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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Grump]Matsuri's (40 OS, 13/09/2026); 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

39.9 OS · 13/09/2026

Open source match ↗

10 received units · includes a constructor
11 metal received · 172018 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↗[Grump]Matsuri13/09/2026 · 40 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-31251-0ceadc7
Naval balance tweaks on