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Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Wind
    4. Bot LabBot Labdone 1:01 · 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 · 14 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. GruntGrunt ×3
    4. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    5. Mex
    6. ThugThug ×5
    7. Mex
    8. ThugThug ×2
    9. Mex
    10. ThugThug ×10
    11. Wind
    12. ThugThug ×2
    13. Wind
    14. ThugThug ×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
    • 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 · 74 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ThugThug ×3
    3. Wind
    4. ThugThug ×2
    5. Wind
    6. ThugThug ×3
    7. Wind
    8. ThugThug ×2
    9. Wind ×5
    10. ThugThug
    11. Wind
    12. ThugThug ×7
    13. Con turret
    14. Mex
    15. ThugThug ×3
    16. Wind
    17. Mex
    18. ThugThug
    19. Wind
    20. ThugThug
    21. Wind
    22. ThugThug
    23. Wind
    24. GruntGrunt
    25. Wind
    26. GruntGrunt
    27. Wind
    28. GruntGrunt
    29. Wind
    30. GruntGrunt
    31. Energy storage
    32. Wind
    33. GruntGrunt ×2
    34. Con turret
    35. GruntGrunt
    36. GuardGuard
    37. Wind
    38. GruntGrunt
    39. GuardGuard
    40. GruntGrunt
    41. Wind
    42. GruntGrunt
    43. Wind
    44. GruntGrunt
    45. Wind
    46. GruntGrunt
    47. Wind
    48. PersecutorPersecutor ×2done 11:32
    49. Wind
    50. GruntGrunt
    51. Wind ×2
    52. GruntGrunt
    53. Wind ×3
    54. Converter
    55. GruntGrunt
    56. Converter ×2
    57. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    58. GruntGrunt
    59. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    60. Converter
    61. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    62. Converter
    63. GruntGrunt
    64. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    65. Converter
    66. GruntGrunt
    67. Converter
    68. GruntGrunt
    69. Converter
    70. GruntGrunt ×7
    71. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 12:40
    72. GruntGrunt ×6
    73. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    74. GruntGrunt ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is AinzIsHere's (46 OS, 09/10/2026); 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

AinzIsHere

45.9 OS · 09/10/2026

Open source match ↗

17 received units · includes a constructor
1212 metal received · 7450 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