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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 · 14 steps
    1. Tidal ×2for Suicide front
    2. Tidal
    3. Tidal ×6for Suicide front
    4. Tidal
    5. Tidalfor Geo
    6. Mex ×3
    7. Mex
    8. Wind ×3
    9. Energy storage
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Converter ×4
    12. Wind ×7
    13. Energy storage
    14. Con turret
  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 · 214 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Converter
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Converter
    7. Wind
    8. Converter
    9. Converter
    10. Converter
    11. Converter
    12. Converter
    13. Converter
    14. Converter
    15. Converter
    16. Converter
    17. Bot LabBot Labdone 6:58
    18. TickTick ×3
    19. Con turret
    20. TickTick ×9
    21. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    22. TickTick ×5
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:37 · typical 9:23
    24. TickTick ×2
    25. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    26. TickTick ×6
    27. Wind
    28. TickTick
    29. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    30. TickTick ×5
    31. Mex
    32. TickTick
    33. Wind
    34. TickTick ×2
    35. GuardGuard
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    37. TickTick
    38. Wind
    39. TickTick ×3
    40. GuardGuard
    41. TickTick ×3
    42. GuardGuard
    43. TickTick
    44. Wind
    45. TickTick ×2
    46. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    47. TickTick ×3
    48. GuardGuard
    49. TickTick
    50. Wind
    51. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    52. TickTick ×3
    53. Wind
    54. Geothermal PowerplantGeodone 9:59
    55. TickTick
    56. GuardGuard
    57. TickTick ×4
    58. Mex
    59. TickTick ×2
    60. Con turret
    61. TickTick ×6
    62. Converter
    63. TickTick ×2
    64. Converter
    65. TickTick ×2
    66. Wind
    67. Converter
    68. TickTick ×3
    69. Wind
    70. Converter
    71. TickTick ×3
    72. Converter
    73. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    74. TickTick
    75. Wind
    76. TickTick ×2
    77. Converter
    78. TickTick ×2
    79. Converter
    80. TickTick
    81. Con turret
    82. TickTick
    83. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    84. Converter
    85. TickTick ×3
    86. Converter
    87. TickTick ×2
    88. Converter
    89. TickTick ×2
    90. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    91. TickTick
    92. Converter
    93. Con turret
    94. TickTick ×2
    95. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    96. TickTick
    97. Converter
    98. TickTick ×2
    99. Con turret
    100. TickTick ×2
    101. Con turret
    102. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    103. TickTick ×3
    104. Con turret
    105. TickTick ×4
    106. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:05
    107. TickTick
    108. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    109. TickTick ×4
    110. Wind
    111. TickTick ×3
    112. Wind
    113. TickTick ×4
    114. Wind
    115. TickTick ×4
    116. Wind
    117. TickTick ×3
    118. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    119. TickTick
    120. Wind
    121. TickTick ×4
    122. Wind
    123. TickTick ×4
    124. Wind
    125. TickTick ×3
    126. Wind
    127. TickTick ×2
    128. Wind
    129. TickTick
    130. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    131. TickTick ×2
    132. Wind
    133. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    134. TickTick ×2
    135. Wind
    136. TickTick ×2
    137. Wind
    138. TickTick ×2
    139. GuardGuard
    140. TickTick
    141. Wind
    142. TickTick ×5
    143. Wind
    144. TickTick ×6
    145. GuardGuard
    146. TickTick ×2
    147. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    148. TickTick ×6
    149. Wind
    150. TickTick
    151. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    152. TickTick ×2
    153. GuardGuard
    154. TickTick ×2
    155. Wind
    156. TickTick ×3
    157. Wind
    158. TickTick ×2
    159. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    160. TickTick ×3
    161. Wind
    162. TickTick ×3
    163. Wind
    164. TickTick ×2
    165. GuardGuard
    166. TickTick ×2
    167. Wind
    168. TickTick ×4
    169. Wind
    170. TickTick
    171. EradicatorEradicator
    172. TickTick ×3
    173. Wind
    174. TickTick ×4
    175. Wind
    176. TickTick ×3
    177. GuardGuard
    178. TickTick
    179. Wind
    180. TickTick ×4
    181. Wind
    182. TickTick ×3
    183. Wind
    184. TickTick ×2
    185. Wind
    186. TickTick
    187. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    188. TickTick ×2
    189. Wind
    190. TickTick ×2
    191. Wind
    192. TickTick ×3
    193. Wind
    194. TickTick ×2
    195. Wind
    196. TickTick ×5
    197. Wind
    198. TickTick
    199. EradicatorEradicator
    200. TickTick ×3
    201. Wind
    202. TickTick ×4
    203. Wind
    204. TickTick ×4
    205. Wind
    206. TickTick ×7
    207. Wind
    208. TickTick ×4
    209. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00
    210. TickTick ×20
    211. EradicatorEradicator
    212. TickTick ×8
    213. Con turret
    214. TickTick

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Grump]Matsuri's (39 OS, 23/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

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

[Grump]Matsuri

39.5 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

63 received units · includes a constructor
877 metal received · 116244 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↗[Grump]Matsuri23/09/2026 · 39 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↗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-31383-33cc827
Naval balance tweaks off