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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 · 209 distinct matches · 68 players · 63% of Cortex Front games · team won 44% of 212 · 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 209 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
    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
    • Thug7 Thug
    • Aggravator5 Aggravator
    • Grunt4 Grunt

    Some games also: con turret (42%) · Radar Tower (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 17 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GruntGrunt
    3. GraverobberGraverobber
    4. GruntGrunt ×7
    5. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    6. Mex
    7. ThugThug ×3
    8. Mex
    9. ThugThug ×2
    10. Mex
    11. ThugThug ×2
    12. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    13. ThugThug
    14. Mex
    15. ThugThug
    16. Construction BotCon bot
    17. AggravatorAggravator ×10
  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
    • Thug2 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (47%) · energy storage (40%) · Radar Tower (39%) · converter (36%) · Twin Guard (36%) · eat Bot Lab (37%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 181 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    2. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    3. ThugThug ×3
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. ThugThug
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind
    9. AggravatorAggravator
    10. Wind
    11. GraverobberGraverobber
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. GraverobberGraverobber
    15. Wind
    16. GraverobberGraverobber
    17. Wind
    18. GraverobberGraverobber
    19. Converter
    20. Con turret
    21. Mex
    22. Wind
    23. GruntGrunt
    24. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    25. Wind
    26. GruntGrunt ×2
    27. Wind
    28. GruntGrunt
    29. Converter
    30. GruntGrunt
    31. Wind
    32. GruntGrunt
    33. Wind
    34. GruntGrunt
    35. Converter
    36. GruntGrunt
    37. Wind
    38. GruntGrunt ×2
    39. Wind
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:53 · typical 9:13
    41. Converter
    42. GruntGrunt
    43. Wind
    44. GruntGrunt
    45. Wind
    46. GruntGrunt ×2
    47. Wind
    48. Converter
    49. GruntGrunt ×5
    50. Converter
    51. GruntGrunt
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    53. GruntGrunt
    54. Converter
    55. GruntGrunt ×6
    56. Converter
    57. GruntGrunt
    58. Converter
    59. GruntGrunt ×3
    60. Converter
    61. GruntGrunt ×12
    62. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    63. GruntGrunt ×14
    64. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    65. GruntGrunt ×2
    66. Wind
    67. GruntGrunt
    68. Wind ×2
    69. GruntGrunt
    70. Wind
    71. GruntGrunt
    72. Wind
    73. GruntGrunt
    74. Wind
    75. GruntGrunt
    76. Wind
    77. GruntGrunt
    78. Wind ×2
    79. GruntGrunt
    80. Wind ×2
    81. GruntGrunt
    82. Wind
    83. GruntGrunt
    84. Wind
    85. Construction BotCon bot
    86. Wind ×2
    87. Construction BotCon bot
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Construction BotCon bot
    90. Wind ×3
    91. Construction BotCon bot
    92. Wind ×2
    93. GruntGrunt
    94. Wind
    95. GruntGrunt ×2
    96. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    97. GruntGrunt
    98. Wind ×2
    99. GruntGrunt
    100. Con turret
    101. GruntGrunt ×2
    102. Wind ×2
    103. Con turret
    104. Wind
    105. GruntGrunt
    106. Con turret
    107. Wind
    108. GruntGrunt
    109. Wind
    110. Con turret
    111. GruntGrunt
    112. Con turret
    113. GruntGrunt
    114. Wind
    115. Con turret
    116. Wind ×2
    117. GruntGrunt
    118. Con turret
    119. GruntGrunt
    120. Con turret
    121. Wind
    122. GruntGrunt
    123. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:28
    124. Wind
    125. GruntGrunt
    126. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:32
    127. Mex
    128. GruntGrunt
    129. Wind
    130. GruntGrunt
    131. Wind
    132. GruntGrunt
    133. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:43
    134. Wind
    135. GruntGrunt ×3
    136. Wind
    137. GruntGrunt ×8
    138. Con turret
    139. Wind
    140. GruntGrunt ×3
    141. Wind
    142. GruntGrunt ×2
    143. Con turret
    144. GruntGrunt ×2
    145. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    146. GruntGrunt
    147. Con turret
    148. Wind
    149. GruntGrunt ×2
    150. Mex
    151. GruntGrunt
    152. Wind ×2
    153. GruntGrunt ×3
    154. Con turret
    155. Wind
    156. GruntGrunt
    157. Con turret
    158. GruntGrunt ×4
    159. Wind
    160. GruntGrunt ×5
    161. Wind
    162. GruntGrunt ×2
    163. Mex
    164. GruntGrunt ×3
    165. Wind
    166. GruntGrunt ×2
    167. Wind
    168. GruntGrunt ×3
    169. Con turret
    170. GruntGrunt ×2
    171. Wind
    172. Con turret
    173. GruntGrunt ×2
    174. Converter
    175. GruntGrunt
    176. Wind
    177. GruntGrunt
    178. Con turret
    179. GruntGrunt
    180. Wind
    181. GruntGrunt ×4

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is El_Turco's (37 OS, 05/10/2026); 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 66% 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

212 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:0016238686
4:002685356326
5:003812920862
6:00505516461608
7:00632923862536
8:00769131743348
9:00914638224242
10:001088743925077
11:001282749235936
12:001501152976967
13:001732959477650
14:001970263318543
15:002237471809445
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

El_Turco

36.6 OS · 05/10/2026

Open source match ↗

13 received units · includes a constructor
392 metal received · 17335 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=196
Advanced Metal Extractor9:13Middle 50%: 8:15–10:29 · n=166

Played most by

Hummell23games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildiLike2Eco13games of this buildErilium11games of this buildGeeGee11games of this build