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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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:45 · 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 · 43 steps
    1. GraverobberGraverobber
    2. GruntGrunt
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. Wind
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. Con turret
    7. Construction BotCon bot
    8. Wind
    9. GruntGrunt
    10. Wind
    11. GruntGrunt ×4
    12. ThugThug
    13. Mex ×2
    14. GruntGrunt ×4
    15. ThugThug ×2
    16. AggravatorAggravator
    17. GuardGuard
    18. AggravatorAggravator
    19. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    20. Mex
    21. AggravatorAggravator
    22. Wind
    23. ThugThug
    24. Wind
    25. GuardGuard
    26. Wind
    27. Mex
    28. Wind
    29. Energy storage
    30. ThugThug
    31. Con turret
    32. ThugThug
    33. Mex
    34. ThugThug
    35. GraverobberGraverobber
    36. ThugThug
    37. GraverobberGraverobber
    38. AggravatorAggravator
    39. GuardGuard
    40. GraverobberGraverobber
    41. AggravatorAggravator
    42. Converter
    43. GraverobberGraverobber
  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 · 110 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator
    2. GuardGuard
    3. GraverobberGraverobber
    4. RocketeerRocketeer
    5. AggravatorAggravator
    6. GraverobberGraverobber
    7. Con turret
    8. AggravatorAggravator
    9. GuardGuard
    10. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    11. ThugThug ×4
    12. Mex
    13. ThugThug
    14. GuardGuard
    15. ThugThug ×2
    16. Con turret
    17. GuardGuard
    18. ThugThug
    19. AggravatorAggravator ×4
    20. WardenWarden
    21. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    22. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    23. AggravatorAggravator
    24. GraverobberGraverobber
    25. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    26. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    27. Con turret
    28. AggravatorAggravator
    29. GuardGuard
    30. Wind
    31. Mex
    32. AggravatorAggravator
    33. GruntGrunt
    34. Wind
    35. GruntGrunt
    36. Wind
    37. GruntGrunt
    38. Wind
    39. GruntGrunt ×3
    40. Con turret
    41. Wind
    42. GruntGrunt ×2
    43. AgitatorAgitatornot finished by 15:00
    44. GruntGrunt
    45. Wind
    46. GraverobberGraverobber
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:10
    48. Wind ×4
    49. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    50. Wind
    51. GuardGuard
    52. Wind ×3
    53. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    54. Con turret
    55. GraverobberGraverobber
    56. GruntGrunt
    57. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    58. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    59. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    60. GruntGrunt
    61. Wind
    62. GruntGrunt
    63. Wind
    64. GruntGrunt ×2
    65. Wind
    66. GruntGrunt
    67. Wind
    68. GruntGrunt ×2
    69. Con turret
    70. Wind
    71. GruntGrunt
    72. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    73. GruntGrunt
    74. Wind
    75. Con turret
    76. GruntGrunt
    77. Wind
    78. GruntGrunt ×2
    79. Wind
    80. GruntGrunt ×3
    81. Wind
    82. GruntGrunt ×2
    83. Con turret ×2
    84. GruntGrunt
    85. Wind
    86. GruntGrunt
    87. Con turret
    88. Wind
    89. GruntGrunt
    90. Con turret
    91. GruntGrunt
    92. Wind
    93. PersecutorPersecutordone 14:02
    94. GruntGrunt ×4
    95. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    96. GruntGrunt ×3
    97. Wind
    98. GruntGrunt ×4
    99. ScorpionScorpion
    100. GruntGrunt
    101. Wind
    102. GruntGrunt ×3
    103. Wind
    104. GruntGrunt ×4
    105. Wind
    106. GruntGrunt ×4
    107. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    108. GruntGrunt
    109. Wind
    110. GraverobberGraverobber

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is hainTsu's (38 OS, 09/09/2026); 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

hainTsu

38.0 OS · 09/09/2026

Open source match ↗

30 received units · includes a constructor
599 metal received · 25193 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