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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 · 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 · 4 steps
    1. Tidal ×10for Suicide front
    2. Mex ×4
    3. Wind ×4
    4. Bot LabBot Labdone 3:15 · 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 · 10 steps
    1. Energy storage
    2. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    3. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    4. Mexfor Suicide front
    5. GruntGrunt ×3for Suicide front
    6. Mexfor Suicide front
    7. GruntGrunt ×2for Suicide front
    8. Mexfor Suicide front
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. Con turret
  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 · 116 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. CenturionCenturionfor Suicide front
    3. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    4. Con turret
    5. GuardGuard ×2
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:49 · typical 9:06
    7. Wind ×4
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3
    9. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    10. GuardGuard
    11. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:43
    12. GruntGrunt ×10
    13. Wind
    14. GruntGrunt
    15. Wind
    16. GruntGrunt
    17. Wind
    18. GruntGrunt ×2
    19. Wind
    20. GruntGrunt
    21. Wind ×13
    22. Energy storage
    23. Wind ×19
    24. Con turret
    25. Wind ×5
    26. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    27. Wind ×4
    28. GruntGrunt
    29. Wind
    30. GruntGrunt ×2
    31. Wind
    32. GruntGrunt
    33. Wind
    34. GruntGrunt
    35. Wind
    36. GruntGrunt
    37. Wind
    38. GruntGrunt
    39. Wind
    40. GruntGrunt ×2
    41. Wind
    42. GruntGrunt
    43. Wind ×2
    44. GruntGrunt
    45. Wind ×2
    46. GruntGrunt
    47. Wind ×2
    48. GruntGrunt
    49. Wind ×4
    50. GruntGrunt
    51. Wind ×3
    52. GruntGrunt
    53. Wind
    54. GruntGrunt
    55. Wind ×2
    56. GruntGrunt
    57. Wind ×2
    58. GruntGrunt
    59. Wind
    60. GruntGrunt
    61. Wind
    62. GruntGrunt
    63. Wind
    64. GruntGrunt ×2
    65. Wind
    66. GruntGrunt ×2
    67. Wind ×2
    68. GruntGrunt ×3
    69. Wind
    70. GruntGrunt
    71. Energy storage
    72. GruntGrunt
    73. Wind
    74. GruntGrunt
    75. Wind
    76. GruntGrunt
    77. Wind ×2
    78. GruntGrunt
    79. Wind
    80. Energy storage
    81. Wind
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. Wind
    84. GruntGrunt
    85. Wind
    86. Energy storage
    87. Wind
    88. GruntGrunt
    89. Wind
    90. GruntGrunt ×2
    91. Wind
    92. GruntGrunt
    93. Wind
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. Wind
    96. GruntGrunt ×3
    97. Wind
    98. GruntGrunt ×2
    99. Wind
    100. GruntGrunt ×2
    101. Wind
    102. GruntGrunt ×2
    103. Wind
    104. GruntGrunt
    105. Wind
    106. GruntGrunt
    107. Wind
    108. GruntGrunt ×2
    109. Wind
    110. GruntGrunt ×2
    111. Wind
    112. GruntGrunt ×2
    113. Wind
    114. GruntGrunt
    115. Wind
    116. GruntGrunt

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is iamlegion's (35 OS, 06/10/2026); 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

iamlegion

34.7 OS · 06/10/2026

Open source match ↗

16 received units · includes a constructor
572 metal received · 57433 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