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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 · 445 distinct matches · 138 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 50% of 462 · 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 445 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:40 · 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 · 32 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. Mex
    3. GruntGrunt
    4. Wind ×2
    5. ThugThug
    6. Wind
    7. AggravatorAggravator
    8. ThugThug
    9. AggravatorAggravator
    10. GraverobberGraverobber
    11. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    12. Mex
    13. ThugThug
    14. GraverobberGraverobber
    15. Mex
    16. GruntGrunt
    17. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    18. Mex
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. GuardGuard
    21. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    22. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. ThugThug
    25. GraverobberGraverobber
    26. GruntGrunt
    27. AggravatorAggravator ×5
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. ThugThug
    30. GraverobberGraverobber
    31. GruntGrunt
    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%) · 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 · 202 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator
    2. Wind
    3. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    4. Wind
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    7. ThugThug
    8. GraverobberGraverobber
    9. Wind
    10. AggravatorAggravator
    11. GruntGrunt
    12. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    13. Wind
    14. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:00 · typical 9:24
    16. Wind
    17. AggravatorAggravator
    18. Construction BotCon bot
    19. Wind
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. Wind
    24. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    25. Wind
    26. ThugThug
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. GraverobberGraverobber
    29. Con turret
    30. Wind
    31. GruntGrunt ×2
    32. Wind ×2
    33. Con turret
    34. GruntGrunt
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    36. Wind
    37. GruntGrunt
    38. Wind
    39. GruntGrunt
    40. Wind
    41. GruntGrunt
    42. Wind
    43. GruntGrunt
    44. Wind
    45. Con turret
    46. GruntGrunt
    47. Wind ×2
    48. AggravatorAggravator
    49. Solar
    50. Wind
    51. AggravatorAggravator
    52. Wind ×2
    53. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    54. AggravatorAggravator
    55. Wind ×2
    56. AggravatorAggravator
    57. Wind ×2
    58. AggravatorAggravator
    59. Wind ×3
    60. TrasherTrasher ×2
    61. Wind ×2
    62. TrasherTrasher
    63. Wind ×3
    64. GruntGrunt
    65. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    66. GruntGrunt
    67. Wind ×2
    68. GruntGrunt ×2
    69. Wind
    70. GruntGrunt ×2
    71. RattlesnakeRattlesnake
    72. Wind
    73. GruntGrunt
    74. Wind
    75. GruntGrunt
    76. Wind
    77. GruntGrunt
    78. Wind
    79. GruntGrunt
    80. Wind
    81. GruntGrunt ×3
    82. Wind
    83. Construction BotCon bot
    84. Wind ×2
    85. ThugThug
    86. GraverobberGraverobber
    87. Wind ×2
    88. GruntGrunt
    89. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    90. GruntGrunt
    91. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    92. GruntGrunt
    93. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. Wind
    96. GruntGrunt
    97. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    98. Wind
    99. GruntGrunt
    100. Wind
    101. GruntGrunt
    102. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    103. GruntGrunt
    104. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    105. Wind
    106. GruntGrunt
    107. Wind
    108. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    109. Wind
    110. GruntGrunt
    111. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    112. Pit BullPit Bull
    113. GruntGrunt
    114. Wind
    115. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    116. Wind
    117. GruntGrunt
    118. Wind
    119. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    120. GruntGrunt
    121. Wind
    122. GruntGrunt
    123. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    124. Wind
    125. GruntGrunt
    126. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    127. Wind
    128. GruntGrunt
    129. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    130. Wind ×2
    131. GruntGrunt
    132. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    133. Wind
    134. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    135. GruntGrunt
    136. Wind ×3
    137. GruntGrunt
    138. Wind
    139. GruntGrunt
    140. VeilVeil
    141. GruntGrunt
    142. Construction BotCon bot
    143. Wind ×3
    144. ThugThug
    145. Wind
    146. GraverobberGraverobber
    147. Wind ×2
    148. Con turret
    149. GruntGrunt ×3
    150. Wind
    151. GruntGrunt
    152. Wind
    153. GruntGrunt ×5
    154. Wind ×2
    155. GruntGrunt
    156. Wind
    157. GruntGrunt ×4
    158. Con turret
    159. Wind ×2
    160. GruntGrunt
    161. Con turret
    162. Wind
    163. GruntGrunt
    164. Wind ×2
    165. GruntGrunt ×2
    166. Con turret
    167. GruntGrunt
    168. Wind ×2
    169. GruntGrunt
    170. Con turret
    171. GruntGrunt
    172. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    173. Wind
    174. Construction BotCon bot
    175. ThugThug
    176. Wind ×2
    177. Con turret
    178. GraverobberGraverobber
    179. Con turret
    180. GruntGrunt
    181. Wind
    182. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 14:37
    183. Wind
    184. GruntGrunt
    185. Wind
    186. GruntGrunt ×2
    187. Wind ×2
    188. RattlesnakeRattlesnake
    189. Construction BotCon bot
    190. Advanced Construction BotT2 con bot
    191. Construction BotCon bot
    192. Wind ×4
    193. Construction BotCon bot
    194. Wind
    195. Construction BotCon bot
    196. Wind
    197. Construction BotCon bot
    198. Wind
    199. GruntGrunt
    200. Wind
    201. MammothMammothnot finished by 15:00
    202. GruntGrunt

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is GeeGee's (35 OS, 11/10/2026); 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 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

462 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085400
3:00162510186
4:002704386341
5:003848916838
6:00509915851559
7:00638823642474
8:00771130943385
9:00914237694271
10:001074145005077
11:001262251885987
12:001450856906925
13:001681462067650
14:001896966488566
15:002060472399349
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

GeeGee

34.9 OS · 11/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
522 metal received · 31137 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=449
Advanced Metal Extractor9:24Middle 50%: 8:19–10:45 · n=340

Played most by

iLike2Eco31games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildHummell15games of this build
Standard front · Cortex Front build order · BAR Build Atlas