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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 · 177 distinct matches · 62 players · 64% of Cortex Front games · team won 44% of 179 · 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 177 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
    • Wind Turbine1Wind
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 2 mex, 1 winddone ~0:40, middle half 0:34–0:46

    By 0:24 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. Wind
    5. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:57 · 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
    • 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 · 18 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. Wind
    5. GruntGrunt ×2
    6. Con turret
    7. GraverobberGraverobber
    8. GruntGrunt ×3
    9. Mex
    10. GruntGrunt
    11. ThugThug ×3
    12. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    13. Mex
    14. AggravatorAggravator
    15. Mex
    16. AggravatorAggravator ×13
    17. GruntGrunt ×10
    18. Construction BotCon bot
  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 (46%) · energy storage (42%) · Twin Guard (36%) · converter (35%) · Radar Tower (35%)

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 24 wind · 1 energy storage · 3 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 106 steps
    1. GruntGrunt ×2
    2. Solar
    3. GruntGrunt ×2
    4. Wind
    5. GruntGrunt ×2
    6. Mex
    7. GruntGrunt ×2
    8. Wind
    9. GruntGrunt
    10. Wind
    11. GruntGrunt
    12. Wind
    13. GruntGrunt
    14. GuardGuard
    15. Wind
    16. GruntGrunt ×2
    17. Wind
    18. GruntGrunt ×2
    19. Wind
    20. GruntGrunt
    21. Con turret
    22. Energy storage
    23. GruntGrunt ×3
    24. Wind
    25. GruntGrunt ×5
    26. Wind
    27. GruntGrunt ×3
    28. Energy storage
    29. Construction BotCon bot
    30. GruntGrunt
    31. Con turret
    32. GruntGrunt ×2
    33. Wind
    34. GruntGrunt
    35. Twin GuardTwin Guard ×2
    36. Wind
    37. Con turret
    38. GruntGrunt
    39. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:45
    40. GraverobberGraverobber
    41. CastroCastro
    42. HerculesLight transport
    43. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×5done 9:37 · typical 9:10
    44. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. Con turret
    47. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 11:28
    48. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    49. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    50. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    51. GuardGuard
    52. Con turret
    53. GuardGuard
    54. Con turret
    55. Energy storage
    56. Con turret
    57. Wind
    58. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:59
    59. Wind
    60. Pit BullPit Bull
    61. Wind
    62. GruntGrunt
    63. Wind
    64. GruntGrunt
    65. Wind
    66. GruntGrunt
    67. Wind
    68. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    69. GruntGrunt
    70. Wind
    71. GruntGrunt ×2
    72. Wind
    73. GruntGrunt
    74. Wind
    75. GruntGrunt
    76. Wind
    77. GruntGrunt
    78. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    79. Wind
    80. GruntGrunt
    81. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    82. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    83. Wind
    84. GruntGrunt
    85. Con turret
    86. Fortification WallFortification Wall ×2
    87. GruntGrunt
    88. Wind
    89. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    90. GruntGrunt
    91. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    92. Wind
    93. Metal storage
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    96. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    97. GruntGrunt
    98. Con turret
    99. GruntGrunt
    100. Wind ×2
    101. GruntGrunt
    102. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    103. GruntGrunt
    104. Wind
    105. Cloakable Fusion ReactorCloakable Fusion Reactornot finished by 15:00
    106. GruntGrunt

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is SHORTBUS_VIP's (43 OS, 16/08/2026); 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 68% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:26 · 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

179 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:0016248686
4:002692359336
5:003828938883
6:00505116831622
7:00633024302606
8:00769932503477
9:00914838644317
10:001091543525092
11:001287049345948
12:001507052866934
13:001774557647566
14:002019663178516
15:002293570989484
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

SHORTBUS_VIP

43.5 OS · 16/08/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
136 metal received · 71774 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=164
Advanced Metal Extractor9:10Middle 50%: 8:09–10:29 · n=140

Played most by

Hummell19games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildiLike2Eco12games of this buildCentientWaffle9games of this buildGeeGee9games of this build