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Standard pond

Cortex Pond build order · Supreme Isthmus

Standard Pond play: eco first with Bot Lab and later Advanced Metal Extractor, boosting the fronts with Tidal Generators and sending Grunts forward; no special catch.

#eco #team support · 94 distinct matches · 38 players · 13% of Cortex Pond games · team won 47% of 94 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Bot Lab by 5:03

  1. Build tidal generators first to start boosting the fronts.
  2. Grab mex and energy storage before committing further.
  3. Put down the bot lab and start sending Grunts forward.
  4. Fill out wind and add a Guard for early defense.
  5. Transition to T2 with an advanced mex once front stabilizes.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 94 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 Bot Lab

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Tidal Generator8Tidalfor allies
    • Tidal Generator2Tidal−2 vs standard
    • Wind Turbine2Wind
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 4 mex, 2 tidal, 2 winddone ~3:32, middle half 3:21–4:35

    By 3:13 in all: 4 mex · 2 tidal (standard 4) · 2 wind · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 7 steps
    1. Tidal ×10for Suicide front
    2. Tidal
    3. Tidalfor Suicide front
    4. Mex ×4
    5. Wind ×2for Suicide front
    6. Wind ×6
    7. Bot LabBot Labdone 3:52 · typical 3:32
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to 5:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine1Wind−4 vs standard
    Builders
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot

    Some games also: con turret (47%) · converter (37%) · Graverobber (32%)

    By 5:00 in all: 4 mex · 7 wind · 2 tidal (standard 4) · 1 energy storage · 1 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 7 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Construction BotCon bot ×4
    5. Wind
    6. Con turret ×2
    7. Wind
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine18Wind+18 vs standard
    • Energy Converter4Converter+4 vs standard
    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret

    Some games also: grunt (48%) · con bot (33%) · eat Bot Lab (45%)

    By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 25 wind (standard 8) · 2 tidal (standard 4) · 6 converter (standard 1) · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret (standard 0)

    The example game in this phase · 128 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. GruntGrunt ×2
    4. Wind
    5. GruntGrunt ×3
    6. Converter
    7. Wind ×2
    8. GruntGrunt ×2
    9. Wind
    10. GruntGrunt
    11. Wind
    12. GruntGrunt ×2
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. GruntGrunt
    16. Wind
    17. GruntGrunt
    18. Wind
    19. GruntGrunt ×2
    20. Wind
    21. GruntGrunt
    22. Wind ×2
    23. GruntGrunt
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. GruntGrunt ×2
    27. Wind ×2
    28. GruntGrunt
    29. Wind ×3
    30. GruntGrunt
    31. Wind
    32. GruntGrunt
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. GruntGrunt
    36. Wind ×2
    37. GruntGrunt
    38. Wind ×2
    39. GruntGrunt
    40. Wind
    41. GruntGrunt
    42. Wind
    43. GruntGrunt
    44. Converter
    45. GruntGrunt
    46. Wind
    47. GruntGrunt ×2for Geo
    48. Wind ×2
    49. GruntGruntfor Geo
    50. Wind ×3
    51. Converter
    52. Wind ×4
    53. GruntGruntfor Geo
    54. Wind ×3
    55. GruntGruntfor Geo
    56. Wind ×4
    57. Converter
    58. Wind ×3
    59. GruntGrunt
    60. Wind ×6
    61. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:16 · typical 9:07
    62. Wind ×2
    63. Converter
    64. Wind ×3
    65. GruntGrunt
    66. Converter
    67. GruntGruntfor Geo
    68. Wind ×2
    69. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    70. GruntGrunt ×2for Geo
    71. Wind ×3
    72. Converter
    73. Wind
    74. GruntGruntfor Geo
    75. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    76. GruntGrunt ×4for Geo
    77. Wind
    78. GruntGruntfor Geo
    79. Converter
    80. GruntGrunt ×3for Geo
    81. Wind
    82. GruntGrunt ×2for Geo
    83. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    84. GruntGrunt ×4for Geo
    85. Wind
    86. GruntGruntfor Geo
    87. Converter
    88. GruntGrunt ×3for Geo
    89. Wind
    90. GruntGruntfor Geo
    91. Con turret
    92. GruntGruntfor Geo
    93. Wind
    94. GruntGruntfor Geo
    95. Wind
    96. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00
    97. GruntGruntfor Geo
    98. Converter
    99. GruntGruntfor Geo
    100. Wind
    101. GruntGrunt ×2for Geo
    102. Con turret
    103. GruntGruntfor Geo
    104. ShipyardShipyarddone 13:14
    105. GruntGruntfor Geo
    106. Wind
    107. GruntGrunt ×2for Geo
    108. Converter
    109. GruntGruntfor Geo
    110. RiptideFrigatedone 13:24
    111. GruntGruntfor Geo
    112. Wind
    113. RiptideFrigate
    114. GruntGruntfor Geo
    115. GruntGrunt
    116. RiptideFrigate ×2
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. RiptideFrigate ×2
    120. Wind
    121. RiptideFrigate
    122. Converter
    123. RiptideFrigate
    124. Wind
    125. RiptideFrigate ×2
    126. Wind
    127. Converter
    128. RiptideFrigate

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Wys's (30 OS, 11/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Tidal Generator8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:14 · in 96% of games

You get

  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 7:22 · in 80% 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

01k2k3k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

01k2k3k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

94 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0011500
2:0026000
3:0075200
4:00141400
5:00214200
6:00295100
7:00383900
8:0049135173
9:006340185172
10:007751321513
11:009899740796
12:001235111421054
13:001491015751637
14:001720918372073
15:001993426232966
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

This Cortex pond baseline wins under half its games, with enemy metal destroyed just ahead of own losses by 15:00.

  • + Enemy metal destroyed (3099) edges past own metal lost (3482) less than in Armada pond.
  • − Bot Lab finishes later (5:03) than the Armada pond norm (3:41), slower front support.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Wys

30.3 OS · 11/08/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
272 metal received · 4427 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab3:32Middle 50%: 3:21–4:35 · n=70
Advanced Metal Extractor9:07Middle 50%: 7:43–10:16 · n=77

Played most by

Yamato18games of this buildzeus_on_god7games of this buildEpicTyrannus6games of this buildEXZoPrimer36games of this buildBoozha5games of this build