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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 · 447 distinct matches · 138 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 50% of 464 · 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 447 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. 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
    • 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 · 21 steps
    1. GruntGrunt ×4
    2. Mex
    3. GraverobberGraverobber
    4. Mex
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. Mex
    7. ThugThug
    8. Mex
    9. ThugThug ×3
    10. Mex
    11. Construction BotCon bot
    12. GuardGuard
    13. ThugThug ×2
    14. GuardGuard
    15. ThugThug
    16. GraverobberGraverobber
    17. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    18. ThugThug
    19. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    20. ThugThug
    21. 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 (42%) · 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 · 158 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator
    2. WardenWarden
    3. ThugThug
    4. Con turret
    5. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. AgitatorAgitatordone 7:23
    8. Wind
    9. ThugThug
    10. Wind ×2
    11. AggravatorAggravator
    12. Wind
    13. AggravatorAggravator
    14. Wind
    15. Construction BotCon bot
    16. Wind
    17. ThugThug
    18. Wind
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. GuardGuard
    21. Wind
    22. AggravatorAggravator
    23. Wind
    24. Construction BotCon bot
    25. Wind
    26. ThugThug
    27. Wind
    28. AggravatorAggravator
    29. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    30. Wind
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. GuardGuard
    33. Wind
    34. AggravatorAggravator
    35. Wind
    36. Construction BotCon bot
    37. AggravatorAggravator
    38. Wind
    39. AggravatorAggravator
    40. Wind
    41. AggravatorAggravator
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Energy storage
    44. AggravatorAggravator
    45. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    46. AggravatorAggravator
    47. Wind
    48. AggravatorAggravator
    49. GruntGrunt ×2
    50. GuardGuard
    51. GruntGrunt
    52. Wind
    53. GruntGrunt
    54. Converter
    55. GruntGrunt
    56. Wind
    57. GruntGrunt
    58. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    59. GruntGrunt
    60. Converter
    61. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:05 · typical 9:23
    62. GruntGrunt ×2
    63. Converter
    64. Wind
    65. GruntGrunt
    66. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    67. GruntGrunt
    68. GuardGuard
    69. GruntGrunt
    70. Wind
    71. Converter
    72. Mex
    73. GruntGrunt
    74. GuardGuard
    75. GruntGrunt
    76. Wind
    77. GruntGrunt
    78. Con turret
    79. GruntGrunt
    80. GuardGuard
    81. GruntGrunt
    82. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    83. GruntGrunt
    84. Wind
    85. GruntGrunt ×2
    86. Mex
    87. Wind
    88. GruntGrunt ×2
    89. Wind
    90. GruntGrunt ×2
    91. Wind
    92. GruntGrunt
    93. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    94. Wind
    95. GruntGrunt ×2
    96. Wind
    97. GruntGrunt ×3
    98. Wind
    99. GruntGrunt
    100. Wind
    101. GruntGrunt
    102. Wind
    103. GruntGrunt
    104. Wind
    105. GruntGrunt
    106. Wind
    107. GruntGrunt
    108. Wind
    109. GruntGrunt
    110. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    111. Wind
    112. GruntGrunt
    113. Wind
    114. GruntGrunt
    115. Converter
    116. GruntGrunt ×2
    117. Wind
    118. GruntGrunt ×2
    119. Converter
    120. Wind ×2
    121. GruntGrunt
    122. ThistleThistle
    123. GruntGrunt
    124. Wind
    125. GruntGrunt
    126. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    127. GruntGrunt
    128. Wind
    129. GruntGrunt ×2
    130. ThistleThistle
    131. Wind ×2
    132. GruntGrunt ×2
    133. Wind
    134. GruntGrunt
    135. Converter
    136. GruntGrunt
    137. Wind
    138. GruntGrunt ×2
    139. Wind
    140. GruntGrunt
    141. Wind
    142. GruntGrunt
    143. Converter
    144. GruntGrunt
    145. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    146. GruntGrunt ×2
    147. Wind
    148. GruntGrunt
    149. Converter
    150. GruntGrunt
    151. ThistleThistle
    152. GruntGrunt ×2
    153. Converter
    154. GruntGrunt ×2
    155. Wind
    156. GruntGrunt
    157. Con turret
    158. GruntGrunt ×5

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Dread29's (32 OS, 19/09/2026); 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

464 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085400
3:00162710286
4:002707387345
5:003850917839
6:00510515861559
7:00638923652478
8:00772631103385
9:00914638064291
10:001077345215079
11:001264252035987
12:001455356906925
13:001682962067650
14:001901866638566
15:002063272469349
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

Dread29

31.6 OS · 19/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
48 metal received · 20075 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=451
Advanced Metal Extractor9:23Middle 50%: 8:19–10:45 · n=341

Played most by

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