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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 · 504 distinct matches · 154 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 51% of 521 · 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 504 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 · 17 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. Wind
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:02
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. HephaestusHeavy transport
    8. Wind
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    11. Con turret
    12. GuardGuard
    13. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    14. ThistleThistle
    15. GuardGuard
    16. Mex
    17. Bot LabBot Labdone 4:26 · 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
    • Thug9 Thug
    • Aggravator5 Aggravator
    • Grunt4 Grunt

    Some games also: con turret (45%) · Radar Tower (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 5 steps
    1. ThistleThistle ×2
    2. Mex
    3. GraverobberGraverobber
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Mex
  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
    • Grunt6 Grunt
    • Thug5 Thug
    • Aggravator1 Aggravator

    Some games also: Radar Tower (44%) · energy storage (36%) · converter (36%) · Twin Guard (33%) · eat Bot Lab (36%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 105 steps
    1. ThugThug ×2
    2. Con turret
    3. ThugThug ×2
    4. Wind
    5. ThugThug
    6. Wind
    7. ThugThug
    8. Wind ×2
    9. ThugThug
    10. Wind
    11. ThugThug
    12. Wind ×2
    13. ThugThug
    14. Wind
    15. ThugThug
    16. Wind
    17. ThugThug
    18. Wind
    19. ThugThug
    20. Wind
    21. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    22. ThugThug
    23. Wind
    24. ThugThug
    25. Wind
    26. ThugThug
    27. Wind
    28. ThugThug
    29. Energy storage
    30. ThugThug
    31. Wind
    32. GraverobberGraverobber
    33. Wind
    34. GraverobberGraverobber
    35. Wind
    36. ThugThug
    37. Construction BotCon bot
    38. Wind
    39. ThugThug
    40. Wind
    41. ThugThug
    42. Wind
    43. ThugThug
    44. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:23
    45. ThugThug ×2
    46. GraverobberGraverobber
    47. HephaestusHeavy transport
    48. GraverobberGraverobber
    49. Construction BotCon bot
    50. ThugThug
    51. Mex
    52. ThugThug ×4
    53. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    54. Construction BotCon bot
    55. Mex
    56. ThugThug ×5
    57. Advanced solar
    58. ThugThug
    59. GraverobberGraverobber
    60. Construction BotCon bot
    61. Advanced solar
    62. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    63. Advanced solar
    64. GuardGuard
    65. Advanced solar
    66. Construction BotCon bot
    67. GuardGuard
    68. Con turret
    69. TrasherTrasher ×3
    70. GuardGuard
    71. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    72. GuardGuard
    73. Construction BotCon bot
    74. GuardGuard
    75. Construction BotCon bot
    76. Con turret
    77. Construction BotCon bot
    78. GruntGrunt ×4
    79. Converter
    80. GruntGrunt ×3
    81. ThugThug
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. Converter
    84. GruntGrunt ×2
    85. Converter ×2
    86. ThugThug
    87. Converter
    88. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 13:58
    89. ThugThug
    90. Converter
    91. ThugThug
    92. Con turret
    93. GruntGrunt
    94. RocketeerRocketeer
    95. Converter
    96. Con turret
    97. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    98. Converter
    99. Con turret
    100. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    101. Converter
    102. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00
    103. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    104. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    105. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is EpicTyrannus's (41 OS, 16/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:16 · in 64% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:52 · 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

05k10k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

05k10k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

521 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:00163510886
4:002720394336
5:003868939840
6:00512516061538
7:00643724302426
8:00779232103342
9:00924339124311
10:001093247155086
11:001268253366003
12:001462158726889
13:001695163767632
14:001913870188587
15:002074476779398
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

EpicTyrannus

40.9 OS · 16/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
57 metal received · 8290 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=508
Advanced Metal Extractor9:27Middle 50%: 8:20–10:46 · n=378

Played most by

iLike2Eco32games of this buildSauceDispenser28games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildUncle_Cane15games of this build
Standard front · Cortex Front build order · BAR Build Atlas