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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 · 16 steps
    1. Tidal ×8for Suicide front
    2. Tidal
    3. Mex ×2
    4. ThistleThistle
    5. Mex
    6. GuardGuard
    7. Mex
    8. Bot LabBot Labdone 3:29
    9. Solar
    10. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    11. Solar
    12. Wind
    13. Construction BotCon bot
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Construction BotCon bot
    16. Wind ×3
  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 · 163 steps
    1. Wind ×6
    2. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    3. GuardGuard
    4. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    5. Wind
    6. Mex
    7. Wind
    8. GuardGuard
    9. Energy storage
    10. GuardGuard
    11. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    12. GuardGuard
    13. Mex
    14. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    15. Con turret
    16. Mex
    17. Metal storage
    18. Mex
    19. Con turret ×3
    20. Mex
    21. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labnot finished by 15:00
    22. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 9:49
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:23 · typical 9:23
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind
    31. Converter
    32. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    38. Wind
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    40. Converter
    41. Wind ×2
    42. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    43. Wind
    44. Converter
    45. Wind
    46. Converter
    47. RascalRascal
    48. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:58
    49. Wind
    50. RascalRascal
    51. Wind
    52. Con turret
    53. Converter
    54. RascalRascal
    55. Wind ×2
    56. RascalRascal
    57. Converter
    58. Wind
    59. RascalRascal
    60. Converter
    61. RascalRascal
    62. Wind
    63. RascalRascal
    64. Wind
    65. RascalRascal
    66. Wind ×2
    67. RascalRascal
    68. Wind
    69. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    70. RascalRascal
    71. Wind
    72. RascalRascal
    73. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:29
    74. Wind
    75. RascalRascal
    76. GruntGrunt
    77. RascalRascal
    78. Wind
    79. RascalRascal
    80. PounderPounder
    81. Wind
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. Wind
    84. Con turret
    85. Wind ×2
    86. PounderPounder
    87. Wind
    88. GruntGrunt
    89. Wind ×2
    90. PounderPounder
    91. Wind
    92. GruntGrunt
    93. Wind
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. Wind
    96. Con turret
    97. GruntGrunt
    98. PounderPounder
    99. GruntGrunt
    100. Wind
    101. GruntGrunt
    102. Wind
    103. GruntGrunt ×2
    104. Wind
    105. GruntGrunt
    106. Wind
    107. PounderPounder
    108. GruntGrunt ×7
    109. PounderPounder
    110. GruntGrunt ×3
    111. Con turret
    112. GruntGrunt ×3
    113. PounderPounder
    114. GruntGrunt ×5
    115. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    116. GruntGrunt
    117. PounderPounder
    118. GruntGrunt
    119. Wind
    120. GruntGrunt
    121. PounderPounder
    122. GruntGrunt ×4
    123. PounderPounder
    124. GruntGrunt ×2
    125. Wind
    126. GruntGrunt ×2
    127. GraverobberGraverobber
    128. PounderPounder
    129. GruntGrunt
    130. Wind
    131. GruntGrunt ×6
    132. PounderPounder
    133. GruntGrunt ×3
    134. Wind
    135. GruntGrunt ×3
    136. PounderPounder
    137. GruntGrunt
    138. Wind
    139. GruntGrunt ×5
    140. RascalRascal
    141. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    142. Wind
    143. GruntGrunt ×3
    144. RascalRascal
    145. GruntGrunt ×3
    146. RascalRascal
    147. GruntGrunt ×2
    148. Wind
    149. GruntGrunt
    150. RascalRascal
    151. GruntGrunt ×2
    152. RascalRascal
    153. Con turret
    154. GruntGrunt ×2
    155. RascalRascal
    156. GruntGrunt ×3
    157. RascalRascal
    158. GruntGrunt ×3
    159. Wind
    160. RascalRascal
    161. GruntGrunt ×3
    162. RascalRascal
    163. GruntGrunt

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Nazarid's (37 OS, 17/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Tidal Generator8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:11 · 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

Nazarid

36.9 OS · 17/08/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
175 metal received · 30257 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↗Nazarid17/08/2026 · 37 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-30975-e8ec233
Naval balance tweaks on