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Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard front

The role's baseline: fast Bot Lab, economy first, then a Thug/Grunt/Aggravator mix moves up to hold the wider gap and contest middle with the ally.

#defence · 166 distinct matches · 58 players · 66% of Cortex Front games · team won 42% of 168 · 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 166 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 0:34–0:46

    Some games also: wind (49%)

    By 0:24 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:48
  2. 2

    Bot Lab to 5:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor4Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Bot3 Con bot
    • Graverobber2 Graverobber
    Army
    • Guard2 Guard
    • Thug6 Thug
    • Grunt4 Grunt
    • Aggravator3 Aggravator

    Some games also: con turret (42%) · Radar Tower (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 40 steps
    1. Wind
    2. RascalRascal ×2
    3. IncisorIncisor ×2
    4. Wind
    5. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    6. Mex
    7. IncisorIncisor
    8. Wind
    9. IncisorIncisor
    10. Wind
    11. WolverineWolverinefor Suicide front
    12. Mex
    13. Wind
    14. WolverineWolverine
    15. Mex ×2
    16. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    17. Wind
    18. WolverineWolverine
    19. GuardGuard
    20. Con turret
    21. GuardGuard ×2
    22. IncisorIncisor
    23. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    24. Wind
    25. GarpikeGarpike
    26. Wind
    27. GarpikeGarpike
    28. Wind
    29. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    30. IncisorIncisor
    31. Wind
    32. Energy storage
    33. IncisorIncisor
    34. Con turret
    35. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    36. WolverineWolverine
    37. Wind ×2
    38. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    39. WolverineWolverine
    40. Wind
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine17Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Graverobber1 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot
    Army
    • Guard1 Guard
    • Grunt7 Grunt
    • Thug1 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (45%) · energy storage (42%) · Twin Guard (36%) · converter (34%) · Radar Tower (34%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 140 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. IncisorIncisor
    3. Wind ×2
    4. GuardGuard
    5. IncisorIncisor
    6. Wind
    7. CastroCastro
    8. Wind
    9. IncisorIncisor
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. IncisorIncisor
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. IncisorIncisor
    18. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    19. Wind
    20. Con turret
    21. BruteBrute
    22. Wind ×5
    23. BruteBrute
    24. Wind ×4
    25. BruteBrute
    26. Wind ×4
    27. Mex
    28. Wind ×2
    29. BruteBrute
    30. Wind ×5
    31. BruteBrute
    32. Wind
    33. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    34. Wind ×3
    35. BruteBrute
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Dragon's MawDragon's Maw
    38. GuardGuard
    39. Wind ×3
    40. CastroCastro
    41. Wind
    42. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:32 · typical 9:06
    43. GuardGuard
    44. Wind
    45. BruteBrute
    46. Wind ×2
    47. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    48. Wind ×4
    49. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    50. Wind
    51. BruteBrute
    52. Wind ×5
    53. BruteBrute
    54. Wind
    55. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    56. BruteBrute
    57. Wind
    58. BruteBrute
    59. Wind ×4
    60. BruteBrute
    61. Wind
    62. Con turret
    63. Wind ×2
    64. BruteBrute
    65. Wind
    66. Mex
    67. Wind
    68. BruteBrute
    69. Wind ×2
    70. BruteBrute
    71. Wind
    72. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    73. Wind
    74. BruteBrute
    75. Wind ×4
    76. BruteBrute
    77. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    78. Wind ×5
    79. BruteBrute
    80. Wind
    81. BruteBrute
    82. Wind ×2
    83. BruteBrute
    84. Con turret
    85. BruteBrute
    86. Con turret
    87. BruteBrute
    88. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 12:29
    89. BruteBrute
    90. Con turret
    91. BruteBrute ×2
    92. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    93. BruteBrute
    94. Wind
    95. Con turret
    96. BruteBrute
    97. Wind
    98. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    99. Wind
    100. Con turret
    101. BruteBrute
    102. Wind
    103. Con turret
    104. BruteBrute
    105. Wind
    106. Con turret
    107. BruteBrute ×2
    108. Wind
    109. BruteBrute
    110. Wind ×2
    111. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    112. Wind ×3
    113. BruteBrute
    114. Wind
    115. CastroCastro
    116. BruteBrute ×2
    117. Wind
    118. CastroCastro
    119. BruteBrute
    120. Wind
    121. BruteBrute
    122. Wind
    123. BruteBrute
    124. Wind ×4
    125. Con turret
    126. BruteBrute
    127. Wind
    128. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    129. Mex
    130. Wind
    131. BruteBrute
    132. Wind
    133. Con turret
    134. BruteBrute
    135. Wind
    136. BruteBrute
    137. Con turret
    138. BruteBrute
    139. Wind
    140. Con turret

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hannodins's (35 OS, 23/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:18 · in 67% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:26 · in 68% 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

168 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0086400
3:0016328586
4:002697352348
5:003807950947
6:00506917041785
7:00640325812693
8:00769333273737
9:00908139204434
10:001080544245184
11:001273550825966
12:001494552977104
13:001732459477675
14:001972863318778
15:002252869019802
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

Hannodins

35.4 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

11 received units · includes a constructor
2260 metal received · 41388 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=150
Advanced Metal Extractor9:06Middle 50%: 8:08–10:30 · n=130

Played most by

watermeloans19games of this buildHummell18games of this buildJelousOfMyEco12games of this buildCentientWaffle9games of this buildGeeGee7games of this build