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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 · 15 steps
    1. Tidal ×8for Suicide front
    2. Tidal ×2
    3. Mex ×4
    4. Energy storage
    5. Wind ×4
    6. Converter
    7. Wind
    8. Converter
    9. Bot LabBot Labdone 3:56
    10. Converter
    11. Construction BotCon bot
    12. GraverobberGraverobber
    13. Converter
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind ×2
  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 · 104 steps
    1. Wind ×12
    2. Converter ×2
    3. Con turret
    4. ThistleThistle ×2
    5. Con turret ×2
    6. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:01
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2done 9:27
    8. Con turret
    9. Wind ×4
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    11. Wind ×7
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    13. Wind ×13
    14. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    15. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:27
    16. Con turret
    17. Construction BotCon bot
    18. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 12:27
    19. RascalRascal ×2
    20. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platformdone 12:45
    21. RascalRascal
    22. Con turret ×2
    23. RascalRascal ×3
    24. Con turret
    25. RascalRascal ×2
    26. GoonGoon
    27. RascalRascal
    28. Wind
    29. GoonGoon
    30. RascalRascal
    31. Wind
    32. RascalRascal
    33. Wind
    34. RascalRascal
    35. GoonGoon
    36. Wind
    37. RascalRascal
    38. T2 converter
    39. Wind
    40. GoonGoon
    41. RascalRascal
    42. Wind
    43. GoonGoon
    44. Wind ×2
    45. RascalRascal
    46. Wind
    47. GoonGoon
    48. RascalRascal
    49. Wind ×3
    50. RascalRascal
    51. Wind ×3
    52. RascalRascal
    53. Wind ×2
    54. GoonGoon
    55. RascalRascal
    56. Wind ×3
    57. RascalRascal
    58. Wind
    59. GoonGoon
    60. RascalRascal
    61. Wind ×2
    62. RascalRascal
    63. Wind ×3
    64. RascalRascal
    65. GoonGoon
    66. Wind ×2
    67. GoonGoon
    68. RascalRascal
    69. Wind
    70. GoonGoon
    71. RascalRascal
    72. GoonGoon
    73. Wind ×2
    74. RascalRascal
    75. GoonGoon
    76. RascalRascal
    77. GoonGoon
    78. Wind ×2
    79. RascalRascal
    80. GoonGoon
    81. RascalRascal
    82. Wind
    83. GoonGoon
    84. RascalRascal
    85. Wind ×2
    86. GoonGoon
    87. RascalRascal
    88. GoonGoon
    89. RascalRascal
    90. Converter
    91. Mexfor Suicide front
    92. Wind ×2
    93. GoonGoon
    94. RascalRascal
    95. GoonGoon
    96. RascalRascal
    97. GoonGoon
    98. RascalRascal
    99. Wind
    100. Converter
    101. Wind
    102. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    103. GoonGoon
    104. RascalRascal

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is hihimik's (35 OS, 21/09/2026); 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

hihimik

35.3 OS · 21/09/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
129 metal received · 42025 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↗hihimik21/09/2026 · 35 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↗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↗
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