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Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard front

The role's baseline: fast Bot Lab, economy first, then a Thug/Grunt/Aggravator mix moves up to hold the wider gap and contest middle with the ally.

#defence · 166 distinct matches · 58 players · 66% of Cortex Front games · team won 42% of 168 · 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 166 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 (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
    • Thug6 Thug
    • Grunt4 Grunt
    • Aggravator3 Aggravator

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

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 22 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. GruntGrunt ×2
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. GraverobberGraverobber
    6. Con turret
    7. ThugThug ×2
    8. Mex
    9. ThugThug ×3
    10. Mex
    11. GraverobberGraverobber
    12. ThugThug
    13. Mex
    14. ThugThug ×4
    15. GraverobberGraverobber
    16. ThugThug ×5
    17. GraverobberGraverobber
    18. ThugThug ×4
    19. Wind
    20. GraverobberGraverobber
    21. Wind
    22. Construction BotCon bot
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine17Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Graverobber1 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot
    Army
    • Guard1 Guard
    • Grunt7 Grunt
    • Thug1 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (45%) · energy storage (42%) · Twin Guard (36%) · converter (34%) · Radar Tower (34%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 88 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. Wind
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Wind
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Con turret
    9. Converter
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Converter
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Converter
    14. Wind ×6
    15. GuardGuard
    16. Converter
    17. GuardGuard
    18. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    19. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    20. Converter
    21. ThugThug ×11
    22. AgitatorAgitatornot finished by 15:00
    23. ThugThug
    24. WardenWarden
    25. ThugThug
    26. Mex
    27. Metal storage
    28. GraverobberGraverobber
    29. Mex
    30. GraverobberGraverobber
    31. Con turret
    32. Metal storage
    33. GuardGuard
    34. Wind
    35. Tidal
    36. Con turret ×2
    37. FalconFighter
    38. Wind ×2
    39. GraverobberGraverobber
    40. Wind ×2
    41. FalconFighter ×2
    42. BansheeBanshee
    43. RiptideFrigatedone 11:50
    44. GraverobberGraverobber
    45. Wind
    46. Con turret
    47. Wind
    48. SprinterSprinter
    49. Converter
    50. Wind
    51. Tidal
    52. Wind ×2
    53. SprinterSprinter
    54. Wind ×2
    55. RiptideFrigate
    56. BansheeBanshee
    57. SprinterSprinter
    58. Tidal
    59. Wind ×2
    60. SprinterSprinter
    61. Mex
    62. PincerPincer
    63. Wind
    64. BansheeBanshee
    65. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    66. SprinterSprinter
    67. Wind ×2
    68. Tidal
    69. SprinterSprinter
    70. Wind ×2
    71. BansheeBanshee
    72. Wind
    73. SprinterSprinter
    74. Wind ×2
    75. Mex
    76. BansheeBanshee
    77. SprinterSprinter
    78. HerringMissile corvette
    79. Wind
    80. Tidal
    81. SprinterSprinter
    82. Converter
    83. Wind
    84. OppressorDestroyernot finished by 15:00
    85. BansheeBanshee
    86. Wind
    87. SprinterSprinter
    88. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is WaterBoy's (37 OS, 23/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:18 · in 67% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:26 · in 68% 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

168 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0086400
3:0016328586
4:002697352348
5:003807950947
6:00506917041785
7:00640325812693
8:00769333273737
9:00908139204434
10:001080544245184
11:001273550825966
12:001494552977104
13:001732459477675
14:001972863318778
15:002252869019802
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

WaterBoy

37.1 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

312 received units · includes a constructor
15031 metal received · 34494 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=150
Advanced Metal Extractor9:06Middle 50%: 8:08–10:30 · n=130

Played most by

watermeloans19games of this buildHummell18games of this buildJelousOfMyEco12games of this buildCentientWaffle9games of this buildGeeGee7games of this build