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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 · 502 distinct matches · 154 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 51% of 519 · 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 502 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 (39%)

    By 0:23 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:34 · 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 (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 42 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GruntGrunt
    3. Wind
    4. GruntGrunt
    5. Wind
    6. GruntGrunt
    7. Wind
    8. GraverobberGraverobber
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. Mex
    11. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    12. GruntGrunt ×2
    13. Construction BotCon bot
    14. Mex
    15. GuardGuard
    16. AggravatorAggravator
    17. Construction BotCon bot
    18. Mex
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. GuardGuard
    21. AggravatorAggravator
    22. GuardGuard
    23. AggravatorAggravator
    24. Mex
    25. Con turret
    26. GuardGuard
    27. AggravatorAggravator ×5
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. AggravatorAggravator
    31. Wind
    32. AggravatorAggravator
    33. Wind
    34. AggravatorAggravator
    35. Converter
    36. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    37. Converter
    38. Wind
    39. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    40. Converter
    41. Wind
    42. AggravatorAggravator
  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
    • Thug5 Thug
    • Aggravator1 Aggravator

    Some games also: Radar Tower (44%) · energy storage (36%) · converter (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 · 110 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator
    2. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    3. Wind
    4. AggravatorAggravator
    5. Wind
    6. AggravatorAggravator
    7. GraverobberGraverobber
    8. Wind
    9. AggravatorAggravator
    10. Wind
    11. AggravatorAggravator
    12. Wind
    13. AggravatorAggravator
    14. GruntGrunt
    15. Wind
    16. GruntGrunt ×2
    17. Wind
    18. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    19. GruntGrunt
    20. Wind
    21. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    22. GruntGrunt
    23. GraverobberGraverobber
    24. Wind
    25. GraverobberGraverobber
    26. Mex
    27. Wind
    28. GraverobberGraverobber
    29. Wind
    30. AggravatorAggravator
    31. Wind
    32. AggravatorAggravator
    33. Wind
    34. AggravatorAggravator
    35. Wind
    36. AggravatorAggravator
    37. Wind
    38. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    39. Wind
    40. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    41. Converter
    42. AggravatorAggravator
    43. Wind
    44. AggravatorAggravator
    45. Converter
    46. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    47. Energy storage
    48. Wind
    49. AggravatorAggravator
    50. Wind
    51. AggravatorAggravator
    52. Wind
    53. GruntGrunt
    54. Wind
    55. GruntGrunt ×2
    56. Wind
    57. GruntGrunt ×2
    58. Wind
    59. GruntGrunt ×5
    60. Wind
    61. GruntGrunt ×4
    62. Con turret
    63. Wind
    64. GruntGrunt ×2
    65. Con turret
    66. GruntGrunt
    67. Metal storage
    68. Wind
    69. GruntGrunt ×3
    70. Wind
    71. GruntGrunt ×4
    72. GraverobberGraverobber ×4
    73. GruntGrunt ×12
    74. Con turret ×2
    75. Construction BotCon bot
    76. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:40 · typical 9:27
    77. Construction BotCon bot
    78. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:26
    79. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    80. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    81. Construction BotCon bot
    82. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    83. Converter
    84. GruntGrunt ×3
    85. Converter
    86. GruntGrunt ×2
    87. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    88. GruntGrunt
    89. Converter
    90. GruntGrunt ×3
    91. Converter
    92. GruntGrunt ×3
    93. Converter
    94. GruntGrunt ×3
    95. Converter
    96. GruntGrunt ×2
    97. GraverobberGraverobber
    98. Converter
    99. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    100. Converter
    101. GraverobberGraverobber
    102. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    103. GraverobberGraverobber
    104. Converter
    105. GruntGrunt ×2
    106. Con turret
    107. GruntGrunt ×15
    108. Construction BotCon bot
    109. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    110. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labnot finished by 15:00

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is kbssilks's (36 OS, 15/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:16 · in 64% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:51 · 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

05k10k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

05k10k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

519 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085600
3:00163410886
4:002716391344
5:003868945840
6:00512416061538
7:00641424352457
8:00778931893352
9:00924339074317
10:001093247145092
11:001273553286009
12:001466158656890
13:001695663767632
14:001916570188570
15:002086476719383
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

kbssilks

36.0 OS · 15/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
412 metal received · 23115 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=505
Advanced Metal Extractor9:27Middle 50%: 8:20–10:45 · n=378

Played most by

iLike2Eco33games of this buildSauceDispenser28games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildUncle_Cane15games of this build