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Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard front

Cortex Front build order · Supreme Isthmus

Standard economy-first Front play: Bot Lab immediately, Advanced Metal Extractor around 9:23, then a mixed Thug/Grunt/Aggravator army sent up to defend the wider gap and move to middle as a line.

#eco #team support · 450 distinct matches · 138 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 51% of 467 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Bot Lab by 0:40

  1. Open 2 mex into early Bot Lab.
  2. Finish Bot Lab and start Thug, Grunt, Aggravator mix.
  3. Send first units to coast to stop leaks, not straight to mid.
  4. Transition into Advanced Metal Extractor as eco scales.
  5. Move units up as a line toward middle to hold the wider gap.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 450 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 mexdone ~0:40, middle half 0:34–0:46

    Some games also: wind (41%)

    By 0:23 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:40 · 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
    • Thug9 Thug
    • Aggravator5 Aggravator
    • Grunt4 Grunt

    Some games also: con turret (45%) · Radar Tower (34%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 31 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GruntGrunt
    3. Wind
    4. Solar
    5. GruntGrunt
    6. GraverobberGraverobber
    7. GruntGrunt ×2
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    10. Mex
    11. AggravatorAggravator
    12. Construction BotCon bot
    13. Mex
    14. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    15. Mex
    16. Construction BotCon bot
    17. AggravatorAggravator
    18. Con turret
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    21. AggravatorAggravator
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. GuardGuard
    24. AggravatorAggravator
    25. Wind
    26. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    27. Wind
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. GuardGuard
    30. Wind
    31. AggravatorAggravator
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine17Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Graverobber2 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot
    Army
    • Guard1 Guard
    • Grunt8 Grunt
    • Thug4 Thug
    • Aggravator1 Aggravator

    Some games also: Radar Tower (43%) · energy storage (36%) · converter (36%) · Twin Guard (33%) · eat Bot Lab (37%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 188 steps
    1. WardenWarden
    2. Wind
    3. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    4. Wind
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. AggravatorAggravator
    7. Wind
    8. GuardGuard
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. GruntGrunt ×3
    11. Wind
    12. GruntGrunt ×3
    13. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    14. Mex
    15. GruntGrunt
    16. AggravatorAggravator
    17. Wind
    18. AggravatorAggravator
    19. Wind
    20. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    21. Energy storage
    22. AggravatorAggravator
    23. Wind
    24. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    25. WardenWarden
    26. AggravatorAggravator
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. AggravatorAggravator
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. AggravatorAggravator
    33. Converter
    34. Wind
    35. AggravatorAggravator
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Converter
    38. AggravatorAggravator
    39. Wind ×2
    40. AggravatorAggravator
    41. Wind
    42. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    43. Wind
    44. Converter
    45. AggravatorAggravator
    46. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    47. Wind ×2
    48. AggravatorAggravator
    49. Wind ×2
    50. AggravatorAggravator
    51. Con turret
    52. Wind
    53. GruntGrunt
    54. Wind
    55. Converter
    56. Wind ×2
    57. ThistleThistle
    58. GruntGrunt ×2
    59. Wind ×2
    60. Converter
    61. Wind
    62. ThistleThistle
    63. GruntGrunt ×2
    64. Converter
    65. Wind
    66. GruntGrunt
    67. Wind ×2
    68. GruntGrunt ×3
    69. Wind
    70. GruntGrunt
    71. Wind ×2
    72. GruntGrunt
    73. Con turret
    74. GruntGrunt ×3
    75. Wind
    76. GruntGrunt
    77. Wind
    78. GruntGrunt
    79. Wind
    80. GruntGrunt ×4
    81. Wind ×2
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:54 · typical 9:23
    84. Wind
    85. GruntGrunt ×2
    86. Wind ×2
    87. GruntGrunt
    88. Wind
    89. Converter
    90. Wind
    91. Construction BotCon bot
    92. Wind
    93. Converter
    94. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    95. Construction BotCon bot
    96. Wind
    97. Converter
    98. Wind ×2
    99. Converter
    100. GruntGrunt
    101. Wind
    102. Con turret
    103. GruntGrunt
    104. Wind
    105. Converter
    106. Wind
    107. GruntGrunt
    108. Wind
    109. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    110. Wind
    111. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    112. GruntGrunt
    113. Wind
    114. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    115. GruntGrunt
    116. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    117. GruntGrunt
    118. Wind
    119. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    120. GruntGrunt ×2
    121. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    122. Wind
    123. GruntGrunt
    124. Converter
    125. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    126. GruntGrunt
    127. Wind
    128. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    129. GruntGrunt
    130. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    131. GruntGrunt
    132. Wind
    133. GruntGrunt
    134. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    135. Converter
    136. GruntGrunt
    137. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    138. GruntGrunt
    139. Wind
    140. GruntGrunt ×2
    141. Wind
    142. GruntGrunt
    143. Converter
    144. GruntGrunt
    145. Mex
    146. GruntGrunt ×2
    147. Converter
    148. GruntGrunt ×2
    149. GuardGuard
    150. Wind ×2
    151. GruntGrunt
    152. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    153. Converter
    154. GruntGrunt
    155. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    156. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    157. GruntGrunt
    158. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    159. GuardGuard
    160. GruntGrunt
    161. GuardGuard
    162. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    163. Wind
    164. GruntGrunt
    165. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    166. GruntGrunt
    167. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    168. Wind
    169. GruntGrunt
    170. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    171. GruntGrunt
    172. GuardGuard
    173. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    174. GruntGrunt
    175. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    176. GruntGrunt
    177. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    178. GruntGrunt ×2
    179. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    180. GruntGrunt
    181. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    182. GruntGrunt
    183. Wind
    184. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    185. GruntGrunt ×2
    186. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    187. Wind
    188. GruntGrunt ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is eL_bArToad's (33 OS, 04/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:17 · in 65% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:46 · in 62% 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

467 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085600
3:00162810286
4:002710390344
5:003850920840
6:00510815871557
7:00638923652476
8:00773231243394
9:00915338324309
10:001080045375079
11:001265852035989
12:001454156816934
13:001681562017643
14:001900866498561
15:002063772469322
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard front play wins less than half its games, with losses slightly outpacing kills through the first 15 minutes.

  • + Kills reach 7200 by 15:00 despite the safer starting position.
  • + T2 constructor reached in 85% of games, solid tech follow-through.
  • − Team wins under half of games (45%), the weakest shown here.
  • − Own metal lost (9484) exceeds enemy metal destroyed (7200) by 15:00.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

eL_bArToad

32.9 OS · 04/08/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
220 metal received · 14809 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=454
Advanced Metal Extractor9:23Middle 50%: 8:19–10:45 · n=343

Played most by

iLike2Eco31games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildEl_Turco15games of this build