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Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 445 distinct matches · 138 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 50% of 462 · 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 445 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 (41%)

    By 0:23 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 130 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:55
    3. Wind ×2
    4. IncisorIncisor
    5. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    6. IncisorIncisor
    7. Mex
    8. IncisorIncisor
    9. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    10. PounderPounder
    11. Mex
    12. PounderPounder
    13. WolverineWolverine
    14. Mex
    15. PounderPounder
    16. Mex
    17. PounderPounder
    18. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    19. PounderPounder
    20. Wind
    21. WolverineWolverine
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Con turret
    24. Mex
    25. Wind ×2
    26. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    27. Con turret
    28. Wind
    29. Con turret
    30. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 5:27
    31. Wind
    32. Mex
    33. PounderPounder
    34. LasherLasher
    35. Mex
    36. Wind
    37. LasherLasher
    38. PounderPounder
    39. Vehicle PlantEat Vehicle Plantreclaimed for its metal
    40. WolverineWolverine
    41. Wind ×2
    42. Energy storage
    43. PounderPounder
    44. Wind
    45. CastroCastro
    46. PounderPounder
    47. Wind
    48. Mex
    49. Wind
    50. Converter
    51. Wind
    52. WolverineWolverine
    53. Converter
    54. PounderPounder
    55. Wind
    56. PounderPounder
    57. Converter
    58. Wind ×2
    59. WolverineWolverine
    60. Converter
    61. PounderPounder
    62. Wind
    63. PounderPounder
    64. Converter
    65. Wind
    66. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    67. WolverineWolverine
    68. Wind
    69. PounderPounder
    70. Converter
    71. PounderPounder
    72. Wind
    73. Converter
    74. Wind
    75. WolverineWolverine
    76. Converter
    77. PounderPounder
    78. Wind
    79. PounderPounder
    80. Converter
    81. Wind
    82. WolverineWolverine
    83. Converter
    84. PounderPounder
    85. Wind ×2
    86. PounderPounder
    87. Converter ×2
    88. Con turret
    89. Mexfor Suicide front
    90. Wind ×2
    91. Con turret
    92. Converter ×2
    93. Wind ×2
    94. Converter
    95. Wind ×2
    96. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:11
    97. Vehicle PlantEat Vehicle Plantreclaimed for its metal
    98. Wind
    99. Con turret
    100. Wind ×2
    101. Con turret
    102. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    103. Wind
    104. Con turret
    105. Wind
    106. Con turret
    107. Mex
    108. Con turret
    109. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:01 · typical 9:24
    110. Wind
    111. Con turret
    112. Wind
    113. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    114. Wind ×9
    115. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    116. Wind
    117. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 12:29
    118. Wind ×2
    119. Con turret
    120. Wind ×2
    121. Con turret
    122. Wind ×2
    123. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    124. Wind ×4
    125. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    126. Wind ×10
    127. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    128. Wind
    129. Pit BullPit Bull
    130. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:43 · 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

  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
    • Grunt8 Grunt
    • Thug4 Thug
    • Aggravator1 Aggravator

    Some games also: Radar Tower (43%) · converter (36%) · energy storage (36%) · Twin Guard (33%) · eat Bot Lab (37%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 7 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. VeilVeil
    3. Wind ×5
    4. Pit BullPit Bull
    5. Con turret ×3
    6. ArbalestArbalest
    7. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Crd]Claps's (31 OS, 13/09/2026); 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 64% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:46 · 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

02.5k5k7.5k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

05k10k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

462 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085400
3:00162510186
4:002704386341
5:003848916838
6:00509915851559
7:00638823642474
8:00771130943385
9:00914237694271
10:001074145005077
11:001262251885987
12:001450856906925
13:001681462067650
14:001896966488566
15:002060472399349
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

[Crd]Claps

30.7 OS · 13/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
306 metal received · 137667 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=449
Advanced Metal Extractor9:24Middle 50%: 8:19–10:45 · n=340

Played most by

iLike2Eco31games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildHummell15games of this build