BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 · 94 distinct matches · 38 players · 13% of Cortex Pond games · team won 47% of 94 · 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 94 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, 2 tidal, 2 winddone ~3:32, middle half 3:21–4:35

    By 3:13 in all: 4 mex · 2 tidal (standard 4) · 2 wind · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Tidal ×8for Front
    2. Tidal ×3
    3. Mex ×4
    4. Bot LabBot Labdone 2:56 · typical 3:32
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to 5:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine1Wind−4 vs standard
    Builders
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot

    Some games also: con turret (47%) · converter (37%) · Graverobber (32%)

    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 · 15 steps
    1. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    2. Construction BotCon bot ×5
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Wind
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. Wind
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. Wind
    10. Con turret
    11. Construction BotCon bot
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Construction BotCon bot
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Converter ×2
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine18Wind+18 vs standard
    • Energy Converter4Converter+4 vs standard
    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret

    Some games also: grunt (48%) · con bot (33%) · eat Bot Lab (45%)

    By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 25 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 · 297 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    8. Wind ×2
    9. Converter
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. Tidal
    14. Wind ×3
    15. Converter
    16. Wind
    17. Tidal
    18. Wind ×2
    19. Converter
    20. Tidal
    21. Wind ×3
    22. Tidal
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Tidal
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Tidal
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. Tidal
    35. Wind ×2
    36. Tidal
    37. Converter
    38. Wind ×2
    39. Tidal
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Tidal
    44. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:22 · typical 9:07
    45. Wind ×2
    46. Converter
    47. Tidal
    48. Wind ×2
    49. Tidal
    50. Converter
    51. Wind ×5
    52. Converter
    53. Wind ×6
    54. Bot LabBot Labnot finished by 15:00
    55. Wind ×2
    56. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    57. Converter
    58. Wind ×3
    59. Converter
    60. Wind ×2
    61. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    62. Wind ×2
    63. Converter
    64. Wind
    65. Con turret
    66. Wind ×4
    67. Converter
    68. Wind ×5
    69. Converter
    70. Wind ×2
    71. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    72. Wind
    73. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:28
    74. Wind ×2
    75. Converter
    76. Wind ×3
    77. Converter
    78. GruntGrunt
    79. Wind ×2
    80. GruntGrunt
    81. Converter
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. Wind ×2
    84. GruntGrunt
    85. Wind
    86. GruntGrunt
    87. Converter
    88. GruntGrunt
    89. Wind ×2
    90. GruntGrunt
    91. Converter
    92. Wind ×2
    93. GruntGrunt
    94. Wind
    95. GruntGrunt
    96. Converter
    97. Wind
    98. Con turret
    99. Wind
    100. GruntGrunt
    101. Wind ×2
    102. GruntGrunt
    103. Wind
    104. Converter
    105. Wind
    106. GruntGrunt
    107. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    108. Converter
    109. Wind ×2
    110. GruntGrunt
    111. Wind ×3
    112. Converter
    113. GruntGrunt ×2
    114. Wind ×2
    115. Converter
    116. GruntGrunt ×2
    117. Wind ×2
    118. GruntGrunt
    119. Converter
    120. GruntGrunt
    121. Wind
    122. GruntGrunt
    123. Wind
    124. GruntGrunt
    125. Wind
    126. GruntGrunt ×2
    127. Wind
    128. Con turret
    129. Wind
    130. GruntGrunt
    131. Converter
    132. Wind ×2
    133. GruntGrunt
    134. Con turret
    135. Wind ×2
    136. GruntGrunt
    137. Con turret
    138. Wind
    139. Converter
    140. Wind
    141. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:30
    142. Wind
    143. GruntGrunt ×2
    144. Wind ×2
    145. GruntGrunt ×2
    146. Converter
    147. GruntGrunt ×2
    148. Con turret
    149. GruntGrunt
    150. Wind ×2
    151. Con turret
    152. GruntGrunt ×2
    153. Wind
    154. GruntGrunt
    155. Wind
    156. GruntGrunt
    157. Con turret
    158. GruntGrunt
    159. Wind
    160. Converter
    161. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:57
    162. GruntGrunt ×2
    163. Wind
    164. GruntGrunt
    165. Wind
    166. GruntGrunt ×4
    167. Converter
    168. Construction BotCon bot
    169. Wind
    170. GruntGrunt ×2
    171. Construction BotCon bot
    172. GruntGrunt ×2
    173. Construction BotCon bot
    174. Wind
    175. GruntGrunt ×2
    176. Wind
    177. Construction BotCon bot
    178. GruntGrunt ×5
    179. Wind
    180. GruntGrunt
    181. Wind
    182. Construction BotCon bot
    183. GruntGrunt ×2
    184. Converter
    185. GruntGrunt ×4
    186. Wind
    187. GruntGrunt
    188. Construction BotCon bot
    189. GruntGrunt
    190. Advanced Fusion ReactorAdvanced Fusion Reactornot finished by 15:00
    191. Wind
    192. GruntGrunt ×3
    193. Wind
    194. GruntGrunt
    195. Converter
    196. GruntGrunt ×2
    197. Construction BotCon bot
    198. Wind
    199. GruntGrunt ×3
    200. Wind
    201. GruntGrunt ×4
    202. Construction BotCon bot
    203. GruntGrunt ×3
    204. Wind
    205. GruntGrunt ×2
    206. Wind
    207. GruntGrunt ×5
    208. Converter
    209. GruntGrunt ×2
    210. Wind
    211. GruntGrunt
    212. Wind
    213. GruntGrunt ×6
    214. Wind
    215. GruntGrunt ×6
    216. Wind
    217. GruntGrunt
    218. Wind
    219. GruntGrunt ×7
    220. Converter
    221. GruntGrunt
    222. Wind ×2
    223. GruntGrunt ×8
    224. Wind
    225. GruntGrunt ×2
    226. Wind
    227. GruntGrunt ×4
    228. Converter
    229. GruntGrunt ×3
    230. Wind
    231. GruntGrunt ×3
    232. Wind
    233. GruntGrunt ×5
    234. Wind
    235. GruntGrunt ×4
    236. Converter
    237. GruntGrunt
    238. Wind
    239. GruntGrunt ×2
    240. Wind
    241. GruntGrunt ×5
    242. Converter
    243. GruntGrunt ×2
    244. Wind ×2
    245. GruntGrunt ×7
    246. Wind
    247. GruntGrunt ×2
    248. Converter
    249. Wind
    250. GruntGrunt ×7
    251. Wind
    252. GruntGrunt ×2
    253. Wind
    254. GruntGrunt ×3
    255. Converter
    256. GruntGrunt ×3
    257. Wind
    258. GruntGrunt ×2
    259. Wind
    260. GruntGrunt ×6
    261. Converter
    262. Wind
    263. GruntGrunt ×2
    264. Wind
    265. GruntGrunt ×3
    266. Wind
    267. GruntGrunt ×3
    268. Wind
    269. GruntGrunt
    270. Converter
    271. GruntGrunt ×4
    272. Wind
    273. GruntGrunt ×3
    274. Wind
    275. GruntGrunt ×4
    276. Converter
    277. Wind
    278. GruntGrunt
    279. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    280. Wind
    281. GruntGrunt ×2
    282. Wind
    283. GruntGrunt ×4
    284. Wind
    285. GruntGrunt
    286. Wind
    287. GruntGrunt ×2
    288. Converter
    289. GruntGrunt ×3
    290. Wind
    291. GruntGrunt ×2
    292. Wind
    293. GruntGrunt ×4
    294. Converter
    295. GruntGrunt ×3
    296. Wind ×2
    297. GruntGrunt ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is RollingBread's (34 OS, 22/09/2026); 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 7:22 · in 80% 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

94 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0011500
2:0026000
3:0075200
4:00141400
5:00214200
6:00295100
7:00383900
8:0049135173
9:006340185172
10:007751321513
11:009899740796
12:001235111421054
13:001491015751637
14:001720918372073
15:001993426232966
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

RollingBread

34.1 OS · 22/09/2026

Open source match ↗

34 received units · includes a constructor
215 metal received · 44764 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Bot Lab3:32Middle 50%: 3:21–4:35 · n=70
Advanced Metal Extractor9:07Middle 50%: 7:43–10:16 · n=77

Played most by

Yamato18games of this buildzeus_on_god7games of this buildEpicTyrannus6games of this buildEXZoPrimer36games of this buildBoozha5games of this build