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Thug bot assault

Cortex Pond build order · Supreme Isthmus

Pond adds Thugs from its Bot Lab around 5:13 for an early bot push, fighting mostly on its own side at first before moving to the middle.

#push · 24 distinct matches · 16 players · 3% of Cortex Pond games · team won 54% of 24 · Recently observed

THE CATCH, AND WHAT COMES WITH IT
  • ThugT1 bot assault from 4:11 · 3% of role by thenFrom the Bot Lab. Only 3% of Pond games have it by then; others who build it get it around 5:58
  • ThugThug in 79%2% of all Pond games by then
  • GruntGrunt in 46%9% of all Pond games by then

Where those units first fight, in 24 games with kill data: in the middle 88%, on their own side 13%.

Those units destroy a typical 1,875 metal of enemy units by 15:00.

Then transitions into grunt (13% of army).

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Thug push by 3:58

  1. Open tidal-heavy economy, then Bot Lab by 3:15.
  2. Push Thugs out of Bot Lab toward the middle.
  3. Keep Thug numbers up as the main front-line unit.
  4. Eat the old Bot Lab for metal once replaced.
  5. Mix in Grunt and transition toward T2 constructor.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 24 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 Generator6Tidalfor allies−2 vs standard
    • Wind Turbine3Wind
    • Tidal Generator1Tidal
    • Energy Storage1Energy storage
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 4 mex, 3 wind, 1 tidaldone ~3:32, middle half 2:41–3:56

    By 3:17 in all: 4 mex · 3 wind · 1 tidal · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 6 steps
    1. Tidal ×10for Suicide front
    2. Mex ×2
    3. ThistleThistle
    4. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    5. Mex
    6. Bot LabBot Labdone 2:45 · typical 3:32
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to T1 bot assault

    Order
    1. ThugT1 bot assault after 4 mex, 7 wind, 1 energy storage
    Builders
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot

    Some games also: wind (46%) · con turret (42%) · Graverobber (38%)

    By 4:08 in all: 4 mex · 7 wind (standard 4) · 1 tidal · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 17 steps
    1. GraverobberGraverobber
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. Mex
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Tidalfor Suicide front
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. Tidalfor Suicide front
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. Tidal ×2for Suicide front
    10. Converter
    11. Tidalfor Suicide front
    12. Energy storage
    13. Converter
    14. Tidalfor Suicide front
    15. Converter
    16. Tidalfor Suicide front
    17. ThugThugdone 5:10
  3. 3

    T1 bot assault to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine12Wind−7 vs standard
    • Energy Converter2Converter−2 vs standard
    Order
    1. Bot LabEat Bot Lab in 67% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret1 Con turret
    • Graverobber2 Graverobber +2 vs standard
    Army
    • Thug13 Thug +13 vs standard

    Some games also: Radar Tower (50%) · con bot (46%) · Guard (42%) · mex (38%) · grunt (38%)

    By 10:00 in all: 4 mex · 21 wind · 2 tidal · 3 converter (standard 6) · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 44 steps
    1. Tidalfor Suicide front
    2. ThugThug
    3. Converter ×4
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Tidalfor Suicide front
    6. Converter
    7. Construction BotCon bot
    8. Tidal ×3for Suicide front
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2done 7:23 · typical 9:05
    10. Tidal ×2for Geo sea
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    12. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    13. Tidal ×5for Geo sea
    14. SAMSAM
    15. Tidalfor Geo sea
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    17. Tidal ×2
    18. Con turret
    19. Tidal ×4
    20. Con turret ×2
    21. Tidal ×2
    22. WardenWarden
    23. Con turret
    24. Tidal
    25. Converter
    26. Tidal
    27. Con turret
    28. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    29. Con turret
    30. Converter
    31. Con turret
    32. Advanced Fusion ReactorAdvanced Fusion Reactordone 13:39
    33. Con turret ×3
    34. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    35. Con turret ×2
    36. Mex
    37. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    38. T2 converter ×2
    39. Con turret ×2
    40. T2 converter
    41. Con turret ×2
    42. TracerTracer
    43. CitadelAnti-nukenot finished by 15:00
    44. Advanced Fusion ReactorAdvanced Fusion Reactor

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Blackbird357's (31 OS, 01/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Tidal Generator8 Tidal to Suicide front or Frontfirst at 0:09 · in 54% of games

You get

  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Tech or Geofirst at 7:26 · in 83% of games

How it plays out

Typical game of this build against the role’s standard build, running totals by minute

  • This build
  • Standard pond

Metal produced

010k20k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Enemy metal destroyed

02k4k6k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

02k4k6k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

24 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildMetal produced: Standard pondEnemy metal destroyed: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: Standard pondOwn metal lost: This buildOwn metal lost: Standard pond
1:001151150000
2:003582590000
3:009137370000
4:00158514090000
5:00237721300000
6:0032572949253000
7:004213382942704100
8:005384487496654101586
9:007045625714402201650189
10:008492766117793502040640
11:0010409985922847662287836
12:0011991120922618119633811075
13:0014080145343769157845531661
14:0015917168813863181445991995
15:0016396193614234263247142964
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Slightly outperformed the standard build's win rate while destroying more enemy metal by 15:00.

  • + Destroys 4346 enemy metal by 15:00 vs 3127 standard.
  • + Team win rate 54% vs standard's 46%.
  • − Own metal lost by 10:00 is 2511 vs 755 for standard.
  • − Metal produced by 15:00 trails standard, 15858 vs 19066.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Blackbird357

30.8 OS · 01/10/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
458 metal received · 37451 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab3:32Middle 50%: 2:41–3:56 · n=24
Advanced Metal Extractor9:05Middle 50%: 7:54–10:25 · n=19

Played most by

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