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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. Mex ×3
  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 · 23 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 0:53
    3. RascalRascal ×4for Pond
    4. RascalRascal
    5. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    6. Wind
    7. IncisorIncisor
    8. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    9. IncisorIncisor ×2
    10. PounderPounder
    11. Mex
    12. WolverineWolverine ×2
    13. Mex
    14. Wind
    15. WolverineWolverine
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Mex
    18. WolverineWolverine ×2
    19. GuardGuard ×2
    20. WolverineWolverine ×2
    21. GuardGuard ×2
    22. WolverineWolverine ×3
    23. Con turret
  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 · 124 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Con turret
    3. Wind
    4. IncisorIncisor ×2
    5. GuardGuard ×2
    6. IncisorIncisor
    7. GuardGuard
    8. PounderPounder
    9. WolverineWolverine ×2
    10. GuardGuard
    11. Wind
    12. GuardGuard
    13. WolverineWolverine
    14. Wind
    15. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    16. Wind
    17. GuardGuard
    18. Wind ×2
    19. GuardGuard
    20. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    25. Wind
    26. Con turret
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    29. Wind ×3
    30. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    31. Converter
    32. Wind ×2
    33. Con turret
    34. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    35. Wind ×3
    36. Con turret
    37. Wind ×2
    38. IncisorIncisor
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:38 · typical 9:06
    40. Energy storage
    41. Wind ×3
    42. CastroCastro
    43. Wind ×8
    44. AgitatorAgitatordone 10:30
    45. Wind ×4
    46. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    47. Wind
    48. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    49. Wind
    50. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×8
    51. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    52. Wind
    53. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    54. Converter
    55. Wind
    56. Converter
    57. Wind ×3
    58. Con turret
    59. Converter
    60. Wind ×3
    61. Converter
    62. Wind ×2
    63. WardenWarden
    64. Wind
    65. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    66. Converter
    67. Wind ×3
    68. Converter
    69. Wind
    70. IncisorIncisor
    71. Wind ×2
    72. IncisorIncisor
    73. Converter
    74. Wind ×2
    75. IncisorIncisor
    76. Wind ×2
    77. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 12:21
    78. Converter
    79. IncisorIncisor
    80. Wind
    81. IncisorIncisor
    82. Converter
    83. IncisorIncisor ×2
    84. Wind
    85. IncisorIncisor
    86. Wind ×3
    87. IncisorIncisor ×2
    88. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    89. IncisorIncisor
    90. Wind
    91. IncisorIncisor ×2
    92. Wind
    93. IncisorIncisor
    94. Wind
    95. IncisorIncisor ×2
    96. Wind ×3
    97. Converter
    98. IncisorIncisor ×5
    99. Wind
    100. IncisorIncisor
    101. PulsarPulsardone 14:29
    102. IncisorIncisor
    103. Converter
    104. IncisorIncisor
    105. Wind ×2
    106. IncisorIncisor
    107. Wind
    108. IncisorIncisor ×2
    109. Wind
    110. IncisorIncisor ×4
    111. Converter
    112. Wind ×2
    113. IncisorIncisor ×3
    114. Converter
    115. IncisorIncisor ×2
    116. Wind
    117. IncisorIncisor ×3
    118. Wind
    119. IncisorIncisor ×2
    120. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    121. IncisorIncisor
    122. Wind
    123. Converter
    124. IncisorIncisor

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hummell's (46 OS, 14/09/2026); 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

Hummell

45.7 OS · 14/09/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
773 metal received · 27884 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