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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 · 188 distinct matches · 64 players · 62% of Cortex Front games · team won 45% of 191 · 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 188 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 0:33–0:46

    Some games also: wind (49%)

    By 0:24 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Mexfor Air
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to 5:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Bot3 Con bot
    • Graverobber2 Graverobber
    Army
    • Guard2 Guard
    • Thug7 Thug
    • Aggravator5 Aggravator
    • Grunt4 Grunt

    Some games also: con turret (41%) · Radar Tower (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 30 steps
    1. Windfor Air
    2. Bot LabBot Labfor Airdone 0:53 · typical 0:40
    3. Radar TowerRadar Towerfor Air
    4. GruntGrunt ×2
    5. Windfor Air
    6. Construction BotCon botfor Air
    7. GraverobberGraverobber
    8. Windfor Air
    9. Construction BotCon botfor Air
    10. Mexfor Air
    11. ThugThug ×4
    12. GuardGuardfor Air
    13. ThugThug
    14. GraverobberGraverobber ×3
    15. Mexfor Air
    16. Construction BotCon botfor Air
    17. Radar TowerRadar Towerfor Air
    18. AggravatorAggravator ×4
    19. Mex
    20. AggravatorAggravator
    21. Construction BotCon botfor Air
    22. GuardGuard
    23. ThugThug ×3
    24. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    25. ThugThug
    26. GuardGuardfor Air
    27. ThugThug
    28. ThugThugfor Air
    29. GuardGuardfor Air
    30. ThugThug
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine17Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Graverobber2 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot
    Army
    • Guard1 Guard
    • Grunt7 Grunt
    • Thug2 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (49%) · energy storage (41%) · Radar Tower (38%) · Twin Guard (36%) · converter (35%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 65 steps
    1. GuardGuardfor Air
    2. Mex
    3. ThugThugfor Air
    4. ThugThug ×2
    5. GraverobberGraverobber
    6. Con turret
    7. Construction BotCon botfor Air
    8. ThugThug ×2
    9. ThugThugfor Air
    10. GuardGuardfor Air
    11. ThugThug
    12. ThugThugfor Air
    13. ThugThug ×2
    14. Mex
    15. ThugThugfor Air
    16. Converterfor Air
    17. ThugThugfor Air
    18. AggravatorAggravator
    19. ThugThug ×5
    20. Converterfor Air
    21. GraverobberGraverobber
    22. AggravatorAggravatorfor Air
    23. Construction BotCon botfor Air
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Airdone 9:25 · typical 9:12
    25. ThugThug ×2
    26. GraverobberGraverobber
    27. CastroCastrofor Air
    28. GruntGrunt
    29. Construction BotCon botfor Air
    30. Wind ×6for Air
    31. Construction BotCon botfor Air
    32. Wind ×3for Air
    33. Construction BotCon botfor Air
    34. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teethfor Air
    35. Windfor Air
    36. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3for Air
    37. Windfor Air
    38. GruntGruntfor Air
    39. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teethfor Air
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Air
    41. GruntGruntfor Air
    42. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teethfor Air
    43. GruntGruntfor Air
    44. Windfor Air
    45. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teethfor Air
    46. GruntGruntfor Air
    47. Windfor Air
    48. GruntGrunt ×2for Air
    49. Windfor Air
    50. GruntGrunt ×3for Air
    51. Wind ×2for Air
    52. GruntGrunt ×3for Air
    53. Windfor Air
    54. GruntGrunt ×3for Air
    55. Windfor Air
    56. GruntGruntfor Air
    57. Windfor Air
    58. GruntGrunt ×3for Air
    59. Windfor Air
    60. GruntGrunt ×2for Air
    61. Windfor Air
    62. GruntGrunt ×2for Air
    63. Windfor Air
    64. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Air
    65. GruntGrunt ×2for Air

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Rexalidus's (36 OS, 02/10/2026); 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 67% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:33 · 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

191 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:0016238686
4:002684366326
5:003814938875
6:00505116511622
7:00631023642607
8:00765531393548
9:00902136104317
10:001084842455102
11:001278048825948
12:001495252076900
13:001730857597591
14:001971462628368
15:002249370189398
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

Rexalidus

36.2 OS · 02/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
165 metal received · 10314 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:40Middle 50%: 0:33–0:46 · n=179
Advanced Metal Extractor9:12Middle 50%: 8:11–10:29 · n=150

Played most by

Hummell20games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildiLike2Eco13games of this buildGeeGee11games of this buildErilium10games of this build
Standard front · Cortex Front build order · BAR Build Atlas