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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 · 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 · 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
    • 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 · 30 steps
    1. GruntGrunt ×2
    2. Mex
    3. Wind
    4. GruntGrunt
    5. Wind
    6. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    7. ThugThug
    8. Mex
    9. ThugThug
    10. GruntGrunt ×3
    11. Mex
    12. ThugThug ×2
    13. Mex
    14. ThugThug
    15. GuardGuard
    16. ThugThug
    17. GuardGuard
    18. ThugThug ×4
    19. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    20. ThugThug
    21. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    22. ThugThug ×3
    23. GuardGuard
    24. ThugThug ×2
    25. GraverobberGraverobber
    26. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    27. Mex
    28. GraverobberGraverobber
    29. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    30. ThugThug ×3
  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 · 238 steps
    1. ThugThug
    2. Energy storage
    3. ThugThug ×2
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Mex
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. ThugThug ×7
    8. Con turret ×2
    9. ThugThug
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:37 · typical 9:10
    11. Wind
    12. ThugThug
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Con turret
    15. ThugThug
    16. Wind ×3
    17. Con turret
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    19. Wind ×2
    20. ThugThug
    21. Wind ×3
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Con turret
    25. ThugThug
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    28. ThugThug
    29. Wind ×2
    30. ThugThug
    31. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    33. Wind ×2
    34. ThugThug
    35. Wind
    36. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    37. Converter
    38. Wind
    39. ThugThug
    40. Wind
    41. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 9:41
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Converter
    44. ThugThug
    45. Mex
    46. Wind
    47. CastroCastro
    48. Wind ×4
    49. ThugThug
    50. Wind
    51. Converter
    52. Wind ×2
    53. Converter
    54. ThugThug
    55. Wind
    56. Converter
    57. Mex
    58. ThugThug
    59. Wind
    60. Converter
    61. ThugThug
    62. JellyfishJellyfish
    63. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    64. Converter
    65. Wind
    66. PounderPounder
    67. Wind
    68. Converter
    69. Wind ×2
    70. Converter
    71. Wind
    72. Mex
    73. Wind
    74. PounderPounder
    75. Converter
    76. Wind ×2
    77. Converter
    78. Wind ×4
    79. PounderPounder
    80. Converter
    81. Wind
    82. Converter
    83. Wind
    84. Converter
    85. Wind
    86. ThistleThistle
    87. PounderPounder
    88. Wind
    89. Converter
    90. Wind
    91. ThistleThistle
    92. Converter
    93. Wind
    94. PounderPounder
    95. ThistleThistle
    96. Converter
    97. Wind
    98. PounderPounder
    99. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    100. Con turret
    101. Converter ×2
    102. JellyfishJellyfish
    103. Wind
    104. Converter
    105. PounderPounder
    106. Wind
    107. Con turret
    108. Wind
    109. Converter
    110. Wind
    111. JellyfishJellyfish
    112. PounderPounder
    113. Con turret
    114. Converter
    115. Wind
    116. Converter ×2
    117. PounderPounder
    118. Wind
    119. PounderPounder
    120. Converter
    121. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:16
    122. PounderPounder
    123. JellyfishJellyfish
    124. Wind
    125. Converter
    126. Con turret
    127. Converter
    128. Con turret
    129. Converter
    130. GruntGrunt
    131. Wind
    132. Converter
    133. Con turret
    134. PounderPounder
    135. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    136. Wind
    137. Converter
    138. PounderPounder
    139. Converter
    140. PounderPounder
    141. Converter
    142. Wind
    143. PounderPounder ×2
    144. Converter
    145. PounderPounder
    146. GruntGrunt
    147. Wind
    148. Converter
    149. GruntGrunt
    150. PounderPounder
    151. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:08
    152. GruntGrunt
    153. Converter
    154. GruntGrunt
    155. PounderPounder
    156. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:15
    157. GruntGrunt
    158. Wind
    159. Converter ×2
    160. PounderPounder
    161. GruntGrunt
    162. Converter
    163. GruntGrunt
    164. PounderPounder
    165. GruntGrunt
    166. Wind
    167. Cloakable Fusion ReactorCloakable Fusion Reactordone 14:02
    168. GruntGrunt
    169. PounderPounder
    170. Converter
    171. Wind
    172. GruntGrunt
    173. Converter
    174. Wind
    175. ThugThug ×2
    176. Converter
    177. PounderPounder
    178. Wind
    179. Converter
    180. ThugThug
    181. Wind
    182. Converter
    183. GruntGrunt
    184. Wind
    185. ThugThug ×2
    186. GruntGrunt
    187. Converter
    188. PounderPounder
    189. ThugThug
    190. GruntGrunt
    191. Converter
    192. ThugThug
    193. Wind
    194. ThugThug
    195. GruntGrunt
    196. PounderPounder
    197. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:19
    198. ThugThug
    199. GruntGrunt
    200. Converter
    201. ThugThug
    202. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    203. ThugThug
    204. Converter
    205. HephaestusHeavy transport
    206. PounderPounder
    207. GruntGrunt
    208. Wind
    209. ThugThug ×2
    210. GruntGrunt
    211. Converter
    212. ThugThug
    213. Wind
    214. PounderPounder
    215. Converter
    216. GruntGrunt
    217. ThugThug ×2
    218. GruntGrunt
    219. Converter
    220. PounderPounder
    221. ThugThug
    222. Wind
    223. GruntGrunt
    224. Converter
    225. ThugThug ×2
    226. GruntGrunt
    227. ThugThug ×2
    228. GruntGrunt
    229. ThugThug
    230. Converter
    231. Wind
    232. GruntGrunt
    233. ThugThug ×2
    234. GraverobberGraverobber
    235. ThugThug ×2
    236. Converter
    237. GraverobberGraverobber ×4
    238. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Slump's (38 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 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

Slump

38.0 OS · 07/09/2026

Open source match ↗

13 received units · includes a constructor
3133 metal received · 121552 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