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Pond / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard pond

Pond boosts front's economy with wind or tidal generators, gets an Advanced Metal Extractor by 9:23, and transitions into supporting units like Grunt and Tick to help hold the middle until T2.

#eco #team support · 110 distinct matches · 30 players · 40% of Cortex Pond games · team won 53% of 112 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • FatboyFatboy from an ally in 42%19% of all Pond games by then

Then transitions into grunt (22% 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 110 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 (46%)

    By 5:00 in all: 4 mex · 8 wind · 2 tidal · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 9 steps
    1. Tidal ×8for Suicide front
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Mex ×4
    4. Wind ×4
    5. Energy storage
    6. Con turret
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Wind
    9. Con turret
  2. 2

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine3Wind

    Some games also: converter (44%) · con turret (38%) · wind (36%) · con turret (33%) · grunt (30%)

    By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 15 wind · 2 tidal · 3 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 165 steps
    1. Wind ×8
    2. Energy storage
    3. Con turret
    4. Wind
    5. Converter ×3
    6. Wind
    7. Converter ×3
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:08 · typical 9:23
    9. Wind
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3
    11. Wind ×8
    12. Energy storage
    13. Con turret
    14. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 9:16
    15. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    16. GroundhogGroundhog
    17. Wind
    18. GroundhogGroundhog
    19. Wind
    20. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    21. Wind
    22. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Medium MineMedium Mine
    25. Wind
    26. BlitzBlitz
    27. Wind
    28. BlitzBlitz
    29. Medium MineMedium Mine
    30. Wind
    31. BlitzBlitz ×2
    32. Medium MineMedium Mine
    33. BlitzBlitz ×2
    34. Wind
    35. Medium MineMedium Mine
    36. BlitzBlitz
    37. Wind
    38. Medium MineMedium Mine
    39. BlitzBlitz
    40. Wind
    41. BlitzBlitz
    42. Medium MineMedium Mine
    43. Wind
    44. BlitzBlitz
    45. Wind
    46. Medium MineMedium Mine
    47. BlitzBlitz
    48. Wind
    49. Medium MineMedium Mine
    50. BlitzBlitz ×2
    51. Wind
    52. Medium MineMedium Mine
    53. BlitzBlitz
    54. Medium MineMedium Mine
    55. BlitzBlitz
    56. Wind
    57. BlitzBlitz
    58. Medium MineMedium Mine
    59. Wind
    60. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    61. BlitzBlitz ×2
    62. Wind
    63. Medium MineMedium Mine
    64. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    65. BlitzBlitz
    66. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    67. BlitzBlitz ×2
    68. Wind
    69. Medium MineMedium Mine
    70. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    71. Sneaky PeteSneaky Pete
    72. BlitzBlitz
    73. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    74. Wind
    75. Medium MineMedium Mine
    76. BlitzBlitz
    77. Medium MineMedium Mine
    78. Converter
    79. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    80. BlitzBlitz
    81. Medium MineMedium Mine
    82. BlitzBlitz
    83. Converter
    84. BlitzBlitz
    85. Medium MineMedium Mine
    86. BlitzBlitz
    87. Converter
    88. Medium MineMedium Mine
    89. BlitzBlitz ×2
    90. Converter
    91. Medium MineMedium Mine
    92. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 13:51
    93. BlitzBlitz
    94. Con turret
    95. Medium MineMedium Mine
    96. BlitzBlitz ×2
    97. Con turret ×3
    98. Wind
    99. Medium MineMedium Mine ×2
    100. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:45
    101. Medium MineMedium Mine
    102. Wind
    103. StormbringerBomber
    104. Medium MineMedium Mine
    105. Wind
    106. Medium MineMedium Mine
    107. BlinkScout plane
    108. FalconFighterfor Air
    109. Medium MineMedium Mine
    110. Wind
    111. FalconFighterfor Air
    112. Medium MineMedium Mine
    113. Wind
    114. Medium MineMedium Mine
    115. FalconFighterfor Air
    116. Medium MineMedium Mine
    117. Wind
    118. FalconFighter
    119. Medium MineMedium Mine
    120. Wind
    121. Medium MineMedium Mine
    122. FalconFighter
    123. Wind
    124. FalconFighter
    125. Medium MineMedium Mine ×2
    126. FalconFighter
    127. Medium MineMedium Mine
    128. FalconFighter
    129. Wind
    130. FalconFighter
    131. Medium MineMedium Mine
    132. FalconFighter
    133. Medium MineMedium Mine
    134. Wind
    135. FalconFighter ×2
    136. Medium MineMedium Mine
    137. Wind
    138. FalconFighter
    139. Medium MineMedium Mine
    140. FalconFighter
    141. Wind
    142. FalconFighter
    143. Medium MineMedium Mine
    144. FalconFighter ×2
    145. Wind
    146. Medium MineMedium Mine
    147. FalconFighter
    148. Wind
    149. Medium MineMedium Mine
    150. FalconFighter ×2
    151. Wind
    152. Medium MineMedium Mine
    153. FalconFighter
    154. Wind
    155. FalconFighter
    156. Medium MineMedium Mine
    157. FalconFighter
    158. Wind
    159. FalconFighter
    160. Wind
    161. Medium MineMedium Mine
    162. FalconFighter ×2
    163. Medium MineMedium Mine
    164. Wind
    165. FalconFighter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is zeus_on_god's (37 OS, 17/09/2026); 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 sea or Techfirst at 2:28 · in 38% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport from Air or Techfirst at 4:41 · in 36% of games
  • Fatboy1 Fatboy from Techfirst at 5:18 · in 42% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 7:47 · in 95% 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

112 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0011500
2:0027800
3:0081600
4:00150900
5:00221600
6:00296000
7:0038172930
8:0046211058176
9:0055351507591
10:0066702117899
11:00825026521350
12:001015630711664
13:001249534192143
14:001447138202820
15:001685141903522
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

zeus_on_god

37.0 OS · 17/09/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
246 metal received · 51102 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Advanced Metal Extractor9:23Middle 50%: 8:37–10:27 · n=107

Played most by

[Grump]Matsuri25games of this buildBoozha13games of this buildDeathkebab11games of this buildEXZoPrimer37games of this buildNazarid7games of this build