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Pond / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 91 distinct matches · 38 players · 12% of Cortex Pond games · team won 46% of 91 · 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 91 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, 3 wind, 2 tidaldone ~3:33, middle half 3:23–4:45

    By 3:14 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 ×2
    3. Mex ×3
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Energy storagefor Front
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Bot LabBot Labdone 3:31 · typical 3:33
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to 5:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine1Wind−4 vs standard

    Some games also: con bot (49%) · con turret (45%) · converter (36%)

    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. Mex
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. Con turret
    4. Converter
    5. Con turret
    6. Con turret
    7. Energy storagefor Suicide front
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine15Wind+15 vs standard
    • Energy Converter3Converter+3 vs standard
    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret

    Some games also: grunt (47%) · con bot (32%) · eat Bot Lab (43%)

    By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 24 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 · 246 steps
    1. GraverobberGraverobber
    2. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Converter
    9. Wind ×9
    10. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    11. Wind ×3
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:52 · typical 9:06
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. Wind ×3
    16. Converter
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. Converter ×2
    19. Windfor Suicide front
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Windfor Suicide front
    23. Wind
    24. Con turret
    25. Wind ×4
    26. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:55
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    29. Wind
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. Windfor Suicide front
    32. TickTick
    33. Windfor Suicide front
    34. Construction BotCon bot
    35. TickTick ×2
    36. Converter
    37. TickTick ×5
    38. Converter
    39. TickTick ×4
    40. Converter
    41. TickTick ×2
    42. Con turret
    43. TickTick ×2
    44. Wind
    45. TickTick ×2
    46. Hardened Energy Storage
    47. TickTick
    48. Windfor Suicide front
    49. TickTick ×3
    50. Wind
    51. TickTick ×2
    52. Wind
    53. TickTick
    54. Con turret
    55. TickTick ×2
    56. Windfor Suicide front
    57. TickTick
    58. Con turret
    59. TickTick ×3
    60. Wind
    61. TickTick ×3
    62. Wind
    63. TickTick ×3
    64. Windfor Suicide front
    65. TickTick
    66. Hardened Energy Storagefor Geo sea
    67. TickTick ×2
    68. Windfor Suicide front
    69. TickTick ×2
    70. Con turret
    71. TickTick
    72. Wind
    73. TickTick ×2
    74. Windfor Suicide front
    75. TickTick
    76. Construction BotCon bot
    77. Windfor Suicide front
    78. Construction BotCon bot
    79. Wind
    80. TickTick ×5
    81. Windfor Suicide front
    82. TickTick ×3
    83. Wind
    84. TickTick ×2
    85. Windfor Suicide front
    86. TickTick ×2
    87. Wind
    88. TickTick
    89. Wind
    90. TickTick
    91. Windfor Suicide front
    92. TickTick
    93. Wind
    94. TickTick ×3
    95. Wind ×2
    96. TickTick ×2
    97. Wind
    98. TickTick ×2
    99. Wind
    100. TickTick
    101. TracerTracer
    102. Wind ×2
    103. TickTick ×2
    104. Converter
    105. TickTick
    106. Wind
    107. TickTick
    108. Wind
    109. TickTick ×2
    110. Con turret
    111. Wind ×2
    112. TickTick
    113. Converter
    114. TickTick ×2
    115. Wind ×2
    116. TickTick
    117. Con turret
    118. Wind
    119. TickTick
    120. Converter
    121. TickTick
    122. Wind ×2
    123. TickTick
    124. Wind
    125. TickTick ×2
    126. Con turret
    127. TickTick
    128. Wind ×3
    129. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:28
    130. TickTick
    131. Wind
    132. TickTick
    133. Wind ×2
    134. TickTick
    135. Wind
    136. TickTick
    137. Wind
    138. Con turret
    139. TickTick
    140. Wind ×2
    141. TickTick
    142. Wind
    143. TickTick
    144. Windfor Suicide front
    145. TickTick ×2
    146. Wind
    147. Con turret
    148. TickTick
    149. Wind ×2
    150. TickTick
    151. Windfor Suicide front
    152. TickTick
    153. Wind
    154. TickTick ×2
    155. Wind
    156. TickTick
    157. Wind
    158. TickTick
    159. Wind ×2
    160. TickTick ×2
    161. Wind
    162. TickTick ×3
    163. Windfor Suicide front
    164. TickTick
    165. Wind ×2
    166. TickTick ×4
    167. Wind
    168. TickTick
    169. Windfor Suicide front
    170. TickTick
    171. Wind ×2
    172. TickTick ×4
    173. Con turret
    174. Wind
    175. TickTick
    176. Windfor Suicide front
    177. TickTick
    178. Wind
    179. TickTick ×2
    180. Wind
    181. TickTick ×2
    182. Wind ×2
    183. TickTick ×2
    184. Wind
    185. TickTick
    186. Converter
    187. TickTick
    188. Con turret
    189. Wind
    190. TickTick ×2
    191. Wind
    192. TickTick
    193. Wind
    194. TickTick ×2
    195. Wind
    196. TickTick
    197. Con turret
    198. Wind
    199. TickTick ×3
    200. Wind
    201. TickTick
    202. Wind ×2
    203. TickTick
    204. Wind
    205. TickTick
    206. Wind
    207. TickTick ×4
    208. Wind ×3
    209. TickTick ×2
    210. Wind
    211. TickTick
    212. Wind
    213. TickTick ×3
    214. Wind
    215. JunoJuno
    216. Wind ×2
    217. TickTick ×2
    218. Wind
    219. TickTick ×2
    220. Wind
    221. Converter
    222. TickTick ×2
    223. Wind ×2
    224. TickTick ×2
    225. Wind
    226. TickTick ×2
    227. Wind ×2
    228. TickTick ×2
    229. Wind
    230. TickTick ×2
    231. Wind
    232. Converter
    233. TickTick ×2
    234. Wind
    235. Converter
    236. TickTick ×2
    237. Wind
    238. TickTick ×2
    239. Wind ×2
    240. TickTick ×2
    241. JunoJuno
    242. Wind
    243. TickTick ×2
    244. Converter
    245. TickTick ×2
    246. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is gmansawesome's (30 OS, 04/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

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

You get

  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 7:19 · in 79% 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

91 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0011500
2:0025900
3:0073700
4:00140900
5:00213000
6:00294900
7:00382900
8:0048745486
9:006257220189
10:007661350640
11:009859766836
12:001209211961075
13:001453415781661
14:001688118141995
15:001936126322964
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

gmansawesome

30.3 OS · 04/10/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
638 metal received · 95001 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab3:33Middle 50%: 3:23–4:45 · n=67
Advanced Metal Extractor9:06Middle 50%: 7:42–10:16 · n=74

Played most by

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