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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 · 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 0:41 · 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 · 45 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. Wind
    3. GraverobberGraverobber
    4. Mex
    5. Wind
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    8. Mex
    9. GruntGrunt
    10. Con turret
    11. GuardGuard
    12. GruntGrunt
    13. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    14. Mex
    15. AggravatorAggravator
    16. GuardGuard
    17. AggravatorAggravator
    18. Construction BotCon bot
    19. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    20. Converter
    21. AggravatorAggravator
    22. GuardGuard
    23. GraverobberGraverobber
    24. Wind
    25. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    26. AggravatorAggravator
    27. Wind
    28. AggravatorAggravator
    29. GuardGuard
    30. Mex
    31. Wind
    32. AggravatorAggravator
    33. Radar TowerRadar Tower ×2
    34. Converter
    35. AggravatorAggravator
    36. GuardGuard
    37. AggravatorAggravator
    38. GuardGuard
    39. Wind
    40. Con turret
    41. GuardGuard
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Construction BotCon bot
    44. Mex
    45. Converter
  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 · 83 steps
    1. GuardGuard
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. Wind
    4. ThugThug
    5. Wind
    6. ThugThug
    7. Wind
    8. ThugThug
    9. CastroCastro
    10. Converter
    11. ThugThug ×2
    12. Wind
    13. GraverobberGraverobber
    14. Wind
    15. ThugThug
    16. Wind ×2
    17. ThugThug
    18. Wind
    19. ThugThug
    20. Wind
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. Energy storage
    24. ThugThug ×2
    25. WardenWarden
    26. Wind ×2
    27. ThugThug
    28. Wind
    29. ThugThug
    30. Wind
    31. ThugThug
    32. Wind ×2
    33. ThugThug
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:32
    36. ThugThug
    37. Wind
    38. Con turret
    39. Wind
    40. Converter
    41. Wind
    42. ThugThug
    43. Wind ×2
    44. Converter
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. ThugThug
    47. Wind
    48. Con turret
    49. ThugThug
    50. Wind
    51. ThugThug
    52. Converter
    53. Wind
    54. ThugThug
    55. Wind
    56. Converter
    57. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    58. ThugThug
    59. Wind
    60. AgitatorAgitatordone 10:00
    61. Con turret
    62. ThugThug
    63. Wind ×2
    64. ThugThug
    65. Wind ×2
    66. ThugThug
    67. Wind
    68. ThugThug
    69. Wind ×2
    70. ThugThug
    71. Wind ×2
    72. ThugThug
    73. Wind
    74. ThugThug
    75. Wind
    76. Con turret
    77. Wind
    78. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    79. Wind
    80. Con turret
    81. ScorpionScorpion
    82. GuardGuard ×2
    83. CastroCastro ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is arebee's (35 OS, 28/08/2026); 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

arebee

35.1 OS · 28/08/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
72 metal received · 24015 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