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Pond / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Sharpshooter buy

Cortex Pond build order · Supreme Isthmus

Pond funds Tech from early on to buy Sharpshooters which arrive around 5:06, reinforcing the middle with sniper bots well ahead of the role's usual T2 timing.

#push #team support · 47 distinct matches · 18 players · 14% of Cortex Pond games · team won 49% of 47 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • SharpshooterSniper bot from Tech arrives 5:06 · 12% of role by thenTech makes it and hands it over.
  • HerculesLight transport from an ally in 45%15% of all Pond games by then

Paid for by sending allies about 850 metal and 18,000 energy by 5:00; standard pond sends 450 metal and 13,000 energy.

Where those units first fight, in 47 games with kill data: in the middle 91%, on their own side 9%.

Those units destroy a typical 2,365 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into tick (15% of army), grunt (15% of army), rascal (9% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Sharpshooter by 5:06

  1. Start tidals, mex and wind as your normal Pond opener.
  2. Take a light transport from an ally to help ferry units.
  3. Pay Tech early with metal and heavy energy for the sniper bot buy.
  4. Receive the Sharpshooter from Tech and put it to work at middle.
  5. Push on into advanced mex and the usual T2 transition.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 47 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD POND
  1. 1
  2. 2
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:07 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
    • Tidal Generator8Tidalfor allies
    • Wind Turbine6Wind
    • Tidal Generator2Tidal
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage

    Some games also: wind (45%) · converter (38%) · con turret (36%)

    By 5:00 in all: 4 mex · 6 wind · 2 tidal · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 16 steps
    1. Tidalfor Suicide front
    2. Tidal
    3. Tidal ×7for Front
    4. Tidal
    5. Mex ×2
    6. Wind
    7. Mex
    8. Wind
    9. Mex
    10. Wind
    11. Energy storage
    12. Wind ×5
    13. Converter ×3
    14. Con turret
    15. Converter ×2
    16. Wind ×4
  2. 2

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine6Wind+6 vs standard

    Some games also: con turret (45%) · wind (43%) · Guard (40%) · converter (34%) · converter (32%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 10 wind · 3 converter

    By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 11 wind (standard 18) · 9 wind (standard 0) · 2 tidal · 2 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 135 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Bot LabBot Labnot finished by 15:00
    3. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    4. Bot LabBot Labnot finished by 15:00
    5. Wind
    6. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    7. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    8. Converter
    9. GuardGuard ×2
    10. Converter ×2
    11. GuardGuard
    12. Converter
    13. Wind ×2
    14. GuardGuard
    15. Wind ×4
    16. BeamerBeamer
    17. Wind ×5
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:45 · typical 9:58
    19. Wind ×2
    20. GuardGuard
    21. Wind
    22. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:09
    23. GuardGuard
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Wind
    26. PawnPawn
    27. Wind
    28. PawnPawn
    29. GuardGuard
    30. Wind
    31. PawnPawn
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    33. PawnPawn
    34. Wind
    35. Con turret
    36. PawnPawn ×5
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    38. PawnPawn ×4
    39. Con turret
    40. PawnPawn ×4
    41. Wind
    42. PawnPawn
    43. Wind
    44. PawnPawn
    45. Wind
    46. PawnPawn
    47. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:21
    48. PawnPawn
    49. Wind
    50. PawnPawn
    51. Wind
    52. CrossbowCrossbow
    53. Wind
    54. CrossbowCrossbow ×2
    55. Wind
    56. CrossbowCrossbow
    57. Wind
    58. CrossbowCrossbow
    59. Wind
    60. CrossbowCrossbow
    61. Con turret
    62. Wind
    63. CrossbowCrossbow ×2
    64. Wind
    65. PawnPawn
    66. Wind
    67. PawnPawn ×3
    68. Con turret
    69. Wind
    70. TickTick
    71. PawnPawn
    72. Wind
    73. TickTick
    74. PawnPawn
    75. Wind
    76. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:30
    77. PawnPawn
    78. Wind ×2
    79. PawnPawn
    80. Wind
    81. PawnPawn ×2
    82. Wind
    83. PawnPawn ×2
    84. Con turret
    85. PawnPawn
    86. Wind
    87. PawnPawn
    88. TickTick
    89. PawnPawn
    90. Wind
    91. TickTick
    92. PawnPawn
    93. TickTick
    94. Wind
    95. PawnPawn
    96. TickTick
    97. Con turret
    98. TickTick
    99. T2 converter
    100. PawnPawn
    101. Wind
    102. TickTick ×2
    103. Wind
    104. PawnPawn
    105. TickTick
    106. PawnPawn
    107. TickTick
    108. Converter
    109. Wind
    110. PawnPawn
    111. TickTick
    112. PawnPawn
    113. Wind
    114. TickTick
    115. PawnPawn
    116. TickTick
    117. PawnPawn
    118. TickTick
    119. Wind
    120. TickTick
    121. PawnPawn
    122. TickTick
    123. Wind
    124. PawnPawn
    125. TickTick ×2
    126. PawnPawn
    127. TickTick ×2
    128. PawnPawn
    129. TickTick
    130. PawnPawn
    131. TickTick
    132. Converter
    133. Wind
    134. TickTick
    135. PawnPawn

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Grump]Matsuri's (41 OS, 11/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Tidal Generator8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:13 · in 98% of games

You get

  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Geo or Suicide frontfirst at 2:21 · in 51% of games
  • Hercules1 Light transport from Air or Techfirst at 4:55 · in 45% of games
  • Sharpshooter2 Sniper bot from Techfirst at 5:07 · in 100% of games
  • Butler2 Butler from Techfirst at 7:58 · in 32% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 8:22 · 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

020k40k60k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

47 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
1:0011511500000014381052
2:0027528500000031602848
3:008088220000101057334945
4:001483149400005154397238188
5:002203225700008494481786213143
6:0029293137000011807302833717257
7:0037304016420007012909763420120608
8:00450848501183249260161135610273826028447
9:00545063231985555770511141910273951529716
10:0065198183301912401360859167510274152330120
11:00807897923664154620611231168110274711731305
12:0010171120743875169724651405171510274741034728
13:0012313140324221188628011586173810275039842543
14:0014336163914652246330422530177910275424345040
15:0017149186525425301036073482196010275427049057
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won slightly more often than the standard build, with enemy metal destroyed at 10:00 more than double standard.

  • + Enemy metal destroyed by 10:00 is far above standard (3019 vs 1240).
  • + Win rate came in above the standard build's 47%.
  • − Metal production lags standard build badly by 10:00 (6519 vs 8183).
  • − Own losses by 10:00 run higher than standard (1360 vs 859).
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

[Grump]Matsuri

41.2 OS · 11/09/2026

Open source match ↗

10 received units · includes a constructor
76 metal received · 45269 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Advanced Metal Extractor9:58Middle 50%: 9:09–10:54 · n=45

Played most by

[Grump]Matsuri13games of this buildBoozha7games of this buildEspera3games of this buildjazmastah3games of this build[Crd]VOLT2games of this build