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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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:27 · 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 · 33 steps
    1. GruntGrunt ×4
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. Wind
    4. GruntGrunt ×4
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. Wind
    7. Construction BotCon bot
    8. Mex
    9. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    10. Mex
    11. Construction BotCon bot
    12. GruntGrunt ×4
    13. Construction BotCon bot
    14. Mex
    15. Construction BotCon bot
    16. ThugThug
    17. Mex
    18. Wind
    19. ThugThug
    20. Mex
    21. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    22. ThugThug ×2
    23. Wind
    24. ThugThug ×2
    25. Wind
    26. Mex
    27. ThugThug ×3
    28. Wind
    29. GuardGuard
    30. ThugThug ×2
    31. GuardGuard
    32. Wind
    33. 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
    • 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 · 107 steps
    1. ThugThug
    2. Wind
    3. ThugThug ×2
    4. GuardGuard
    5. ThugThug
    6. Wind
    7. GuardGuard
    8. ThugThug ×2
    9. Wind
    10. ThugThug ×3
    11. Wind
    12. ThugThug ×2
    13. Wind
    14. ThugThug
    15. AgitatorAgitatornot finished by 15:00
    16. ThugThug ×2
    17. Wind
    18. ThugThug ×3
    19. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    20. Wind
    21. AggravatorAggravator
    22. WardenWarden
    23. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    24. Wind
    25. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    26. Wind
    27. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    28. Wind
    29. Con turret
    30. AggravatorAggravator
    31. GruntGrunt ×3
    32. Wind
    33. GruntGrunt
    34. Con turret
    35. GruntGrunt ×3
    36. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    37. GruntGrunt ×3
    38. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    39. GruntGrunt
    40. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    41. GruntGrunt
    42. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    43. GruntGrunt
    44. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    45. GruntGrunt
    46. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    47. GruntGrunt
    48. AgitatorAgitator
    49. GruntGrunt ×3
    50. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 12:04 · typical 9:24
    51. GruntGrunt ×3
    52. WardenWarden
    53. GruntGrunt ×4
    54. Con turret
    55. GruntGrunt
    56. Wind
    57. AgitatorAgitator
    58. GruntGrunt
    59. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    60. GuardGuard
    61. Wind
    62. GuardGuard
    63. GruntGrunt
    64. Mex
    65. Wind
    66. GuardGuard
    67. GruntGrunt
    68. Wind
    69. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    70. GruntGrunt ×2
    71. Wind
    72. Con turret
    73. Wind
    74. GruntGrunt
    75. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    76. GruntGrunt
    77. Wind
    78. GruntGrunt
    79. Wind
    80. GruntGrunt
    81. Wind
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. Wind
    84. GruntGrunt
    85. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    86. GruntGrunt
    87. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    88. GruntGrunt
    89. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    90. Wind
    91. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    92. GruntGrunt
    93. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. Wind
    96. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    97. GruntGrunt
    98. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    99. Wind
    100. GruntGrunt
    101. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    102. GruntGrunt
    103. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    104. Wind
    105. GruntGrunt
    106. Wind
    107. GruntGrunt

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is BlackCat12's (30 OS, 17/08/2026); 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 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

BlackCat12

30.0 OS · 17/08/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
925 metal received · 12199 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