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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 · 5 steps
    1. Tidal ×8for Suicide front
    2. Tidal ×2
    3. Mex ×4
    4. Converter ×2
    5. Con turret
  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. Con turret
    2. Wind
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Converter
    5. Energy storage
    6. Bot LabBot Labdone 4:53
    7. Wind ×4
  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 · 233 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind
    3. Con turret
    4. Wind ×3
    5. Converter
    6. Wind ×2
    7. TickTick
    8. Wind
    9. TickTick
    10. Wind
    11. TickTick
    12. Converter
    13. TickTick
    14. Wind
    15. TickTick
    16. Wind
    17. TickTick
    18. Wind
    19. TickTick ×2
    20. Converter
    21. TickTick ×2
    22. Wind
    23. TickTick
    24. Wind
    25. TickTick
    26. Wind
    27. TickTick
    28. Wind
    29. TickTick
    30. Converter
    31. TickTick
    32. Con turret
    33. TickTick ×2
    34. Wind
    35. TickTick
    36. Wind
    37. TickTick
    38. Wind
    39. TickTick
    40. Wind
    41. TickTick
    42. Converter
    43. TickTick
    44. Wind
    45. TickTick
    46. Wind
    47. TickTick
    48. Wind
    49. Wind
    50. TickTick
    51. Wind
    52. Wind
    53. TickTick
    54. Wind
    55. TickTick
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. TickTick ×2
    59. Converter
    60. TickTick
    61. Wind ×2
    62. Wind
    63. Wind
    64. TickTick
    65. Wind
    66. Wind
    67. Converter
    68. TickTick ×2
    69. Wind
    70. Wind
    71. TickTick
    72. Wind
    73. Wind
    74. Wind
    75. Converter
    76. Wind
    77. TickTick
    78. Converter
    79. TickTick
    80. Wind
    81. TickTick
    82. Wind
    83. TickTick
    84. Wind
    85. Wind
    86. TickTick
    87. Wind
    88. Wind
    89. TickTick
    90. Wind
    91. Converter
    92. TickTick ×2
    93. Wind
    94. TickTick
    95. Wind
    96. TickTick
    97. Converter
    98. Wind
    99. TickTick
    100. Wind
    101. Wind
    102. TickTick
    103. Wind
    104. TickTick
    105. Wind
    106. Wind
    107. TickTick
    108. Converter
    109. Wind
    110. TickTick
    111. Wind
    112. Converter
    113. TickTick
    114. Wind
    115. Wind
    116. TickTick
    117. Wind
    118. Wind
    119. TickTick
    120. Converter
    121. Wind
    122. TickTick ×2
    123. Wind
    124. Wind
    125. TickTick
    126. Converter
    127. Wind
    128. TickTick
    129. Wind
    130. TickTick
    131. Wind
    132. Wind
    133. Wind ×2
    134. Converter
    135. TickTick
    136. Wind
    137. Wind
    138. TickTick
    139. Converter
    140. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:05 · typical 9:06
    141. Wind
    142. Wind
    143. Wind ×2
    144. Converter
    145. Wind ×2
    146. TickTick
    147. Converter
    148. TickTick ×3
    149. Wind ×2
    150. TickTick ×2
    151. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    152. Wind
    153. TickTick
    154. Wind
    155. TickTick
    156. Converter
    157. TickTick ×2
    158. Wind
    159. TickTick
    160. Wind
    161. TickTick
    162. Wind
    163. TickTick
    164. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    165. TickTick
    166. Wind
    167. TickTick
    168. Converter
    169. TickTick ×2
    170. Wind
    171. TickTick
    172. Wind
    173. TickTick ×2
    174. Wind
    175. TickTick
    176. Wind
    177. TickTick ×2
    178. Converter
    179. TickTick ×5
    180. Wind
    181. TickTick ×2
    182. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    183. Wind
    184. TickTick ×2
    185. Wind
    186. TickTick ×3
    187. Wind
    188. TickTick ×3
    189. Converter
    190. TickTick ×3
    191. Wind
    192. TickTick
    193. Wind
    194. TickTick
    195. CitadelAnti-nukedone 14:10
    196. TickTick
    197. Wind ×2
    198. TickTick
    199. Converter
    200. TickTick
    201. Wind
    202. TickTick
    203. Wind ×2
    204. TickTick
    205. Wind
    206. TickTick
    207. Converter
    208. TickTick ×2
    209. Wind ×2
    210. TickTick
    211. Wind
    212. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 14:05
    213. TickTick ×2
    214. Wind
    215. TickTick
    216. Converter
    217. TickTick ×3
    218. Wind
    219. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00
    220. TickTick
    221. Wind
    222. TickTick
    223. Wind
    224. Converter
    225. TickTick
    226. Wind
    227. TickTick ×2
    228. Wind
    229. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    230. TickTick
    231. Wind
    232. TickTick
    233. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is VeryCool's (31 OS, 13/10/2026); 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

VeryCool

30.8 OS · 13/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
1147 metal received · 33147 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