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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 · 451 distinct matches · 138 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 51% of 468 · 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 451 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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:34 · 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 · 32 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GruntGrunt
    3. Wind
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Mex
    6. GruntGrunt ×2
    7. GraverobberGraverobber
    8. GruntGrunt ×2
    9. Mex
    10. GruntGrunt
    11. GraverobberGraverobber
    12. GruntGrunt ×3
    13. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    14. Mex
    15. AggravatorAggravator ×5
    16. GraverobberGraverobber
    17. Mex
    18. AggravatorAggravator ×4
    19. Metal storage
    20. GuardGuard
    21. AggravatorAggravator
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    24. Wind
    25. AggravatorAggravator
    26. Wind
    27. AggravatorAggravator
    28. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    29. AggravatorAggravator
    30. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    31. Wind
    32. AggravatorAggravator
  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 · 218 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. Wind
    4. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    5. Wind
    6. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    7. Wind
    8. GruntGrunt ×2
    9. Con turret
    10. GruntGrunt ×2
    11. Con turret
    12. Wind
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:01 · typical 9:23
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind ×4
    18. GruntGrunt
    19. Wind ×2
    20. GruntGrunt
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Advanced solar
    23. Wind
    24. GruntGrunt
    25. Mex
    26. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    27. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 8:45
    28. GruntGrunt
    29. Wind
    30. GruntGrunt
    31. Wind
    32. GruntGrunt
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    34. Advanced solar
    35. GraverobberGraverobber
    36. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×8
    37. Wind
    38. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    39. GruntGrunt
    40. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    41. Wind
    42. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    43. Advanced solar
    44. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    45. Wind
    46. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    47. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:48
    48. PounderPounder
    49. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    50. Wind
    51. PounderPounder
    52. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    53. Wind
    54. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    55. PounderPounder
    56. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    57. Wind ×2
    58. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    59. PounderPounder
    60. Wind ×3
    61. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    62. PounderPounder
    63. Wind
    64. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    65. Wind
    66. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    67. PawnPawn
    68. Wind
    69. PawnPawn
    70. BruteBrute
    71. Wind
    72. Construction BotCon bot
    73. Wind
    74. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    75. BruteBrute
    76. Construction BotCon bot
    77. Wind
    78. Con turret
    79. Construction BotCon bot
    80. Wind
    81. BruteBrute
    82. Construction BotCon bot
    83. Wind
    84. Wind
    85. PawnPawn
    86. BruteBrute
    87. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    88. Wind
    89. PawnPawn
    90. Wind
    91. BruteBrute
    92. PawnPawn ×2
    93. Wind
    94. Wind
    95. PawnPawn
    96. BruteBrute
    97. Wind
    98. PawnPawn
    99. Wind
    100. BruteBrute
    101. PawnPawn ×2
    102. Wind
    103. BruteBrute
    104. PawnPawn
    105. Wind
    106. Con turret
    107. PawnPawn
    108. Wind
    109. BruteBrute
    110. PawnPawn ×2
    111. PounderPounder
    112. Wind
    113. PawnPawn
    114. Converter
    115. PawnPawn
    116. Wind
    117. PawnPawn
    118. BruteBrute
    119. Converter
    120. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    121. PawnPawn ×2
    122. BruteBrute
    123. Converter
    124. PawnPawn
    125. Wind
    126. PawnPawn ×2
    127. BruteBrute
    128. Converter
    129. PawnPawn
    130. Wind
    131. PawnPawn
    132. Converter
    133. PawnPawn
    134. PounderPounder
    135. Wind
    136. PawnPawn ×2
    137. Converter
    138. BruteBrute
    139. Wind
    140. PawnPawn
    141. Wind
    142. PawnPawn
    143. BruteBrute
    144. PawnPawn
    145. Converter
    146. PawnPawn
    147. Wind
    148. Construction BotCon bot
    149. BruteBrute
    150. Converter
    151. Wind
    152. Construction BotCon bot
    153. PounderPounder
    154. Converter
    155. Con turret
    156. Construction BotCon bot
    157. BeamerBeamer
    158. Converter
    159. BruteBrute
    160. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    161. Construction BotCon bot
    162. Converter
    163. Wind
    164. BruteBrute
    165. PawnPawn
    166. Converter
    167. PawnPawn
    168. BeamerBeamer
    169. Con turret
    170. PawnPawn
    171. Converter
    172. Wind
    173. PawnPawn
    174. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    175. Converter
    176. PawnPawn
    177. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    178. BruteBrute
    179. PawnPawn
    180. Wind
    181. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    182. Converter
    183. PawnPawn
    184. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    185. PounderPounder
    186. PawnPawn
    187. BeamerBeamer
    188. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    189. Wind
    190. PawnPawn
    191. Wind
    192. BruteBrute
    193. PawnPawn
    194. Converter
    195. Wind
    196. PawnPawn
    197. BruteBrute
    198. PawnPawn
    199. Converter
    200. PawnPawn
    201. Con turret
    202. BeamerBeamer
    203. Wind
    204. BruteBrute
    205. PawnPawn
    206. Converter
    207. PawnPawn
    208. Wind
    209. PawnPawn
    210. PounderPounder
    211. Construction BotCon bot
    212. Wind
    213. Converter
    214. BruteBrute
    215. PawnPawn
    216. Con turret
    217. Wind
    218. Con turret

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is HALF_DALLAH_HABIT's (33 OS, 03/10/2026); 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

468 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085600
3:00162710486
4:002711389341
5:003853921839
6:00510915891556
7:00639523722474
8:00772631253385
9:00915138374291
10:001079845385079
11:001264252055987
12:001450856906925
13:001681462067630
14:001896966638539
15:002063272579305
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

HALF_DALLAH_HABIT

32.8 OS · 03/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
515 metal received · 15585 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