BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 · 8 steps
    1. Tidal ×8for Suicide front
    2. Tidal ×2
    3. Mex ×4
    4. Wind ×8
    5. Energy storagefor Front
    6. Converter ×2
    7. Bot LabBot Labdone 4:18
    8. Construction BotCon bot ×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 · 160 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Con turret
    4. Wind ×14
    5. Converter
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Converter
    8. Wind
    9. Converter
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Converter
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Converter
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Converter
    22. Wind
    23. Converter
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Converter
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:03 · typical 9:23
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. Converter
    38. Wind ×2
    39. Converter
    40. Wind ×3
    41. Converter
    42. Wind ×3
    43. Converter
    44. Wind
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. Wind
    47. Converter
    48. Wind ×3
    49. Converter
    50. Wind ×2
    51. Con turret
    52. Wind ×5
    53. Con turret
    54. Wind
    55. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    56. Wind ×7
    57. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    58. Wind
    59. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:40
    60. Wind ×4
    61. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:02
    62. Wind ×3
    63. GruntGrunt
    64. Wind ×2
    65. GruntGrunt ×3
    66. Wind
    67. GruntGrunt ×3
    68. Wind
    69. GruntGrunt
    70. Wind
    71. GruntGrunt ×4
    72. Wind
    73. GruntGrunt ×4
    74. Wind ×2
    75. GruntGrunt ×6
    76. Wind
    77. GruntGrunt
    78. Wind
    79. GruntGrunt ×4
    80. Wind
    81. GruntGrunt
    82. Hardened Energy Storage
    83. GruntGrunt
    84. Wind
    85. GruntGrunt
    86. Wind
    87. GruntGrunt ×3
    88. Wind
    89. GruntGrunt
    90. Wind
    91. GruntGrunt ×2
    92. Wind
    93. GruntGrunt ×4
    94. Wind
    95. GruntGrunt ×6
    96. Wind
    97. GruntGrunt ×5
    98. Wind
    99. GruntGrunt ×6
    100. Wind
    101. GruntGrunt ×5
    102. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    103. Wind
    104. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    105. Con turret
    106. Wind
    107. Con turret
    108. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    109. Con turret
    110. Wind
    111. GruntGrunt ×6
    112. Con turret
    113. Wind
    114. GruntGrunt ×2
    115. Con turret
    116. GruntGrunt ×5
    117. Wind
    118. T2 converter
    119. GruntGrunt ×10
    120. Wind
    121. GruntGrunt
    122. Wind
    123. GruntGrunt ×2
    124. HoundHound
    125. GruntGrunt ×6
    126. Wind
    127. GruntGrunt ×5
    128. Wind
    129. GruntGrunt ×7
    130. Wind
    131. GruntGrunt ×4
    132. Wind
    133. GruntGrunt ×5
    134. Wind
    135. GruntGrunt ×8
    136. Wind
    137. GruntGrunt ×2
    138. Wind
    139. GruntGrunt ×3
    140. Wind
    141. GruntGrunt ×3
    142. Wind
    143. GruntGrunt
    144. Wind
    145. GruntGrunt ×3
    146. Wind
    147. GruntGrunt ×2
    148. Wind
    149. GruntGrunt ×2
    150. Wind
    151. GruntGrunt ×4
    152. Wind
    153. GruntGrunt
    154. Wind
    155. GruntGrunt ×2
    156. Wind
    157. GruntGrunt ×2
    158. Wind
    159. GruntGrunt
    160. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Deathkebab's (36 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

Deathkebab

35.7 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
2576 metal received · 204023 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↗Deathkebab23/09/2026 · 36 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↗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-31383-33cc827
Naval balance tweaks off