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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 · 17 steps
    1. Tidal
    2. Tidal ×8for Front
    3. Mex ×3
    4. Wind ×3
    5. Energy storage
    6. Wind ×3
    7. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 3:21
    8. FinchFinchfor Air
    9. HerculesLight transport
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    12. Mex
    13. HerculesLight transport
    14. ShurikenShuriken
    15. Con turret
    16. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    17. Bot LabBot Labdone 5:03 · 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

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is EpicTyrannus's (41 OS, 14/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Tidal Generator8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:14 · 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

EpicTyrannus

41.1 OS · 14/09/2026

Open source match ↗

1 received units · includes a constructor
127 metal received · 171540 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