← 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 · 15 steps
    1. Tidal ×8for Suicide front
    2. Tidal ×2
    3. Mex ×4
    4. Wind ×4
    5. Energy storage
    6. Wind
    7. Bot LabBot Labdone 3:34
    8. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    9. GraverobberGraverobber
    10. Converter
    11. GraverobberGraverobber
    12. Con turret ×2
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. 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 · 101 steps
    1. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Converter
    4. Wind ×8
    5. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    6. Wind ×2
    7. GuardGuard
    8. Wind ×2
    9. GuardGuard
    10. Wind ×2
    11. GuardGuard
    12. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:18
    13. Converter ×6
    14. GruntGrunt ×6
    15. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    16. GruntGrunt
    17. GuardGuard
    18. GruntGrunt ×5
    19. GuardGuard
    20. GruntGrunt ×5
    21. Con turret
    22. GruntGrunt ×2
    23. Con turret
    24. GruntGrunt
    25. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 10:46
    26. Mex
    27. GruntGrunt
    28. GuardGuard
    29. BruteBrute
    30. GuardGuard
    31. GruntGrunt
    32. GuardGuard
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:38 · typical 9:58
    34. BruteBrute
    35. GuardGuard
    36. Vehicle PlantEat Vehicle Plantreclaimed for its metal
    37. GruntGrunt ×2
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. GruntGrunt ×2
    40. Wind
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    42. GruntGrunt
    43. Wind
    44. Mex
    45. GruntGrunt
    46. Wind
    47. GruntGrunt
    48. Wind
    49. GruntGrunt
    50. Wind
    51. GruntGrunt
    52. Wind
    53. GruntGrunt
    54. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 13:14
    55. GruntGrunt
    56. Wind
    57. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    58. GruntGrunt
    59. BruteBrute
    60. GruntGrunt
    61. Wind
    62. GruntGrunt
    63. BruteBrute
    64. Wind
    65. GruntGrunt
    66. BruteBrute
    67. GruntGrunt
    68. Wind
    69. BruteBrute
    70. GruntGrunt
    71. ThistleThistle
    72. Wind
    73. BruteBrute
    74. GruntGrunt
    75. ThistleThistle
    76. BruteBrute
    77. Wind
    78. GruntGrunt
    79. ThistleThistle
    80. GruntGrunt
    81. BruteBrute
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. ThistleThistle
    84. Wind
    85. GruntGrunt
    86. BruteBrute
    87. ThistleThistle
    88. Wind
    89. GruntGrunt ×2
    90. BruteBrute
    91. Wind
    92. GruntGrunt
    93. BruteBrute
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. Wind
    96. GruntGrunt
    97. BruteBrute
    98. GruntGrunt
    99. Mex
    100. BruteBrute
    101. GruntGrunt

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is s0uthy's (36 OS, 01/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Tidal Generator8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:13 · 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

s0uthy

36.4 OS · 01/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
146 metal received · 69541 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