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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 · 89 distinct matches · 38 players · 12% of Cortex Pond games · team won 46% of 89 · 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 89 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 3:23–4:37

    By 3:14 in all: 4 mex · 2 tidal (standard 4) · 2 wind · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 7 steps
    1. Tidal ×8for Front
    2. Tidal ×4
    3. Mex ×3
    4. Wind ×3
    5. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platformnot finished by 15:00
    6. Hovercraft PlatformEat Hovercraft Platformreclaimed for its metal
    7. Bot LabBot Labdone 3:45 · typical 3:33
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to 5:00

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

    Some games also: con turret (46%) · converter (37%) · Graverobber (30%)

    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 · 9 steps
    1. GraverobberGraverobber
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. GraverobberGraverobber
    4. Wind
    5. Con turret
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Construction BotCon bot
    8. Mex
    9. Energy storage
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine17Wind+17 vs standard
    • Energy Converter3Converter+3 vs standard
    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret

    Some games also: grunt (47%) · con bot (33%) · eat Bot Lab (44%)

    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 · 97 steps
    1. Converter ×2
    2. AggravatorAggravator
    3. AggravatorAggravatorfor Geo sea
    4. GruntGrunt ×5
    5. Con turret
    6. GruntGrunt ×2
    7. Wind
    8. GruntGrunt
    9. Wind
    10. GruntGrunt
    11. Wind
    12. GruntGrunt
    13. Wind ×2
    14. GruntGrunt
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. GruntGrunt
    18. Converter
    19. GruntGrunt
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:00 · typical 9:06
    21. Wind
    22. GruntGrunt
    23. Wind
    24. GruntGrunt
    25. Wind
    26. GruntGrunt
    27. Wind ×2
    28. GruntGrunt
    29. Wind
    30. GruntGrunt
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    32. Wind
    33. GruntGrunt
    34. Wind
    35. GruntGrunt
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    37. Wind
    38. GruntGrunt
    39. Wind
    40. GruntGrunt ×3
    41. Wind
    42. GruntGrunt
    43. Construction BotCon bot
    44. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    45. GruntGrunt
    46. Wind
    47. GruntGrunt
    48. Wind
    49. GruntGrunt ×2
    50. Wind
    51. GruntGrunt
    52. Wind
    53. GruntGrunt
    54. Wind
    55. GruntGrunt
    56. Wind
    57. GruntGrunt
    58. Wind
    59. GruntGrunt ×5
    60. Wind
    61. GruntGrunt
    62. Wind
    63. GruntGrunt
    64. Wind
    65. GruntGrunt
    66. Wind
    67. GruntGrunt
    68. Wind
    69. GruntGrunt
    70. Wind
    71. GruntGrunt ×2
    72. Wind
    73. GruntGrunt
    74. Wind
    75. GruntGrunt
    76. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:35
    77. Wind
    78. GruntGrunt ×4
    79. Wind
    80. GruntGrunt ×5
    81. Con turret
    82. T2 converter
    83. GruntGrunt
    84. JunoJuno
    85. GruntGrunt
    86. Con turret
    87. GruntGrunt ×3
    88. Con turret ×2
    89. GruntGrunt
    90. Con turret
    91. GruntGrunt
    92. Con turret
    93. GruntGrunt ×7
    94. Con turret
    95. GruntGrunt ×2
    96. Con turret
    97. GruntGrunt

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is BLORGY's (35 OS, 07/08/2026); 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

89 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
8:0049055486
9:006290220189
10:007724350640
11:009878714836
12:001218111401032
13:001453415711661
14:001688117971995
15:001936126322968
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

BLORGY

35.1 OS · 07/08/2026

Open source match ↗

1 received units · includes a constructor
100 metal received · 55471 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab3:33Middle 50%: 3:23–4:37 · n=65
Advanced Metal Extractor9:06Middle 50%: 7:42–10:16 · n=72

Played most by

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