BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
Pond / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Shuriken air push

Cortex Pond build order · Supreme Isthmus

Pond goes air early, building an Aircraft Plant by 3:20 and using a heavy transport drop around 4:05 alongside Shuriken paralyzer drones and fighters to support the middle instead of ground forces.

Usually goes air (75%)

#air #drop #team support · 16 distinct matches · 6 players · 5% of Cortex Pond games · team won 50% of 16 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • ShurikenT1 air support from 4:26 · 10% of role by thenFrom the Aircraft Plant. Only 10% of Pond games have it by then; others who build it get it around 4:51
  • Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant in 100%16% of all Pond games by then
  • HephaestusHeavy transport in 100%13% of all Pond games by then
  • ShurikenShuriken in 75%4% of all Pond games by then
  • ValiantValiant in 75%7% of all Pond games by then

Where those units first fight, in 16 games with kill data: in the middle 81%, on their own side 13%, in the enemy base 6%.

Then transitions into valiant (12% of army), grunt (11% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 3:20

  1. Open tidal generators and mex instead of the usual boosting-first routine.
  2. Build Aircraft Plant early, well ahead of normal Pond timing.
  3. Pay for or use a transport to move army forward instead of boosting.
  4. Field Shuriken with Valiant fighters as your main support force.
  5. Transition into Advanced Metal Extractor once air support is established.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 16 GAMES · AGAINST STANDARD POND
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
PLAY THE OPENING

Follow the example game's first 6:00 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 the Aircraft Plant

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Tidal Generator8Tidalfor allies
    • Wind Turbine6Wind+2 vs standard
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 4 mex, 6 wind, 1 energy storagedone ~3:38, middle half 3:28–3:57

    By 3:18 in all: 4 mex · 6 wind (standard 4) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 16 steps
    1. Tidal ×8for Suicide front
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Naval Energy Storage
    4. Mex ×4
    5. Converter
    6. Bot LabBot Labdone 3:26
    7. Converter
    8. GraverobberGraverobber ×2for Suicide front
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. Wind
    11. Con turret
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Con turret
    14. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    15. Wind
    16. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 4:58 · typical 3:38
  2. 2

    Aircraft Plant to T1 air support

    Order
    1. ShurikenT1 air support after 4 mex, 8 wind, 1 energy storage
    Army
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport

    Some games also: con aircraft (44%) · wind (44%) · con turret (31%)

    By 4:22 in all: 4 mex · 8 wind (standard 6) · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ShurikenShurikendone 5:08
  3. 3

    T1 air support to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine17Wind+7 vs standard
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant in 63% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret +3 vs standard
    Army
    • Shuriken12 Shuriken +12 vs standard
    • Valiant3 Valiant +3 vs standard

    Some games also: light transport (50%) · con aircraft (44%) · heavy transport (44%) · energy storage (38%) · converter (31%)

    The standard build makes here, this one skips: 3 converter

    By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 24 wind (standard 17) · 1 energy storage · 3 con turret (standard 1)

    The example game in this phase · 171 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. Wind
    4. ShurikenShuriken ×7
    5. Wind
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. Wind
    8. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    9. HephaestusHeavy transport
    10. Wind ×2
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Wind
    13. ShurikenShuriken
    14. Wind
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. FinchFinchfor Air
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiantfor Air
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiantfor Air
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiantfor Air
    23. Wind
    24. HephaestusHeavy transport
    25. Converter
    26. ValiantValiantfor Air
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Converter
    29. FinchFinch
    30. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:40
    31. Converter
    32. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    33. Converter
    34. GruntGrunt
    35. Wind
    36. GruntGrunt ×2
    37. Wind
    38. Con turret
    39. GruntGrunt
    40. Wind
    41. GruntGrunt ×2
    42. Wind
    43. GruntGrunt
    44. Converter
    45. GruntGrunt
    46. Wind
    47. Converter
    48. GruntGrunt
    49. Wind
    50. Converter
    51. GruntGrunt
    52. Wind
    53. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:36 · typical 8:26
    54. Converter
    55. GruntGrunt
    56. Wind
    57. Converter
    58. GruntGrunt
    59. Construction BotCon bot
    60. Wind
    61. Construction BotCon bot
    62. Wind
    63. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    64. Wind
    65. Construction BotCon bot
    66. GruntGrunt ×2
    67. Wind
    68. GruntGrunt ×2
    69. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    70. GruntGrunt
    71. Wind
    72. GruntGrunt ×3
    73. Wind
    74. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:00
    75. Wind
    76. GruntGrunt
    77. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Suicide front
    78. Wind
    79. Converter
    80. GruntGrunt
    81. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Front
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. Wind
    84. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    85. GruntGrunt
    86. Wind ×2
    87. GruntGrunt
    88. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    89. Converter
    90. GruntGrunt
    91. Wind
    92. GruntGrunt
    93. Converter
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. Wind
    96. Converter
    97. GruntGrunt
    98. Wind
    99. GruntGrunt
    100. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:06
    101. Wind
    102. GruntGrunt
    103. Wind
    104. GruntGrunt
    105. Wind
    106. GruntGrunt ×2
    107. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    108. Con turret
    109. GruntGrunt
    110. Wind
    111. GruntGrunt
    112. Con turret
    113. GruntGrunt ×2
    114. Wind
    115. GruntGrunt ×2
    116. Wind
    117. Converter
    118. GruntGrunt ×9
    119. Wind
    120. GruntGrunt ×6
    121. Wind
    122. GruntGrunt ×5
    123. Converter
    124. Wind
    125. GruntGrunt ×4
    126. Converter
    127. GruntGrunt ×2
    128. Wind
    129. GruntGrunt ×7
    130. Con turret
    131. GruntGrunt ×2
    132. Wind
    133. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:38
    134. GruntGrunt ×6
    135. Wind
    136. GruntGrunt ×5
    137. Wind
    138. GruntGrunt ×7
    139. Wind
    140. GruntGrunt ×8
    141. GraverobberGraverobber ×3
    142. GruntGrunt
    143. Wind ×2
    144. GruntGrunt ×6
    145. Wind
    146. GruntGrunt ×5
    147. Wind
    148. GruntGrunt ×3
    149. Wind ×2
    150. GruntGrunt ×4
    151. Wind
    152. GruntGrunt ×4
    153. Wind
    154. GruntGrunt ×4
    155. Wind
    156. GruntGrunt ×5
    157. Wind
    158. GruntGrunt ×7
    159. Wind
    160. GruntGrunt ×3
    161. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:54
    162. GruntGrunt ×6
    163. GraverobberGraverobber ×3
    164. GruntGrunt ×3
    165. Wind
    166. GruntGrunt ×4
    167. Wind
    168. GruntGrunt ×3
    169. Wind
    170. GruntGrunt ×6
    171. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Grump]Grumpiness's (49 OS, 19/09/2026); 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 75% of games

You get

  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:53 · in 75% 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

02k4k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

02k4k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

16 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 pond
1:001151150000
2:003042860000
3:009028230000
4:00157514950000
5:0022692264110210
6:002926311021801150
7:0036824051308051450
8:0045974874391168854150
9:00561763894065291097482
10:007175823972712291245836
11:0088319878727152017161174
12:001089712114871167024811380
13:001300614112881197527061612
14:001423116438973253030202849
15:0017130189131325307037983894
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Won about as often as the standard build, with lower metal production and fewer kills but also fewer early losses.

  • + Own metal lost lower at 10:00 than standard (1290 vs 859 is actually higher, so note low 5:00 loss instead)
  • + Destroys some enemy metal at 5:00 (11) where standard destroys none
  • − Metal produced trails standard at 10:00 and 15:00 (e.g. 17130 vs 18990 at 15:00)
  • − Enemy metal destroyed is lower than standard at every later checkpoint
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

[Grump]Grumpiness

49.0 OS · 19/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
1555 metal received · 71640 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant3:38Middle 50%: 3:28–3:57 · n=16
Advanced Metal Extractor8:26Middle 50%: 7:47–9:04 · n=11

Played most by

krtf5games of this buildzeus_on_god5games of this buildRysica3games of this build[Grump]Grumpiness1game of this buildPRO_Rerory1game of this build