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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Grump]Matsuri's (42 OS, 30/08/2026); 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

41.8 OS · 30/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
130 metal received · 61375 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