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Pond / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard pond

Economy-first Pond that builds tidal generators and wind for the fronts, often receives a Fatboy from an ally early, then adds a lab and sends units forward while boosting eco throughout.

#eco #team support · 102 distinct matches · 28 players · 40% of Cortex Pond games · team won 55% of 104 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • FatboyFatboy from an ally in 43%18% of all Pond games by then

Then transitions into grunt (23% of army), tick (15% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: T2 constructor by 7:57

  1. Drop 10 tidal generators immediately to boost front's wind.
  2. Take 3 mex, then a fourth, and get a bot lab by 3:02.
  3. Layer in wind and a guard for base defense.
  4. Push for your own T2 constructor once eco is stable.
  5. Transition into advanced mex and small bot army like Grunt and Tick.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 102 GAMES
  1. 1
  2. 2
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 5:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Tidal Generator8Tidalfor allies
    • Wind Turbine8Wind
    • Tidal Generator2Tidal
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage

    Some games also: converter (48%)

    By 5:00 in all: 4 mex · 8 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 ×2
    5. Mex ×4
    6. Wind ×4
    7. Energy storage
    8. Bot LabBot Labdone 3:48
    9. Wind
    10. Construction BotCon bot
    11. Wind ×3
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
  2. 2

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine3Wind

    Some games also: converter (45%) · con turret (39%) · wind (33%) · grunt (33%) · con turret (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 16 wind · 2 tidal · 4 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 107 steps
    1. Wind ×5
    2. Converter ×3
    3. Con turret
    4. Converter
    5. Wind ×3
    6. Bot LabBot Labdone 6:57
    7. Wind ×4
    8. GruntGrunt
    9. Wind
    10. GruntGrunt
    11. Wind
    12. GruntGrunt
    13. Wind
    14. GruntGrunt
    15. Wind
    16. GruntGrunt
    17. Converter
    18. GruntGrunt
    19. Wind
    20. GruntGrunt
    21. Converter
    22. GruntGrunt ×3
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. GruntGrunt ×3
    26. Wind
    27. GruntGrunt ×2
    28. Wind
    29. GruntGrunt
    30. Wind
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:24 · typical 9:23
    32. Wind ×3
    33. GruntGrunt
    34. Wind
    35. Con turret
    36. GruntGrunt
    37. Wind
    38. GruntGrunt
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    40. GruntGrunt ×2
    41. Wind
    42. GruntGrunt ×3
    43. Wind
    44. GruntGrunt
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. GruntGrunt ×3
    47. Wind
    48. GruntGrunt ×3
    49. Wind
    50. GruntGrunt
    51. Wind
    52. GruntGrunt ×2
    53. Wind
    54. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    55. GruntGrunt ×2
    56. Wind
    57. GruntGrunt
    58. Wind
    59. GruntGrunt ×2
    60. Wind
    61. GruntGrunt
    62. Wind
    63. GruntGrunt ×2
    64. Wind
    65. GruntGrunt
    66. Con turret
    67. GruntGrunt ×5
    68. Con turret
    69. GruntGrunt
    70. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:03
    71. GruntGrunt ×4
    72. Wind
    73. GruntGrunt ×2
    74. Wind
    75. GruntGrunt ×2
    76. Wind
    77. GruntGrunt ×2
    78. Wind
    79. GruntGrunt ×5
    80. Wind
    81. GruntGrunt ×2
    82. Wind
    83. GruntGrunt
    84. Wind
    85. GruntGrunt
    86. Wind
    87. GruntGrunt
    88. Wind
    89. GruntGrunt
    90. Wind
    91. GruntGrunt
    92. Wind
    93. GruntGrunt
    94. Wind
    95. GruntGrunt ×4
    96. Energy storage
    97. T2 converter
    98. GruntGrunt ×9
    99. Converter
    100. GruntGrunt ×3
    101. Fusion ReactorFusion
    102. GruntGrunt ×2
    103. TrasherTrasher
    104. Con turret
    105. TrasherTrasher ×5
    106. Bot LabBot Labnot finished by 15:00
    107. TrasherTrasher

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Grump]Matsuri's (39 OS, 25/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Tidal Generator8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:11 · in 97% of games

You get

  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Geo or Beach seafirst at 2:27 · in 35% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport from Air or Techfirst at 4:42 · in 37% of games
  • Fatboy1 Fatboy from Techfirst at 5:18 · in 43% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 7:47 · in 94% of games

How it plays out

Typical game of this build, running totals by minute

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

104 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0011500
2:0027800
3:0081600
4:00151000
5:00221700
6:00296200
7:0038262880
8:0046231070189
9:0055351507591
10:0066512171899
11:00825026931360
12:001019431341695
13:001257434542159
14:001466838212820
15:001700442743392
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard pond wins slightly more than half its games while producing far less metal than most roles, matching its support job.

  • + Team win rate at 52%, the highest among the six standard builds shown.
  • + 42% of games receive a Fatboy from an ally by 5:17, well above the 18% role norm.
  • − Metal produced by 15:00 is only 16843, the lowest of all builds listed.
  • − Own metal lost climbs to 3271 by 15:00 despite the defensive role.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

[Grump]Matsuri

38.5 OS · 25/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
376 metal received · 13014 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Advanced Metal Extractor9:23Middle 50%: 8:39–10:27 · n=99

Played most by

[Grump]Matsuri24games of this buildDeathkebab11games of this buildBoozha9games of this buildEXZoPrimer37games of this buildNazarid7games of this build

Supporting games

Pick a game to read and play it above.

Boozha25/09/2026 · 36 OS↗JustSomeGuy25/09/2026 · 38 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri25/09/2026 · 39 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri25/09/2026 · 39 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri25/09/2026 · 39 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri25/09/2026 · 39 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri25/09/2026 · 39 OS↗Boozha25/09/2026 · 36 OS↗
32 more of 96, the most recentCommandoMan25/09/2026 · 35 OS↗Deathkebab24/09/2026 · 36 OS↗Boozha24/09/2026 · 36 OS↗[Cookie]Maco23/09/2026 · 53 OS↗Deathkebab23/09/2026 · 36 OS↗Deathkebab23/09/2026 · 36 OS↗PongoPygmaeus23/09/2026 · 36 OS↗zeus_on_god23/09/2026 · 37 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri23/09/2026 · 39 OS↗CommandoMan23/09/2026 · 35 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri22/09/2026 · 40 OS↗hihimik21/09/2026 · 35 OS↗zeus_on_god21/09/2026 · 38 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri21/09/2026 · 39 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri21/09/2026 · 39 OS↗Boozha20/09/2026 · 36 OS↗Espera20/09/2026 · 38 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri20/09/2026 · 41 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri19/09/2026 · 41 OS↗zeus_on_god17/09/2026 · 37 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri17/09/2026 · 40 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri17/09/2026 · 40 OS↗[Grump]Matsuri17/09/2026 · 40 OS↗Boozha16/09/2026 · 38 OS↗MischievousDragonGF16/09/2026 · 41 OS↗Boozha16/09/2026 · 38 OS↗[Cookie]Maco15/09/2026 · 52 OS↗MischievousDragonGF15/09/2026 · 42 OS↗MischievousDragonGF15/09/2026 · 42 OS↗MischievousDragonGF15/09/2026 · 42 OS↗EpicTyrannus15/09/2026 · 42 OS↗EpicTyrannus14/09/2026 · 41 OS↗
Supreme Isthmus v2.1
Beyond All Reason test-31405-aa9c710
Naval balance tweaks on