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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 · 490 distinct matches · 151 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 51% of 507 · 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 490 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 (39%)

    By 0:23 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:35 · 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

    The example game in this phase · 29 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. Solar
    3. GruntGrunt
    4. GraverobberGraverobber
    5. Mex
    6. Solar
    7. Construction BotCon bot
    8. GruntGrunt ×2
    9. GraverobberGraverobber
    10. Mex
    11. ThugThug ×2
    12. Mex
    13. ThugThug
    14. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    15. ThugThug
    16. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    17. ThugThug
    18. GraverobberGraverobber
    19. ThugThug ×2
    20. Mex
    21. ThugThug
    22. GuardGuard
    23. ThugThug ×2
    24. GraverobberGraverobber
    25. GuardGuard
    26. ThugThug ×4
    27. GuardGuard
    28. ThugThug
    29. GuardGuard ×2
  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
    • Thug5 Thug
    • Aggravator1 Aggravator

    Some games also: Radar Tower (43%) · converter (36%) · energy storage (36%) · Twin Guard (34%) · eat Bot Lab (37%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 166 steps
    1. GuardGuard ×2
    2. BlitzBlitz
    3. GuardGuard
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. BlitzBlitz ×2
    6. ThugThug
    7. Wind
    8. GuardGuard
    9. ThugThug ×2
    10. Wind
    11. GuardGuard
    12. ThugThug
    13. GuardGuard
    14. ThugThug
    15. Wind
    16. ThugThug ×2
    17. GuardGuard
    18. Wind
    19. ThugThug
    20. GuardGuard
    21. ThugThug
    22. Con turret
    23. GuardGuard
    24. Wind
    25. ThugThug
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:18 · typical 9:27
    27. GruntGrunt
    28. Wind
    29. MaceMace
    30. GuardGuard
    31. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    32. Wind
    33. GuardGuard
    34. GruntGrunt ×3
    35. GuardGuard
    36. Wind
    37. GruntGrunt
    38. GuardGuard
    39. GruntGrunt
    40. Con turret
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    42. Wind
    43. GruntGrunt
    44. GuardGuard
    45. GruntGrunt
    46. GuardGuard
    47. Wind
    48. GruntGrunt
    49. Wind
    50. GuardGuard
    51. GruntGrunt
    52. GuardGuard
    53. Wind ×2
    54. GruntGrunt
    55. Wind ×2
    56. GruntGrunt
    57. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    58. Wind
    59. GruntGrunt
    60. GuardGuard
    61. Wind
    62. GruntGrunt
    63. Con turret
    64. GruntGrunt
    65. Wind
    66. GruntGrunt
    67. GraverobberGraverobber
    68. Wind ×2
    69. GraverobberGraverobber
    70. Wind
    71. GraverobberGraverobber
    72. Wind ×2
    73. GraverobberGraverobber
    74. Wind ×2
    75. GraverobberGraverobber
    76. GuardGuard
    77. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    78. Wind ×2
    79. GraverobberGraverobber
    80. Wind ×2
    81. GraverobberGraverobber
    82. Wind ×2
    83. GraverobberGraverobber
    84. Wind ×2
    85. GruntGrunt
    86. Wind
    87. GruntGrunt
    88. Wind ×2
    89. GruntGrunt
    90. Wind
    91. GruntGrunt ×2
    92. Wind ×2
    93. GruntGrunt
    94. Wind
    95. GruntGrunt
    96. Wind
    97. GruntGrunt
    98. Energy storage
    99. GruntGrunt ×2
    100. Wind
    101. CastroCastro
    102. GruntGrunt
    103. Wind
    104. GruntGrunt
    105. Wind
    106. GruntGrunt
    107. Mex
    108. Wind
    109. GruntGrunt
    110. Wind ×2
    111. GruntGrunt
    112. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    113. GruntGrunt
    114. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    115. Con turret
    116. GruntGrunt
    117. Wind
    118. GruntGrunt ×2
    119. Wind
    120. GruntGrunt ×9
    121. Con turret
    122. GruntGrunt ×4
    123. Wind
    124. GruntGrunt ×2
    125. Wind
    126. GruntGrunt ×2
    127. Wind
    128. GruntGrunt
    129. Wind
    130. GruntGrunt
    131. Con turret
    132. Wind
    133. GruntGrunt
    134. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:27
    135. GruntGrunt
    136. Wind
    137. GruntGrunt
    138. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    139. Wind
    140. GruntGrunt ×5
    141. Wind
    142. GruntGrunt ×3
    143. Wind
    144. GruntGrunt ×2
    145. Wind
    146. GruntGrunt ×3
    147. Wind
    148. GruntGrunt
    149. Wind
    150. GruntGrunt ×4
    151. Wind
    152. GruntGrunt ×2
    153. Wind
    154. GruntGrunt ×2
    155. Wind
    156. GruntGrunt ×3
    157. Wind
    158. GruntGrunt ×2
    159. Wind
    160. GruntGrunt ×2
    161. Wind
    162. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    163. AgitatorAgitatordone 14:35
    164. GruntGrunt
    165. Wind
    166. GruntGrunt ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is LLT's (31 OS, 15/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:16 · in 64% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:49 · 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

05k10k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

05k10k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

507 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085700
3:00163410886
4:002721390336
5:003872939840
6:00512716061540
7:00643724352457
8:00779331893344
9:00926539284309
10:001093246865079
11:001275453235984
12:001466158586878
13:001695163767612
14:001916570038561
15:002086476319382
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

LLT

31.1 OS · 15/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
231 metal received · 34169 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=492
Advanced Metal Extractor9:27Middle 50%: 8:20–10:45 · n=369

Played most by

iLike2Eco33games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildEl_Turco15games of this build