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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 · 1 step
    1. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:20 · 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 · 25 steps
    1. Mex
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. Wind
    4. Mex
    5. GruntGrunt ×2
    6. GruntGruntfor Pond
    7. GruntGrunt ×2
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. GraverobberGraverobber
    10. Construction BotCon bot
    11. GruntGrunt ×4
    12. Mex
    13. GruntGrunt
    14. AggravatorAggravator ×5
    15. Mex
    16. Construction BotCon bot
    17. AggravatorAggravator
    18. GuardGuard
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. Mex ×2
    21. GuardGuard
    22. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. AggravatorAggravator ×8
    25. GruntGrunt
  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 · 89 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. AggravatorAggravator
    3. Wind
    4. AggravatorAggravator
    5. Wind
    6. TrasherTrasher
    7. Construction BotCon bot
    8. Wind
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. Wind ×3
    11. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    12. Wind
    13. GuardGuard
    14. Wind ×2
    15. GraverobberGraverobber
    16. GruntGrunt
    17. Wind
    18. GruntGrunt ×3
    19. Wind
    20. GruntGrunt ×3
    21. Wind
    22. GruntGrunt
    23. Mex
    24. GruntGrunt ×2
    25. GraverobberGraverobber
    26. Wind
    27. GruntGrunt ×2
    28. Wind
    29. GruntGrunt ×3
    30. Wind
    31. GruntGrunt ×3
    32. Wind
    33. GruntGrunt ×2
    34. GraverobberGraverobber
    35. Wind
    36. GruntGrunt
    37. Con turret
    38. GruntGrunt
    39. Wind
    40. GruntGrunt ×2
    41. Wind
    42. GruntGrunt ×3
    43. Wind
    44. GruntGrunt
    45. Mex
    46. Con turret
    47. GruntGrunt
    48. Wind
    49. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    50. GruntGrunt
    51. GuardGuard
    52. GraverobberGraverobber
    53. Wind
    54. GruntGrunt
    55. GuardGuard
    56. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:08 · typical 9:06
    57. GruntGrunt
    58. Wind
    59. Con turret
    60. GruntGrunt
    61. GuardGuard
    62. GruntGrunt ×2
    63. Wind
    64. GruntGrunt
    65. Energy storage
    66. GruntGrunt
    67. Wind
    68. GruntGrunt
    69. Con turret
    70. Wind
    71. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    72. GruntGrunt
    73. Mex
    74. Wind
    75. Converter
    76. GruntGrunt
    77. Converter
    78. GraverobberGraverobber
    79. GuardGuard
    80. Wind
    81. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantnot finished by 15:00
    82. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    83. Converter
    84. GruntGrunt
    85. Wind ×4
    86. GruntGrunt ×2
    87. Wind
    88. GuardGuard
    89. GruntGrunt

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Goldenlion's (47 OS, 09/09/2026); 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

Goldenlion

46.5 OS · 09/09/2026

Open source match ↗

13 received units · includes a constructor
458 metal received · 12643 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