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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 · 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Wind
    3. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:35
  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 · 35 steps
    1. Mex
    2. RascalRascal ×2
    3. Wind
    4. RascalRascal
    5. Wind
    6. IncisorIncisor
    7. Mex
    8. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    9. Wind
    10. Mex
    11. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    12. IncisorIncisor
    13. Mex
    14. IncisorIncisor ×2
    15. Con turret
    16. IncisorIncisor
    17. Mex
    18. PounderPounder ×2
    19. GuardGuard ×2
    20. Wind
    21. PounderPounder
    22. Wind
    23. PounderPounder
    24. Wind
    25. PounderPounder
    26. Wind ×2
    27. PounderPounder
    28. Wind
    29. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    30. Wind
    31. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    32. Wind ×2
    33. PounderPounder
    34. Wind
    35. IncisorIncisor
  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 · 112 steps
    1. IncisorIncisor
    2. Wind
    3. IncisorIncisor
    4. Wind
    5. IncisorIncisor ×2
    6. Wind
    7. IncisorIncisor
    8. Wind
    9. IncisorIncisor
    10. Wind
    11. IncisorIncisor ×2
    12. Wind
    13. IncisorIncisor ×2
    14. Wind
    15. IncisorIncisor
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind
    18. IncisorIncisor
    19. Wind
    20. Con turret
    21. IncisorIncisor
    22. Wind ×2
    23. IncisorIncisor
    24. Wind
    25. IncisorIncisor
    26. Wind
    27. IncisorIncisor
    28. Wind
    29. Dragon's MawDragon's Maw
    30. Wind
    31. IncisorIncisor
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. Dragon's MawDragon's Maw
    35. Wind
    36. IncisorIncisor
    37. Wind
    38. IncisorIncisor
    39. Converter
    40. IncisorIncisor
    41. Converter
    42. IncisorIncisor
    43. Converter
    44. IncisorIncisor
    45. Con turret
    46. Converter
    47. IncisorIncisor
    48. Converter
    49. IncisorIncisor
    50. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:48
    51. Converter
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    53. Con turret ×2
    54. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 11:58
    55. Con turret
    56. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    57. RascalRascal ×4
    58. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    59. RascalRascal ×3
    60. Con turret
    61. RascalRascal ×4
    62. Wind
    63. RascalRascal ×2
    64. Wind
    65. RascalRascal
    66. CastroCastro
    67. RascalRascal
    68. Wind
    69. RascalRascal
    70. Wind
    71. RascalRascal
    72. Wind
    73. RascalRascal ×2
    74. Wind
    75. RascalRascal ×4
    76. Wind
    77. RascalRascal ×2
    78. Wind
    79. RascalRascal ×2
    80. Wind
    81. RascalRascal
    82. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    83. Wind
    84. RascalRascal
    85. Wind
    86. RascalRascal ×2
    87. Wind
    88. RascalRascal
    89. Con turret
    90. RascalRascal ×5
    91. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 14:09
    92. RascalRascal
    93. Wind
    94. RascalRascal ×3
    95. Con turret
    96. EradicatorEradicator
    97. RascalRascal ×2
    98. Wind
    99. RascalRascal ×4
    100. Wind
    101. RascalRascal
    102. Wind
    103. RascalRascal
    104. EvisceratorEvisceratornot finished by 15:00
    105. Wind
    106. RascalRascal
    107. Wind
    108. RascalRascal
    109. Wind
    110. RascalRascal
    111. Wind
    112. RascalRascal ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Frustr8ted's (36 OS, 07/09/2026); 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 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

Frustr8ted

36.2 OS · 07/09/2026

Open source match ↗

13 received units · includes a constructor
60 metal received · 9682 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