616
13:00	13942	12593	2624	4262	2990	1966
14:00	16092	14914	3497	4780	4802	2454
15:00	19181	17456	4307	5324	4802	3030

WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Team won less than the standard build and this turtle destroyed far less enemy metal by 15:00 despite similar income.

+ Metal production ahead of standard by 10:00 (8547 vs 6855).
+ Gets Hercules transport support far earlier than role norm (57% by 2:50 vs 9%).

− Own metal lost by 15:00 is much higher than standard (4678 vs 3041).
− Enemy metal destroyed by 15:00 far below standard (4208 vs 5316).

THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

UsurpeR

50.6 OS · 24/08/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
1110 metal received · 164895 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab7:19Middle 50%: 4:06–10:04 · n=15

Advanced Metal Extractor9:01Middle 50%: 7:48–10:25 · n=20

Played most by

UsurpeR10games of this build _X_3games of this build Dad_The_Speedrunner2games of this build Handicapping_mySelf2games of this build [Cookie]Baby_Evis1game of this build

Rattlesnake defence

Phase by phase

Up to the Early defence

Early defence to Bot Lab

Bot Lab to 10:00

Team trades

You hand over

You get

How it plays out

Metal produced

Enemy metal destroyed

Own metal lost

UsurpeR

Typical milestones

Played most by

Supporting games