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Standard front

Cortex Front build order · Supreme Isthmus

The role's default economy-first play: Bot Lab right away, Advanced Metal Extractor around 9:12, transitioning into the usual Thug/Grunt/Aggravator mix to hold the wider gap and feed the middle.

#eco #defence · 188 distinct matches · 64 players · 62% of Cortex Front games · team won 45% of 191 · 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 188 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 0:33–0:46

    Some games also: wind (49%)

    By 0:24 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:46 · 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
    • Thug7 Thug
    • Aggravator5 Aggravator
    • Grunt4 Grunt

    Some games also: con turret (41%) · Radar Tower (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 34 steps
    1. GruntGrunt ×2
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. Wind
    4. GruntGrunt
    5. Con turret
    6. GraverobberGraverobber
    7. ThugThug ×2
    8. Mex
    9. ThugThug ×3
    10. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    11. Construction BotCon bot
    12. Mex
    13. GuardGuard
    14. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    15. Mex
    16. AggravatorAggravator
    17. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    18. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    19. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    20. AggravatorAggravator
    21. Construction BotCon bot
    22. AggravatorAggravator
    23. GraverobberGraverobber
    24. Wind
    25. GraverobberGraverobber
    26. Wind
    27. AggravatorAggravator
    28. Wind
    29. AggravatorAggravator
    30. Wind
    31. AggravatorAggravator
    32. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    33. AggravatorAggravator
    34. GruntGrunt
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine17Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Graverobber2 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot
    Army
    • Guard1 Guard
    • Grunt7 Grunt
    • Thug2 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (49%) · energy storage (41%) · Radar Tower (38%) · Twin Guard (36%) · converter (35%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 62 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    3. Wind
    4. GruntGrunt
    5. Con turret
    6. Wind
    7. AggravatorAggravator
    8. Wind
    9. AggravatorAggravator
    10. Mex
    11. Wind
    12. AggravatorAggravator
    13. Construction BotCon bot
    14. Wind
    15. Construction BotCon bot
    16. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    17. Wind
    18. Construction BotCon bot
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. Wind
    21. AggravatorAggravator
    22. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    23. AggravatorAggravator
    24. WardenWarden
    25. AggravatorAggravator ×12
    26. GuardGuard
    27. AggravatorAggravator
    28. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    29. AggravatorAggravator
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00 · typical 9:12
    31. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    32. GuardGuard
    33. Wind
    34. GuardGuard ×2
    35. Wind
    36. GuardGuard ×3
    37. AggravatorAggravator
    38. GuardGuard
    39. Metal storage
    40. Mex ×3
    41. Con turret
    42. GuardGuard ×2
    43. Con turret
    44. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    45. Wind
    46. Mex
    47. Con turret
    48. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    49. GuardGuard
    50. Con turret
    51. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00
    52. Wind ×2
    53. GuardGuard
    54. Wind ×2
    55. Con turret
    56. Wind ×3
    57. Mex
    58. Wind
    59. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    60. Wind ×2
    61. GuardGuard
    62. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is iLike2Eco's (36 OS, 02/10/2026); 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 67% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:33 · 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

191 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:0016238686
4:002684366326
5:003814938875
6:00505116511622
7:00631023642607
8:00765531393548
9:00902136104317
10:001084842455102
11:001278048825948
12:001495252076900
13:001730857597591
14:001971462628368
15:002249370189398
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

iLike2Eco

35.9 OS · 02/10/2026

Open source match ↗

11 received units · includes a constructor
0 metal received · 63799 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:40Middle 50%: 0:33–0:46 · n=179
Advanced Metal Extractor9:12Middle 50%: 8:11–10:29 · n=150

Played most by

Hummell20games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildiLike2Eco13games of this buildGeeGee11games of this buildErilium10games of this build