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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 · 6 steps
    1. Tidal ×8for Suicide front
    2. Mex ×3
    3. Wind
    4. Mex
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 2:59 · 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. HerculesLight transport
    2. ShurikenShurikendone 3:18
  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 · 195 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind ×4
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind ×3
    7. ValiantValiant ×2
    8. FinchFinch
    9. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    10. Energy storage
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Wind
    13. HerculesLight transport ×2
    14. Wind
    15. HerculesLight transport ×2
    16. Wind
    17. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind ×2
    20. ShurikenShuriken
    21. Con turret
    22. ShurikenShuriken
    23. Con turret
    24. ShurikenShuriken
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:59 · typical 8:26
    26. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    27. Con turret
    28. ShurikenShuriken
    29. Tidal ×2
    30. FinchFinch
    31. Tidal
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    33. HephaestusHeavy transport
    34. ShurikenShuriken
    35. HerculesLight transport
    36. ShurikenShuriken
    37. HephaestusHeavy transport
    38. Wind ×2
    39. HerculesLight transport
    40. Wind ×2
    41. ShurikenShuriken
    42. Wind
    43. ShurikenShuriken
    44. Wind
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. ShurikenShuriken
    47. Wind
    48. ShurikenShuriken
    49. Wind
    50. ShurikenShuriken
    51. Wind ×2
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    53. Converter
    54. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    55. Converter
    56. ShurikenShuriken
    57. Wind
    58. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    59. Wind ×8
    60. Converter
    61. Wind ×2
    62. Converter
    63. Wind ×3
    64. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    65. Converter
    66. Wind ×3
    67. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:07
    68. Wind
    69. Converter
    70. TickTick
    71. Con turret
    72. Wind
    73. TickTick ×2
    74. Wind
    75. TickTick ×3
    76. Wind
    77. TickTick
    78. Wind
    79. TickTick
    80. Converter
    81. TickTick ×4
    82. Wind
    83. TickTick
    84. Wind
    85. TickTick ×3
    86. Wind ×2
    87. TickTick ×2
    88. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    89. TickTick ×2
    90. Wind
    91. TickTick ×2
    92. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    93. Wind
    94. TickTick
    95. Wind
    96. TickTick
    97. Converter ×2
    98. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    99. TickTick
    100. Wind
    101. TickTick
    102. Wind
    103. Con turret
    104. TickTick ×2
    105. Wind
    106. TickTick
    107. Con turret
    108. TickTick
    109. Wind
    110. TickTick
    111. Wind
    112. TickTick ×3
    113. Wind
    114. TickTick ×2
    115. Con turret
    116. TickTick ×2
    117. Wind
    118. TickTick ×4
    119. Wind ×2
    120. TickTick ×2
    121. Wind ×2
    122. TickTick
    123. Wind
    124. TickTick
    125. Wind
    126. TickTick
    127. Wind
    128. TickTick ×2
    129. Wind
    130. ThistleThistle
    131. Wind
    132. TickTick
    133. Wind
    134. TickTick
    135. Converter
    136. Wind
    137. TickTick
    138. Converter
    139. TickTick ×2
    140. ThistleThistle
    141. TickTick ×3
    142. Wind
    143. TickTick ×2
    144. Wind
    145. TickTick
    146. Wind
    147. TickTick
    148. Converter
    149. Wind
    150. TickTick
    151. Wind ×2
    152. TickTick
    153. Wind
    154. TickTick
    155. Wind
    156. TickTick ×2
    157. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    158. Wind ×2
    159. TickTick
    160. Wind ×2
    161. TickTick
    162. Wind
    163. Converter
    164. Wind
    165. TickTick
    166. Wind
    167. Converter
    168. Wind
    169. TickTick ×2
    170. Wind
    171. Converter
    172. TickTick
    173. Con turret
    174. Converter
    175. Wind ×2
    176. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00
    177. Wind
    178. TickTick
    179. Wind ×2
    180. Converter
    181. Wind
    182. TickTick
    183. Converter
    184. Wind ×2
    185. Converter
    186. Con turret
    187. Wind ×2
    188. TickTick
    189. Wind ×4
    190. Converter
    191. TickTick
    192. Wind ×2
    193. Converter
    194. Wind ×2
    195. TickTick

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is krtf's (46 OS, 03/10/2026); 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 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

krtf

46.2 OS · 03/10/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
151 metal received · 59092 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