BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:44 · 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 · 20 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GruntGrunt ×2
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. Wind
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. Wind
    7. ThugThug
    8. Mex
    9. ThugThug ×3
    10. Mex
    11. ThugThug ×3
    12. Mex
    13. ThugThug
    14. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    15. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    16. GruntGrunt ×2
    17. Construction BotCon bot
    18. AggravatorAggravator ×16
    19. Wind
    20. AggravatorAggravator
  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 · 128 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator
    2. Wind
    3. AggravatorAggravator
    4. Wind
    5. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    6. Wind
    7. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    8. Wind
    9. AggravatorAggravator
    10. GraverobberGraverobber
    11. Wind
    12. AggravatorAggravator
    13. GraverobberGraverobber
    14. Wind
    15. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    16. Wind
    17. AggravatorAggravator
    18. Wind
    19. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    20. Wind
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:08 · typical 9:06
    22. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    23. Wind ×3
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. GruntGrunt ×7
    26. Energy storage
    27. GruntGrunt ×7
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    29. GruntGrunt ×2
    30. Con turret
    31. GruntGrunt ×2
    32. Wind
    33. GruntGrunt ×2
    34. Wind
    35. GruntGrunt
    36. Wind
    37. GruntGrunt
    38. Wind
    39. GruntGrunt
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    41. Wind
    42. GruntGrunt
    43. Wind
    44. GruntGrunt
    45. Wind ×2
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. Wind
    48. Construction BotCon bot
    49. Wind
    50. Con turret
    51. Wind
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    53. Wind ×2
    54. GruntGrunt
    55. Wind
    56. GruntGrunt
    57. Con turret
    58. GruntGrunt
    59. Wind
    60. GruntGrunt
    61. Wind
    62. Advanced solar
    63. GruntGrunt
    64. Wind
    65. GruntGrunt ×2
    66. Con turret
    67. Wind
    68. GruntGrunt
    69. Wind
    70. GruntGrunt ×2
    71. Wind
    72. GruntGrunt
    73. Advanced solar
    74. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 13:33
    75. GruntGrunt ×2
    76. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    77. GruntGrunt
    78. Advanced solar
    79. GruntGrunt
    80. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    81. GruntGrunt
    82. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    83. GruntGrunt
    84. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    85. GruntGrunt
    86. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    87. GruntGrunt ×2
    88. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    89. GruntGrunt
    90. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    91. GruntGrunt ×2
    92. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    93. GruntGrunt ×2
    94. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    95. GruntGrunt ×2
    96. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    97. GruntGrunt
    98. Energy storage
    99. GruntGrunt
    100. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    101. Advanced solar
    102. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    103. GruntGrunt ×2
    104. Converter
    105. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    106. GruntGrunt
    107. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    108. GruntGrunt
    109. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    110. Converter
    111. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    112. GruntGrunt
    113. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    114. RattlesnakeRattlesnake
    115. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    116. Converter
    117. GruntGrunt
    118. Converter
    119. GruntGrunt
    120. Converter
    121. GruntGrunt ×2
    122. Converter
    123. GruntGrunt ×5
    124. ParalyzerParalyzernot finished by 15:00
    125. GruntGrunt
    126. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    127. GruntGrunt ×7
    128. Construction BotCon bot ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is JustSomeGuy's (35 OS, 20/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:18 · 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

JustSomeGuy

35.1 OS · 20/08/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
13 metal received · 14304 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