BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard front

Cortex Front build order · Supreme Isthmus

The role's default economy-first play: Bot Lab right away, Advanced Metal Extractor around 9:12, transitioning into the usual Thug/Grunt/Aggravator mix to hold the wider gap and feed the middle.

#eco #defence · 177 distinct matches · 62 players · 64% of Cortex Front games · team won 44% of 179 · 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 177 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
    • Wind Turbine1Wind
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 2 mex, 1 winddone ~0:40, middle half 0:34–0:46

    By 0:24 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:33 · 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
    • Aggravator5 Aggravator
    • Grunt4 Grunt

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

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 39 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GruntGrunt
    3. Wind
    4. GruntGrunt
    5. Wind
    6. GruntGrunt
    7. Wind
    8. GruntGrunt
    9. Mex
    10. Wind
    11. GruntGrunt
    12. Wind
    13. Construction BotCon bot
    14. Wind
    15. Construction BotCon bot
    16. GraverobberGraverobber
    17. ThugThug ×3
    18. Mex
    19. ThugThug ×2
    20. Energy storage
    21. Mex
    22. GraverobberGraverobber
    23. ThugThug
    24. Con turret
    25. Mex
    26. ThistleThistle
    27. ThugThug ×4
    28. GraverobberGraverobber
    29. ThugThug ×5
    30. Con turret
    31. ThugThug
    32. Wind
    33. GraverobberGraverobber
    34. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    35. Metal storage
    36. ThugThug
    37. Wind
    38. MaceMace
    39. ThugThug
  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
    • Grunt7 Grunt
    • Thug2 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (46%) · energy storage (42%) · Twin Guard (36%) · converter (35%) · Radar Tower (35%)

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 24 wind · 1 energy storage · 3 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 204 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Wind
    3. ThugThug
    4. Wind
    5. ThugThug
    6. GraverobberGraverobber
    7. Construction BotCon bot
    8. LazarusLazarus
    9. Wind
    10. Construction BotCon bot
    11. Wind
    12. RocketeerRocketeer
    13. Converter
    14. Construction BotCon bot
    15. GuardGuard
    16. Wind
    17. Construction BotCon bot
    18. RocketeerRocketeer
    19. Wind
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. Wind
    22. GruntGrunt
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. Wind
    25. Construction BotCon bot
    26. Converter
    27. ThugThug
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Construction BotCon bot
    30. Wind
    31. MaceMace
    32. Wind ×4
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. Wind
    35. Con turret
    36. Construction BotCon bot
    37. Mex
    38. Wind ×2
    39. Construction BotCon bot
    40. ThugThug
    41. Converter
    42. Wind ×3
    43. GuardGuard
    44. Construction BotCon bot
    45. Wind ×2
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. Wind
    48. ThugThug
    49. Wind
    50. Construction BotCon bot
    51. Wind ×2
    52. Construction BotCon bot
    53. Wind ×5
    54. Converter
    55. Wind ×10
    56. Converter
    57. Wind ×5
    58. Converter
    59. Wind ×9
    60. GuardGuard
    61. Converter
    62. Wind ×2
    63. Converter
    64. Wind ×4
    65. GuardGuard
    66. Wind ×6
    67. Converter ×2
    68. Wind ×2
    69. GuardGuard
    70. Wind ×4
    71. Converter
    72. Wind ×4
    73. Converter
    74. Wind ×3
    75. Converter
    76. Wind ×6
    77. Converter
    78. Wind
    79. Converter
    80. Wind ×5
    81. Converter
    82. Wind ×3
    83. Converter
    84. Wind ×2
    85. Converter
    86. Wind ×3
    87. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:23 · typical 9:10
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Converter
    90. Wind
    91. Converter
    92. GuardGuard
    93. Wind ×4
    94. Converter
    95. Wind
    96. CastroCastro
    97. Wind ×2
    98. Converter
    99. Wind ×2
    100. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    101. Converter
    102. Wind ×5
    103. Converter
    104. Wind ×5
    105. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    106. Converter
    107. Wind ×2
    108. Converter
    109. Wind
    110. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    111. Converter
    112. Wind ×2
    113. Converter
    114. Wind ×2
    115. Converter
    116. Wind ×2
    117. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    118. Converter ×2
    119. Wind ×4
    120. Converter
    121. Wind
    122. Converter
    123. Wind ×2
    124. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    125. Wind ×2
    126. Converter
    127. Wind
    128. Converter
    129. Wind ×3
    130. Converter
    131. Wind ×3
    132. Converter
    133. Wind
    134. Converter
    135. Metal storage
    136. Wind ×4
    137. Converter
    138. Wind
    139. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    140. Converter
    141. Wind ×2
    142. Metal storage
    143. Converter
    144. Wind ×4
    145. Converter ×2
    146. Wind ×3
    147. Converter
    148. Wind
    149. Converter
    150. Wind
    151. Converter
    152. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    153. Converter ×2
    154. Wind ×2
    155. Converter
    156. Wind
    157. Converter ×2
    158. Wind ×2
    159. Converter
    160. Wind ×2
    161. GruntGrunt ×2
    162. Wind
    163. GruntGrunt ×2
    164. Converter
    165. Con turret
    166. GruntGrunt ×2
    167. Wind
    168. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    169. GruntGrunt ×3
    170. Converter
    171. GruntGrunt
    172. Wind
    173. GruntGrunt
    174. Con turret
    175. GruntGrunt ×2
    176. Wind
    177. GruntGrunt ×2
    178. Converter
    179. GruntGrunt
    180. Con turret ×2
    181. GruntGrunt ×2
    182. Con turret
    183. GruntGrunt ×4
    184. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    185. Con turret
    186. GruntGrunt ×3
    187. Con turret ×2
    188. GruntGrunt
    189. Con turret
    190. GruntGrunt
    191. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    192. GruntGrunt
    193. Con turret
    194. GuardGuard
    195. Cloakable Fusion ReactorCloakable Fusion Reactornot finished by 15:00
    196. ArbalestArbalest
    197. GruntGrunt
    198. Con turret
    199. GruntGrunt ×4
    200. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    201. GuardGuard
    202. GruntGrunt ×3
    203. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    204. GruntGrunt

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hummell's (46 OS, 30/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:17 · in 68% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:26 · in 66% 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

179 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:0016248686
4:002692359336
5:003828938883
6:00505116831622
7:00633024302606
8:00769932503477
9:00914838644317
10:001091543525092
11:001287049345948
12:001507052866934
13:001774557647566
14:002019663178516
15:002293570989484
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

45.7 OS · 30/09/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
1131 metal received · 26560 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=164
Advanced Metal Extractor9:10Middle 50%: 8:09–10:29 · n=140

Played most by

Hummell19games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildiLike2Eco12games of this buildCentientWaffle9games of this buildGeeGee9games of this build