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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 · 450 distinct matches · 138 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 51% of 467 · 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 450 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:46 · 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 (34%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 41 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GruntGrunt ×2
    3. GraverobberGraverobber
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. GruntGrunt
    6. Wind
    7. GruntGrunt
    8. Mex
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. Mex
    11. AggravatorAggravator
    12. GraverobberGraverobber
    13. GruntGrunt
    14. GraverobberGraverobber
    15. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    16. GraverobberGraverobber
    17. Mex
    18. AggravatorAggravator
    19. ThugThug
    20. Energy storage
    21. GuardGuard
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. GuardGuard ×2
    24. Wind
    25. ThugThug
    26. Wind
    27. Con turret
    28. ThugThug
    29. Mex
    30. ThugThug
    31. Wind
    32. ThugThug
    33. Wind
    34. ThugThug ×2
    35. Wind
    36. Con turret
    37. ThugThug
    38. Wind
    39. ThugThug
    40. Wind
    41. ThugThug
  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%) · energy storage (36%) · converter (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 · 243 steps
    1. ThugThug
    2. Wind
    3. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    4. ThugThug
    5. Wind
    6. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    7. ThugThug
    8. Wind
    9. ThugThug ×2
    10. Wind
    11. ThugThug
    12. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    13. ThugThug
    14. GuardGuard
    15. ThugThug
    16. GuardGuard
    17. ThugThug ×3
    18. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    19. RocketeerRocketeer
    20. ThugThug
    21. RocketeerRocketeer
    22. ThugThug
    23. Mex
    24. RocketeerRocketeer
    25. ThugThug
    26. RocketeerRocketeer
    27. ThugThug
    28. GuardGuard
    29. ThugThug ×4
    30. Wind
    31. ThugThug ×2
    32. Wind
    33. RocketeerRocketeer
    34. ThugThug ×2
    35. Con turret
    36. RocketeerRocketeer
    37. ThugThug
    38. Wind
    39. RocketeerRocketeer ×2
    40. ThugThug ×2
    41. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    42. ThugThug
    43. WardenWarden
    44. WolverineWolverine
    45. Bot LabBot Labnot finished by 15:00
    46. ThistleThistle ×2
    47. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    48. Mex
    49. Metal storage
    50. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:55
    51. Converter
    52. Wind
    53. Con turret ×2
    54. GraverobberGraverobber
    55. Converter
    56. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    57. Converter
    58. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:28
    59. GraverobberGraverobber
    60. Con turret
    61. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:36
    62. Con turret
    63. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    64. ValiantValiant ×2
    65. Con turret
    66. GraverobberGraverobber
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Advanced solar
    69. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:27
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. GraverobberGraverobber
    72. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 11:07
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. GraverobberGraverobber
    75. Mex
    76. ValiantValiant ×2
    77. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    78. Mex
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. ThugThug ×2
    81. FiendFiend
    82. ThugThug
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. FiendFiend
    85. ThugThug
    86. FiendFiend
    87. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    88. ThugThug
    89. FiendFiend
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. ThugThug
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. FiendFiend
    94. ThugThug
    95. ValiantValiant ×2
    96. FiendFiend
    97. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    98. ThugThug
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Mex
    101. FiendFiend
    102. ThugThug
    103. ValiantValiant ×2
    104. FiendFiend
    105. GraverobberGraverobber
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. FiendFiend
    108. IncisorIncisor
    109. GraverobberGraverobber
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. FinchFinch
    112. FiendFiend
    113. GraverobberGraverobber
    114. IncisorIncisor
    115. FinchFinch
    116. FiendFiend
    117. FinchFinch
    118. GraverobberGraverobber
    119. FinchFinch
    120. IncisorIncisor
    121. FiendFiend
    122. Con turret
    123. GraverobberGraverobber
    124. FinchFinch
    125. FiendFiend
    126. IncisorIncisor
    127. Con turret
    128. FinchFinch
    129. FiendFiend
    130. IncisorIncisor
    131. Con turret
    132. FiendFiend
    133. Advanced solar
    134. FiendFiend
    135. Con turret
    136. FinchFinch
    137. BruteBrute
    138. FinchFinch
    139. FiendFiend
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. FiendFiend
    142. FinchFinch
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. BruteBrute
    145. FiendFiend
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. FinchFinch
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. FiendFiend
    150. GraverobberGraverobber
    151. ValiantValiant ×2
    152. FiendFiend
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. BruteBrute
    155. GraverobberGraverobber
    156. ValiantValiant ×2
    157. FiendFiend
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. GraverobberGraverobber
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. FiendFiend
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. BruteBrute
    164. GraverobberGraverobber
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. FiendFiend
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. GraverobberGraverobber
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. FiendFiend
    171. GraverobberGraverobber
    172. BruteBrute
    173. ValiantValiant ×3
    174. FiendFiend
    175. Geothermal PowerplantGeodone 13:06
    176. PounderPounder
    177. GraverobberGraverobber
    178. WolverineWolverine
    179. ValiantValiant ×2
    180. FiendFiend
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. GraverobberGraverobber
    183. ValiantValiant ×2
    184. FiendFiend
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. GraverobberGraverobber
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. FiendFiend
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    191. GraverobberGraverobber
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. GuardGuard
    194. FiendFiend
    195. ValiantValiant ×3
    196. FiendFiend
    197. ValiantValiant
    198. GuardGuard
    199. FiendFiend
    200. FinchFinch ×3
    201. FiendFiend
    202. FinchFinch ×3
    203. GuardGuard
    204. FiendFiend
    205. FinchFinch ×2
    206. ValiantValiant
    207. FiendFiend
    208. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    209. FiendFiend
    210. ShurikenShuriken
    211. GuardGuard
    212. ShurikenShuriken
    213. FiendFiend
    214. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    215. FiendFiend
    216. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    217. FiendFiend
    218. GuardGuard
    219. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    220. FiendFiend
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. ShurikenShuriken
    223. FiendFiend
    224. ValiantValiant ×2
    225. FiendFiend ×2
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. ShurikenShuriken
    228. FiendFiend
    229. ValiantValiant ×2
    230. FiendFiend
    231. ShurikenShuriken
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. FiendFiend
    234. ValiantValiant
    235. ShurikenShuriken
    236. ValiantValiant
    237. ShurikenShuriken
    238. FiendFiend
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. ShurikenShuriken
    241. ValiantValiant ×2
    242. FiendFiend
    243. FinchFinch

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is spieriz's (33 OS, 11/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:17 · in 65% 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

467 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085600
3:00162810286
4:002710390344
5:003850920840
6:00510815871557
7:00638923652476
8:00773231243394
9:00915338324309
10:001080045375079
11:001265852035989
12:001454156816934
13:001681562017643
14:001900866498561
15:002063772469322
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

spieriz

33.0 OS · 11/10/2026

Open source match ↗

116 received units · includes a constructor
10619 metal received · 51464 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=454
Advanced Metal Extractor9:23Middle 50%: 8:19–10:45 · n=343

Played most by

iLike2Eco31games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildEl_Turco15games of this build