BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 · 19 steps
    1. Tidal ×8for Suicide front
    2. Tidal
    3. Mex ×3
    4. GuardGuard
    5. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    6. Mex
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Bot LabBot Labdone 3:03
    9. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    10. Wind
    11. GruntGrunt
    12. Wind
    13. GruntGrunt
    14. Wind
    15. GruntGrunt
    16. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    17. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    18. Con turret
    19. AggravatorAggravator ×3
  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 · 142 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    2. Con turret
    3. AggravatorAggravator
    4. GuardGuard ×2
    5. AggravatorAggravator
    6. Energy storage
    7. Wind
    8. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    9. Energy storage
    10. Wind ×2
    11. GuardGuard
    12. Wind
    13. GuardGuard
    14. Wind ×2
    15. GuardGuard
    16. Wind ×3
    17. GuardGuard
    18. Wind ×2
    19. GuardGuard
    20. Wind ×4
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:23 · typical 9:58
    22. Con turret
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Wind
    25. GuardGuard ×2
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. Wind
    29. Con turret
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. Wind ×6
    32. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:32
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. Wind
    36. Con turret
    37. Converter ×8
    38. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 12:49
    39. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:09
    40. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:02
    41. PounderPounder
    42. GruntGrunt
    43. TickTick
    44. PounderPounder
    45. GruntGrunt
    46. TickTick ×2
    47. GruntGrunt
    48. PounderPounder
    49. TickTick
    50. GruntGrunt
    51. TickTick
    52. GruntGrunt
    53. TickTick
    54. PounderPounder
    55. TickTick
    56. GraverobberGraverobber
    57. TickTick ×2
    58. GruntGrunt
    59. PounderPounder
    60. TickTick
    61. GruntGrunt
    62. TickTick ×2
    63. GruntGrunt
    64. PounderPounder
    65. TickTick
    66. GruntGrunt
    67. TickTick ×2
    68. GruntGrunt
    69. TickTick
    70. PounderPounder
    71. GruntGrunt
    72. TickTick
    73. GruntGrunt
    74. TickTick ×2
    75. RascalRascal
    76. GruntGrunt
    77. TickTick
    78. GruntGrunt
    79. RascalRascal
    80. TickTick
    81. GruntGrunt
    82. TickTick
    83. RascalRascal
    84. GraverobberGraverobber
    85. TickTick
    86. RascalRascal
    87. TickTick
    88. GruntGrunt
    89. TickTick
    90. RascalRascal
    91. GruntGrunt
    92. TickTick
    93. RascalRascal
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. TickTick
    96. RascalRascal
    97. TickTick
    98. GruntGrunt
    99. RascalRascal
    100. TickTick
    101. GruntGrunt
    102. TickTick
    103. GruntGrunt
    104. RascalRascal
    105. TickTick
    106. TrasherTrasher
    107. CrossbowCrossbow
    108. RascalRascal
    109. TrasherTrasher
    110. CrossbowCrossbow
    111. RascalRascal
    112. TrasherTrasher
    113. RascalRascal
    114. GruntGrunt
    115. CrossbowCrossbow
    116. RascalRascal
    117. GruntGrunt
    118. RascalRascal
    119. TickTick
    120. GruntGrunt
    121. TickTick
    122. RascalRascal
    123. GruntGrunt
    124. TickTick
    125. RascalRascal
    126. GraverobberGraverobber
    127. TickTick ×2
    128. Mex
    129. RascalRascal
    130. GruntGrunt
    131. TickTick
    132. RascalRascal
    133. TickTick
    134. GruntGrunt
    135. RascalRascal
    136. TickTick
    137. GruntGrunt
    138. RascalRascal
    139. TickTick
    140. GruntGrunt
    141. TickTick
    142. RascalRascal

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is RefuseToLearn's (37 OS, 16/09/2026); 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

RefuseToLearn

36.6 OS · 16/09/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
501 metal received · 42891 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