BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 · 468 distinct matches · 145 players · 64% of Cortex Front games · team won 51% of 485 · 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 468 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 (40%)

    By 0:23 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
  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 · 30 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Mex
    3. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 1:01
    4. RascalRascal ×6
    5. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    6. Mex
    7. PounderPounder
    8. Wind
    9. PounderPounder
    10. Mex
    11. Wind
    12. PounderPounder
    13. Wind
    14. Mex
    15. WolverineWolverine
    16. GuardGuard
    17. Wind
    18. WolverineWolverine
    19. Wind
    20. WolverineWolverine
    21. Wind
    22. PounderPounder
    23. Wind
    24. PounderPounder
    25. Wind
    26. WolverineWolverine
    27. Con turret
    28. WolverineWolverine
    29. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    30. WolverineWolverine
  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
    • Thug4 Thug
    • Aggravator1 Aggravator

    Some games also: Radar Tower (43%) · energy storage (37%) · converter (36%) · Twin Guard (34%) · eat Bot Lab (37%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 228 steps
    1. PounderPounder ×2
    2. WolverineWolverine ×3
    3. GuardGuard
    4. PounderPounder ×2
    5. WolverineWolverine ×2
    6. GuardGuard
    7. WolverineWolverine
    8. Con turret ×2
    9. Mex
    10. PounderPounder
    11. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    12. PounderPounder
    13. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    14. WolverineWolverine ×2
    15. GuardGuard
    16. Con turret ×2
    17. WolverineWolverine
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:31 · typical 9:24
    19. Wind
    20. PounderPounder
    21. Wind ×6
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. PounderPounder
    25. Wind
    26. GuardGuard
    27. Converter
    28. Wind ×3
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    30. Wind
    31. WolverineWolverine
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Converter
    36. Wind ×3
    37. WolverineWolverine
    38. Wind ×2
    39. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    40. Wind ×2
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    42. Wind
    43. Converter ×2
    44. Wind
    45. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    46. Wind ×6
    47. Converter
    48. Wind
    49. Converter
    50. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    51. Wind
    52. Con turret
    53. Wind ×4
    54. Converter
    55. Wind
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. Con turret
    59. Wind ×3
    60. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    61. Converter
    62. Wind
    63. Con turret
    64. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    65. Wind ×4
    66. Energy storage
    67. Con turret
    68. IncisorIncisor
    69. Wind
    70. Converter
    71. Wind
    72. IncisorIncisor
    73. Wind ×2
    74. IncisorIncisor
    75. Converter
    76. Wind
    77. IncisorIncisor
    78. Wind
    79. IncisorIncisor
    80. Wind ×2
    81. IncisorIncisor
    82. Wind
    83. Converter
    84. IncisorIncisor
    85. Wind
    86. IncisorIncisor
    87. Wind ×2
    88. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    89. Converter
    90. Wind ×2
    91. IncisorIncisor
    92. Wind ×2
    93. IncisorIncisor
    94. Wind
    95. Converter
    96. IncisorIncisor
    97. Wind
    98. IncisorIncisor
    99. Wind ×2
    100. IncisorIncisor
    101. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    102. Converter
    103. Wind
    104. IncisorIncisor
    105. Wind
    106. CastroCastro
    107. IncisorIncisor
    108. Wind ×2
    109. IncisorIncisor
    110. Wind
    111. Converter
    112. IncisorIncisor
    113. Wind
    114. IncisorIncisor
    115. Wind
    116. Con turret
    117. Wind
    118. IncisorIncisor
    119. Converter
    120. Wind
    121. IncisorIncisor
    122. Wind
    123. IncisorIncisor
    124. Wind
    125. IncisorIncisor
    126. Wind
    127. Converter
    128. IncisorIncisor ×2
    129. Wind
    130. CastroCastro
    131. IncisorIncisor
    132. Wind ×2
    133. IncisorIncisor
    134. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    135. IncisorIncisor
    136. Wind ×2
    137. IncisorIncisor
    138. Wind
    139. Con turret
    140. IncisorIncisor
    141. Converter
    142. IncisorIncisor
    143. Wind ×2
    144. IncisorIncisor
    145. Wind
    146. IncisorIncisor
    147. Converter
    148. Wind
    149. IncisorIncisor
    150. Wind ×2
    151. Con turret
    152. IncisorIncisor
    153. Wind
    154. Converter
    155. IncisorIncisor
    156. Wind
    157. IncisorIncisor
    158. Wind
    159. Con turret
    160. IncisorIncisor
    161. Wind
    162. Converter
    163. IncisorIncisor
    164. Wind
    165. IncisorIncisor
    166. Con turret
    167. Wind
    168. IncisorIncisor
    169. Wind
    170. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    171. Wind
    172. RascalRascal ×2
    173. Wind ×2
    174. RascalRascal ×2
    175. Con turret
    176. Wind
    177. RascalRascal
    178. Converter
    179. RascalRascal
    180. Converter
    181. RascalRascal ×2
    182. Wind
    183. RascalRascal ×2
    184. Wind ×2
    185. ShipyardShipyarddone 13:58
    186. RascalRascal ×2
    187. Wind ×2
    188. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00
    189. RascalRascal ×2
    190. Wind ×2
    191. OrcaSubmarinedone 14:10
    192. RascalRascal
    193. Wind
    194. RascalRascal
    195. Converter
    196. RascalRascal ×2
    197. Wind
    198. Converter
    199. RascalRascal
    200. OrcaSubmarine
    201. RascalRascal
    202. Wind ×2
    203. RascalRascal
    204. Wind
    205. RascalRascal ×2
    206. Converter
    207. RascalRascal
    208. Wind
    209. RascalRascal ×2
    210. OrcaSubmarine
    211. Wind
    212. RascalRascal
    213. Wind
    214. RascalRascal ×2
    215. Wind
    216. RascalRascal
    217. Converter
    218. Wind
    219. RascalRascal ×2
    220. Wind
    221. OrcaSubmarine
    222. RascalRascal
    223. Wind
    224. RascalRascal
    225. Converter
    226. RascalRascal ×3
    227. Wind ×2
    228. RascalRascal

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is VeryCool's (31 OS, 14/10/2026); 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 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

485 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:00163410686
4:002721386336
5:003878935840
6:00512715991555
7:00643723912457
8:00778431583352
9:00923638954269
10:001091546135075
11:001273552795989
12:001458557596889
13:001691562537616
14:001913867758561
15:002086474519382
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

VeryCool

31.1 OS · 14/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
479 metal received · 21113 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=469
Advanced Metal Extractor9:24Middle 50%: 8:19–10:44 · n=352

Played most by

iLike2Eco30games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildEl_Turco15games of this build