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Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard front

The role's baseline: fast Bot Lab, economy first, then a Thug/Grunt/Aggravator mix moves up to hold the wider gap and contest middle with the ally.

#defence · 166 distinct matches · 58 players · 66% of Cortex Front games · team won 42% of 168 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Bot Lab by 0:40

  1. Take 3 mex, then wind before opening Bot Lab.
  2. Finish Bot Lab, start producing Thug, Grunt and Aggravator.
  3. Send early units to coast first to stop leaks, not straight to mid.
  4. Add Twin Guard and Radar Tower to hold the wider gap.
  5. Bring Advanced Metal Extractor online as army transitions to T2.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 166 GAMES
  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 Extractor2Mex
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 2 mex, 1 winddone ~0:40, middle half 0:34–0:46

    Some games also: wind (49%)

    By 0:24 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:46 · typical 0:40
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to 5:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Bot3 Con bot
    • Graverobber2 Graverobber
    Army
    • Guard2 Guard
    • Thug6 Thug
    • Grunt4 Grunt
    • Aggravator3 Aggravator

    Some games also: con turret (42%) · Radar Tower (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 29 steps
    1. GruntGrunt ×3
    2. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    3. Mex
    4. Wind ×2
    5. GraverobberGraverobber
    6. Wind
    7. GuardGuard
    8. AggravatorAggravator ×4
    9. Mex
    10. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    11. Mex
    12. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    13. Mex
    14. AggravatorAggravator
    15. GraverobberGraverobber
    16. AggravatorAggravator ×7
    17. GuardGuard ×2
    18. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    19. GuardGuard
    20. AggravatorAggravator
    21. GuardGuard
    22. AggravatorAggravator
    23. GuardGuard
    24. GraverobberGraverobber
    25. GuardGuard
    26. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    27. Mex
    28. AggravatorAggravator
    29. Radar TowerRadar Tower
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine17Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Graverobber1 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot
    Army
    • Guard1 Guard
    • Grunt7 Grunt
    • Thug1 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (45%) · energy storage (42%) · Twin Guard (36%) · converter (34%) · Radar Tower (34%)

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 24 wind · 3 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 154 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator ×7
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. AggravatorAggravator ×4
    4. GraverobberGraverobber
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. Wind
    7. Con turret
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. Wind
    10. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    11. Wind
    12. Construction BotCon bot
    13. Mex
    14. Metal storage
    15. Wind
    16. GuardGuard
    17. Construction BotCon bot
    18. Wind ×2
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. Wind
    21. Con turret
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. Construction BotCon bot
    26. AgitatorAgitatordone 9:55
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Con turret
    31. Wind
    32. Construction BotCon bot
    33. Converter
    34. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:49 · typical 9:06
    35. Wind ×3
    36. Construction BotCon bot
    37. Wind ×3
    38. Converter
    39. Wind ×3
    40. Construction BotCon bot
    41. Wind ×2
    42. GraverobberGraverobber
    43. Converter
    44. Wind ×2
    45. GraverobberGraverobber
    46. Wind ×3
    47. Construction BotCon bot
    48. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    49. Wind
    50. Converter
    51. Wind
    52. Converter
    53. Wind ×6
    54. Construction BotCon bot
    55. Con turret
    56. Wind ×2
    57. Converter
    58. Wind
    59. Construction BotCon bot
    60. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    61. Wind ×2
    62. Converter
    63. Wind ×2
    64. Construction BotCon bot
    65. Wind ×3
    66. Con turret
    67. Wind
    68. Construction BotCon bot
    69. Wind ×3
    70. Converter ×3
    71. Wind
    72. Construction BotCon bot
    73. Wind ×7
    74. Construction BotCon bot
    75. Wind ×2
    76. Converter
    77. Wind
    78. Construction BotCon bot
    79. Wind ×4
    80. Converter
    81. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    82. Converter
    83. Wind
    84. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    85. Wind ×4
    86. Construction BotCon bot
    87. Converter
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Construction BotCon bot
    90. Wind ×4
    91. Converter
    92. Wind ×4
    93. Construction BotCon bot
    94. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    95. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    96. Wind
    97. Pit BullPit Bull
    98. Wind ×2
    99. Converter ×2
    100. Construction BotCon bot
    101. Wind
    102. Converter
    103. GraverobberGraverobber
    104. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    105. Wind
    106. Energy storage
    107. Wind
    108. Converter
    109. Wind
    110. Converter
    111. Wind ×4
    112. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    113. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    114. Wind ×3
    115. Converter
    116. Wind ×3
    117. Converter ×2
    118. Wind ×4
    119. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    120. Converter
    121. Wind ×2
    122. Converter
    123. Wind ×3
    124. Converter
    125. Wind ×3
    126. Converter ×2
    127. Wind ×4
    128. Converter
    129. Wind ×4
    130. Converter
    131. Wind
    132. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    133. Wind ×2
    134. Converter
    135. Wind ×3
    136. Converter
    137. Wind ×2
    138. Converter
    139. Wind ×2
    140. Converter
    141. Wind ×7
    142. Converter
    143. Wind ×4
    144. Converter
    145. Wind ×7
    146. Converter
    147. Wind
    148. Cloakable Fusion ReactorCloakable Fusion Reactornot finished by 15:00
    149. Converter
    150. Wind ×3
    151. Converter
    152. Wind ×4
    153. Converter
    154. Wind ×5

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hummell's (46 OS, 21/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:18 · in 67% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:26 · in 68% of games

How it plays out

Typical game of this build, running totals by minute

Metal produced

010k20k30k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Enemy metal destroyed

02.5k5k7.5k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

05k10k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

168 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0086400
3:0016328586
4:002697352348
5:003807950947
6:00506917041785
7:00640325812693
8:00769333273737
9:00908139204434
10:001080544245184
11:001273550825966
12:001494552977104
13:001732459477675
14:001972863318778
15:002252869019802
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

This build has the worst win rate of the roles shown and trails Suicide front on kills while losing nearly as much metal.

  • + Produces more metal than Suicide front by 15:00 (22286 vs 18297).
  • + T2 constructor lands slightly faster (7:41) than Suicide front's 8:07.
  • − Loses 9797 own metal by 15:00, close to what it destroys (6775).
  • − Wins only 40% of games, well below every other role shown.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Hummell

46.4 OS · 21/09/2026

Open source match ↗

17 received units · includes a constructor
914 metal received · 19033 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:40Middle 50%: 0:34–0:46 · n=150
Advanced Metal Extractor9:06Middle 50%: 8:08–10:30 · n=130

Played most by

watermeloans19games of this buildHummell18games of this buildJelousOfMyEco12games of this buildCentientWaffle9games of this buildGeeGee7games of this build