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Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 443 distinct matches · 137 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 50% of 460 · 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 443 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 ×2
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:51 · 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 (34%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 32 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. GruntGrunt
    4. Wind
    5. GruntGrunt
    6. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    7. GruntGrunt
    8. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. Mex
    11. GraverobberGraverobber
    12. ThugThug
    13. Mex
    14. ThugThug ×2
    15. GuardGuard
    16. ThugThug
    17. Mex
    18. ThugThug
    19. GuardGuard
    20. GraverobberGraverobber
    21. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    22. ThugThug ×2
    23. Mex
    24. GuardGuard
    25. ThugThug
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. ThugThug ×2
    28. GraverobberGraverobber
    29. BeholderBeholder
    30. ThugThug ×3
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Con turret
  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 · 130 steps
    1. ThugThug ×2
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. ThugThug
    4. WardenWarden
    5. ThugThug
    6. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    7. ThugThug
    8. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. CastroCastro
    11. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    12. ThugThug
    13. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    14. ThugThug
    15. GraverobberGraverobber
    16. ThugThug ×3
    17. Construction BotCon bot
    18. Mex
    19. Wind
    20. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    21. Mex
    22. ThugThug
    23. Wind
    24. ThugThug
    25. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    26. Wind
    27. Mex
    28. Wind
    29. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    30. Wind
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:00 · typical 9:24
    32. GuardGuard
    33. Wind ×2
    34. GuardGuard
    35. Wind
    36. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    37. GuardGuard
    38. Wind ×2
    39. AgitatorAgitatornot finished by 15:00
    40. Con turret
    41. Wind
    42. GuardGuard
    43. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    44. Wind
    45. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    46. Wind
    47. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    48. Dragon's MawDragon's Maw
    49. Wind
    50. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    51. GuardGuard
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    53. Wind ×5
    54. GuardGuard
    55. Exploiter
    56. GuardGuard ×2
    57. Wind ×5
    58. Con turret
    59. Wind ×2
    60. BeholderBeholder
    61. Wind
    62. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    63. Wind ×2
    64. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    65. CastroCastro
    66. Wind ×2
    67. AgitatorAgitator
    68. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    69. Wind
    70. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    71. Wind
    72. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 11:25
    73. Wind
    74. RascalRascal ×2
    75. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 11:58
    76. RascalRascal ×2
    77. GuardGuard
    78. RascalRascal ×3
    79. GuardGuard
    80. RascalRascal
    81. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    82. RascalRascal ×3
    83. Mex
    84. Con turret
    85. RascalRascal ×7
    86. Wind
    87. RascalRascal ×4
    88. Wind
    89. RascalRascal ×3
    90. Wind
    91. RascalRascal ×2
    92. Wind
    93. RascalRascal ×3
    94. Wind
    95. RascalRascal ×2
    96. Wind
    97. RascalRascal ×2
    98. Con turret
    99. Wind
    100. RascalRascal ×2
    101. Wind
    102. RascalRascal
    103. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    104. Wind
    105. RascalRascal ×2
    106. Wind
    107. RascalRascal ×2
    108. Wind
    109. RascalRascal ×2
    110. Wind
    111. RascalRascal ×2
    112. Wind
    113. RascalRascal ×2
    114. Wind
    115. RascalRascal ×3
    116. Wind
    117. RascalRascal
    118. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    119. RascalRascal
    120. Wind
    121. RascalRascal ×2
    122. Mex
    123. RascalRascal ×2
    124. Wind
    125. RascalRascal
    126. Wind
    127. RascalRascal ×2
    128. Wind ×2
    129. RascalRascal ×2
    130. GuardGuard

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is hox2's (32 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 65% 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

460 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085400
3:00162710086
4:002704386337
5:003850916838
6:00510515861559
7:00638923642474
8:00772630943385
9:00914637694271
10:001077344855070
11:001264252035984
12:001455357176925
13:001682962137650
14:001901866638579
15:002063272469349
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

hox2

31.7 OS · 11/10/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
72 metal received · 10736 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=447
Advanced Metal Extractor9:24Middle 50%: 8:19–10:45 · n=338

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