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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 · 20 steps
    1. Tidal ×10for Suicide front
    2. Tidal ×2
    3. Mex
    4. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    5. Mex ×3
    6. Wind ×5
    7. Wind
    8. Wind
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Energy storage
    13. Wind
    14. Energy storage
    15. Wind ×3
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Converter
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Converter
  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 · 98 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind
    3. Converter ×2
    4. Wind
    5. Bot LabBot Labdone 5:53
    6. Wind
    7. GruntGrunt ×3
    8. Wind
    9. GruntGrunt ×2
    10. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    11. GruntGrunt ×2
    12. Wind
    13. GruntGrunt
    14. GuardGuard
    15. GruntGrunt
    16. Wind
    17. GruntGrunt
    18. GuardGuard
    19. GruntGrunt
    20. GuardGuard
    21. Wind
    22. GruntGrunt ×3
    23. Wind
    24. GruntGrunt
    25. Mex
    26. GruntGrunt ×3
    27. Con turret
    28. GruntGrunt ×2
    29. Con turret
    30. GruntGrunt
    31. Mex
    32. GuardGuard
    33. GruntGrunt
    34. ThugThug ×3
    35. GuardGuard
    36. ThugThug ×12
    37. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    38. ThugThug ×3
    39. Mex
    40. ThugThug ×3
    41. GuardGuard
    42. GraverobberGraverobber
    43. GuardGuard
    44. GraverobberGraverobber ×4
    45. GuardGuard
    46. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    47. ThugThug ×2
    48. GuardGuard
    49. ThugThug
    50. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    51. WhistlerMissile truck
    52. ThugThug
    53. GruntGrunt ×2
    54. GuardGuard
    55. ThugThug ×2
    56. GruntGrunt ×2
    57. ThugThug
    58. GruntGrunt
    59. ThugThug ×2
    60. Mex
    61. GruntGrunt
    62. ThugThug ×4
    63. GuardGuard
    64. GruntGrunt
    65. ThugThug ×3
    66. GruntGrunt
    67. ThugThug ×2
    68. GuardGuard
    69. GruntGrunt
    70. ThugThug
    71. GuardGuard
    72. GruntGrunt
    73. ThugThug
    74. GruntGrunt
    75. ThugThug
    76. GruntGrunt
    77. ThugThug
    78. GruntGrunt
    79. ThugThug
    80. GruntGrunt
    81. ThugThug
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. ThugThug
    84. GruntGrunt
    85. ThugThug
    86. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 14:44 · typical 9:58
    87. GruntGrunt
    88. ThugThug
    89. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantnot finished by 15:00
    90. GruntGrunt
    91. ThugThug
    92. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    93. Vehicle PlantEat Vehicle Plantreclaimed for its metal
    94. GuardGuard ×2
    95. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 14:40
    96. GuardGuard
    97. Con turret
    98. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Espera's (37 OS, 23/09/2026); 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

Espera

37.4 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

14 received units · includes a constructor
542 metal received · 170965 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