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Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard front

Standard Front play: Bot Lab immediately, expanding economy with an Advanced Metal Extractor around 9:00, then defending the wider gap with bots like Thug, Grunt and Aggravator as the middle firms up.

#eco #defence · 171 distinct matches · 62 players · 63% of Cortex Front games · team won 43% of 173 · 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 171 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 (50%)

    By 0:24 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:48 · 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
    • Aggravator5 Aggravator
    • Grunt4 Grunt

    Some games also: con turret (42%) · Radar Tower (36%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 33 steps
    1. GruntGrunt ×2
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Wind
    6. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    7. Mex
    8. ThugThug
    9. AggravatorAggravator
    10. ThugThug
    11. Mex
    12. Construction BotCon bot
    13. AggravatorAggravator
    14. ThugThug
    15. Mex
    16. AggravatorAggravator
    17. ThugThug
    18. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. Converter ×2
    21. Mex
    22. GraverobberGraverobber
    23. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    24. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    25. AggravatorAggravator
    26. GraverobberGraverobber
    27. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    28. Converter
    29. GraverobberGraverobber
    30. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    31. GraverobberGraverobber
    32. GuardGuard
    33. AggravatorAggravator ×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
    • Thug1 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (47%) · energy storage (43%) · Twin Guard (36%) · Radar Tower (35%) · converter (34%)

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 24 wind · 1 energy storage · 3 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 214 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. ThistleThistle
    4. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    5. GruntGrunt
    6. GuardGuard
    7. GraverobberGraverobber
    8. Mex
    9. GuardGuard
    10. ThugThug
    11. AggravatorAggravator
    12. ThugThug ×2
    13. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    14. GraverobberGraverobber
    15. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    16. ThugThug
    17. Wind
    18. Construction BotCon bot
    19. Wind
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. ThistleThistle
    22. Wind
    23. AggravatorAggravator
    24. ThugThug
    25. GuardGuard
    26. ThugThug
    27. Wind
    28. ThugThug ×2
    29. Wind
    30. GruntGrunt
    31. ThugThug
    32. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    33. Wind
    34. ThugThug
    35. PawnPawn
    36. GruntGrunt
    37. AggravatorAggravator
    38. RocketeerRocketeer
    39. Wind
    40. ThugThug
    41. BallistaBallista ×2
    42. ThugThug
    43. SatyrSatyr
    44. Wind
    45. BallistaBallista ×2
    46. ThugThug ×3
    47. BallistaBallista
    48. Wind
    49. GuardGuard
    50. BallistaBallista ×2
    51. ThugThug
    52. Wind
    53. ThugThug ×2
    54. Wind
    55. ThugThug
    56. BallistaBallista
    57. Wind
    58. GruntGrunt
    59. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    60. ThugThug
    61. AggravatorAggravator
    62. BallistaBallista
    63. GruntGrunt ×2
    64. BallistaBallista
    65. GuardGuard
    66. GruntGrunt
    67. Wind
    68. GruntGrunt
    69. BallistaBallista
    70. GruntGrunt
    71. SatyrSatyr
    72. GruntGrunt
    73. AggravatorAggravator
    74. GruntGrunt
    75. Wind
    76. AggravatorAggravator
    77. GruntGrunt
    78. ThistleThistle
    79. GruntGrunt
    80. AggravatorAggravator
    81. GruntGrunt
    82. RocketeerRocketeer
    83. ThistleThistle
    84. BallistaBallista
    85. Wind
    86. GruntGrunt ×3
    87. GuardGuard
    88. BallistaBallista ×2
    89. GruntGrunt
    90. Wind
    91. GruntGrunt
    92. BallistaBallista
    93. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. BallistaBallista
    96. Wind
    97. GruntGrunt ×4
    98. Wind
    99. GruntGrunt
    100. AggravatorAggravator
    101. GruntGrunt ×2
    102. Wind
    103. GruntGrunt
    104. Con turret
    105. GruntGrunt
    106. Wind
    107. GruntGrunt
    108. Wind
    109. GruntGrunt ×3
    110. Wind
    111. GruntGrunt
    112. Metal storage
    113. GruntGrunt ×2
    114. Wind
    115. GruntGrunt ×3
    116. Wind
    117. GruntGrunt ×3
    118. Construction BotCon bot
    119. Wind
    120. Con turret
    121. Wind
    122. Construction BotCon bot
    123. Con turret
    124. Wind
    125. Con turret
    126. Construction BotCon bot
    127. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 12:10
    128. Wind
    129. Con turret
    130. Energy storage
    131. Wind ×2
    132. Construction BotCon bot
    133. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 12:24
    134. Energy storage
    135. Wind ×2
    136. Construction BotCon bot
    137. Wind
    138. Construction BotCon bot
    139. Wind ×4
    140. RascalRascal ×2
    141. Wind ×3
    142. RascalRascal ×2
    143. Wind
    144. RascalRascal ×5
    145. Wind
    146. RascalRascal
    147. Wind
    148. RascalRascal
    149. Wind
    150. RascalRascal
    151. Converter
    152. Wind ×2
    153. RascalRascal ×2
    154. Converter
    155. RascalRascal ×2
    156. Wind ×2
    157. RascalRascal
    158. Converter
    159. RascalRascal
    160. Wind ×3
    161. RascalRascal ×2
    162. Converter
    163. Wind
    164. Converter
    165. Wind ×5
    166. Converter
    167. Wind
    168. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platformdone 13:52
    169. AggravatorAggravator
    170. Wind
    171. Con turret
    172. Wind ×3
    173. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platformdone 14:29
    174. Wind ×8
    175. GoonGoon
    176. Con turret
    177. Converter
    178. GoonGoon
    179. Wind ×7
    180. Converter
    181. Wind
    182. GoonGoon
    183. Converter
    184. Wind ×2
    185. Converter
    186. Wind
    187. GoonGoon
    188. Converter
    189. GoonGoon
    190. Wind
    191. GoonGoon
    192. Wind ×2
    193. Converter
    194. GoonGoon ×2
    195. Wind
    196. Converter
    197. GoonGoon ×2
    198. Converter
    199. Con turret
    200. Wind ×2
    201. GoonGoon ×2
    202. Wind
    203. GoonGoon
    204. Converter
    205. GoonGoon ×2
    206. Wind
    207. GoonGoon
    208. Converter ×2
    209. GoonGoon
    210. Wind
    211. GoonGoon
    212. Converter
    213. Wind
    214. GoonGoon

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Crd]Acquati's (36 OS, 29/09/2026); 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 68% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:34 · in 66% 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

173 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:0016248686
4:002686350336
5:003810938895
6:00504016971662
7:00633025242607
8:00769533073575
9:00914138954317
10:001085943745102
11:001287050665960
12:001507052866978
13:001774558947597
14:002023963458690
15:002294371609707
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

[Crd]Acquati

36.3 OS · 29/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units
699 metal received · 22476 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=158
Advanced Metal Extractor9:12Middle 50%: 8:10–10:30 · n=136

Played most by

watermeloans19games of this buildHummell16games of this buildiLike2Eco12games of this buildCentientWaffle8games of this buildGeeGee8games of this build