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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 · 13 steps
    1. Tidal ×2for Suicide front
    2. Tidal
    3. Tidal ×6for Suicide front
    4. Tidal
    5. Tidalfor Geo
    6. Mex ×3
    7. Wind
    8. Mex
    9. Wind ×5
    10. Energy storage
    11. Converter ×4
    12. Con turret
    13. Wind ×6
  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 · 133 steps
    1. Energy storage
    2. Converter ×4
    3. Wind ×8
    4. Bot LabBot Labdone 6:43
    5. TickTick ×3
    6. Con turret
    7. TickTick ×4
    8. Wind
    9. TickTick
    10. Wind
    11. TickTick
    12. Wind
    13. TickTick
    14. Wind
    15. TickTick
    16. Wind
    17. TickTick
    18. Wind
    19. TickTick
    20. Wind ×2
    21. TickTick ×2
    22. Con turret
    23. TickTick ×5
    24. Converter
    25. TickTick ×2
    26. Converter
    27. TickTick
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:23 · typical 9:58
    29. TickTick ×2
    30. Converter
    31. TickTick ×2
    32. Converter
    33. TickTick ×3
    34. Wind
    35. TickTick ×2
    36. Wind ×2
    37. TickTick
    38. Wind
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    40. TickTick ×3
    41. Wind
    42. TickTick
    43. Wind
    44. TickTick ×3
    45. Wind
    46. TickTick ×2
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    48. TickTick ×4
    49. Wind ×2
    50. TickTick
    51. Wind
    52. TickTick ×5
    53. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    54. Wind
    55. TickTick ×2
    56. Wind
    57. TickTick ×2
    58. Wind
    59. TickTick ×3
    60. Wind
    61. TickTick ×7
    62. Con turret
    63. TickTick ×11
    64. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:06
    65. TickTick ×3
    66. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:16
    67. TickTick ×16
    68. Con turret
    69. TickTick ×2
    70. GuardGuard
    71. TickTick ×6
    72. GuardGuard
    73. TickTick ×5
    74. Wind
    75. TickTick ×4
    76. Wind
    77. TickTick
    78. PawnPawn
    79. TickTick
    80. GuardGuard
    81. PawnPawn
    82. TickTick
    83. Wind
    84. PawnPawn
    85. TickTick
    86. PawnPawn
    87. TickTick
    88. PawnPawn
    89. GuardGuard
    90. TickTick
    91. PawnPawn
    92. TickTick
    93. PawnPawn
    94. TickTick
    95. Wind
    96. PawnPawn
    97. TickTick
    98. PawnPawn
    99. TickTick
    100. PawnPawn
    101. TickTick
    102. LazarusLazarus
    103. TickTick
    104. Wind
    105. LazarusLazarus
    106. TickTick
    107. Wind
    108. PawnPawn
    109. TickTick
    110. Wind
    111. PawnPawn
    112. T2 converter
    113. TickTick
    114. Wind
    115. TickTick
    116. PawnPawn
    117. TickTick
    118. PawnPawn
    119. TickTick
    120. PawnPawn
    121. TickTick
    122. PawnPawn
    123. TickTick
    124. PawnPawn
    125. TickTick
    126. Wind
    127. TickTick
    128. GuardGuard
    129. TickTick
    130. PawnPawn
    131. Wind
    132. TickTick ×2
    133. PawnPawn

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Grump]Matsuri's (40 OS, 17/09/2026); 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

40.4 OS · 17/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
66 metal received · 37564 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