BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:27 · 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
    • 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 · 21 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GruntGrunt
    3. Wind
    4. Mex
    5. Wind
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. Wind
    8. Mex
    9. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    10. ThugThug
    11. Mex
    12. ThugThug ×4
    13. Converter
    14. ThugThug
    15. Mex
    16. ThugThug ×4
    17. Mex
    18. ThugThug ×3
    19. Con turret
    20. ThugThug ×2
    21. AggravatorAggravator ×2
  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 · 120 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator
    2. Wind
    3. AggravatorAggravator
    4. Solar
    5. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. AggravatorAggravator ×4
    8. GuardGuard
    9. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    10. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    11. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    12. Mex
    13. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    14. GraverobberGraverobber ×3
    15. BeholderBeholder
    16. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    17. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    18. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    21. AggravatorAggravator
    22. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    23. AggravatorAggravator
    24. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    25. AggravatorAggravator
    26. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    27. Mex
    28. AggravatorAggravator
    29. Con turret
    30. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    31. AggravatorAggravator
    32. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    33. AggravatorAggravator
    34. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    35. AggravatorAggravator
    36. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    37. Wind
    38. AggravatorAggravator
    39. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    40. Wind
    41. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    42. GuardGuard
    43. AggravatorAggravator
    44. GuardGuard
    45. Wind
    46. Converter
    47. AggravatorAggravator
    48. Wind
    49. Converter
    50. AggravatorAggravator
    51. Wind ×2
    52. Converter
    53. Wind
    54. Converter
    55. Energy storage
    56. Wind
    57. GruntGrunt
    58. Converter
    59. GruntGrunt ×2
    60. Wind
    61. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:44 · typical 9:06
    62. GruntGrunt
    63. Converter
    64. GruntGrunt
    65. Wind
    66. Solar
    67. GruntGrunt ×2
    68. Con turret
    69. Wind
    70. GruntGrunt ×2
    71. Wind ×2
    72. GruntGrunt
    73. Wind
    74. GruntGrunt
    75. Wind
    76. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    77. GruntGrunt
    78. Wind
    79. GruntGrunt
    80. Wind ×2
    81. GruntGrunt
    82. Wind
    83. GruntGrunt
    84. Wind
    85. GruntGrunt
    86. Wind ×2
    87. GruntGrunt
    88. Wind
    89. GruntGrunt
    90. Wind ×2
    91. GruntGrunt
    92. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    93. Wind ×2
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. Wind
    96. GruntGrunt
    97. Wind
    98. GruntGrunt
    99. Wind
    100. GruntGrunt
    101. Con turret
    102. GruntGrunt
    103. Wind
    104. Con turret
    105. GruntGrunt ×2
    106. Wind
    107. GruntGrunt ×2
    108. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    109. GruntGrunt ×2
    110. Advanced solar
    111. GruntGrunt
    112. Con turret
    113. Converter
    114. GruntGrunt
    115. Advanced solar
    116. GruntGrunt
    117. Con turret
    118. GruntGrunt
    119. Converter
    120. GruntGrunt

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Horlof's (39 OS, 06/09/2026); 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

Horlof

39.1 OS · 06/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
127 metal received · 13948 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