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Standard front

Cortex Front build order · Supreme Isthmus

The role's default economy-first play: Bot Lab right away, Advanced Metal Extractor around 9:12, transitioning into the usual Thug/Grunt/Aggravator mix to hold the wider gap and feed the middle.

#eco #defence · 209 distinct matches · 68 players · 63% of Cortex Front games · team won 44% of 212 · 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 209 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 (50%)

    By 0:24 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:39 · 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
    • Thug7 Thug
    • Aggravator5 Aggravator
    • Grunt4 Grunt

    Some games also: con turret (42%) · Radar Tower (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 34 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GruntGrunt
    3. Wind
    4. GruntGrunt
    5. Wind ×2
    6. GruntGrunt
    7. Mex
    8. GruntGrunt ×2
    9. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    10. GraverobberGraverobber
    11. Con turret
    12. ThugThug ×3
    13. Mex
    14. Wind
    15. ThugThug
    16. Wind
    17. ThugThug
    18. GraverobberGraverobber
    19. ThugThug ×2
    20. Mex
    21. ThugThug
    22. Mex
    23. ThugThug ×2
    24. GuardGuard
    25. GraverobberGraverobber
    26. ThugThug
    27. Energy storage
    28. ThugThug
    29. GuardGuard
    30. ThugThug
    31. GuardGuard
    32. ThugThug ×2
    33. GraverobberGraverobber
    34. 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
    • Grunt7 Grunt
    • Thug2 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (47%) · energy storage (40%) · Radar Tower (39%) · converter (36%) · Twin Guard (36%) · eat Bot Lab (37%)

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 24 wind · 3 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 122 steps
    1. GraverobberGraverobber
    2. AggravatorAggravator ×17
    3. GraverobberGraverobber ×5
    4. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    5. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. GuardGuard
    8. Wind
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. GuardGuard
    11. Wind ×3
    12. Energy storage
    13. GuardGuard
    14. Construction BotCon bot
    15. Wind ×2
    16. GraverobberGraverobber
    17. GuardGuard
    18. Wind
    19. ThugThug
    20. Wind
    21. ThugThug
    22. GraverobberGraverobber
    23. ThugThug
    24. Wind
    25. CenturionCenturion
    26. GraverobberGraverobber
    27. Wind ×3
    28. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    29. Converter
    30. TickTick
    31. Wind
    32. Mex
    33. RocketeerRocketeer
    34. Wind
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Wind
    37. Con turret
    38. Wind
    39. ThistleThistle
    40. Mex
    41. Wind
    42. Construction BotCon bot
    43. Wind ×2
    44. ThistleThistle
    45. Converter
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. Wind ×2
    48. Con turret
    49. GuardGuard
    50. Wind
    51. Converter
    52. Wind
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. Wind ×2
    55. Construction BotCon bot
    56. Wind ×4
    57. Converter
    58. GraverobberGraverobber
    59. Converter
    60. Wind ×2
    61. GraverobberGraverobber
    62. Wind
    63. GraverobberGraverobber
    64. Converter
    65. Wind
    66. Construction BotCon bot
    67. Wind ×4
    68. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    69. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 11:27
    70. Converter
    71. Wind ×2
    72. Converter
    73. Wind ×2
    74. Converter
    75. GuardGuard
    76. Wind ×3
    77. Converter
    78. GuardGuard
    79. Wind
    80. GuardGuard
    81. Converter ×2
    82. GuardGuard
    83. Wind ×2
    84. GuardGuard
    85. Converter
    86. GuardGuard
    87. Wind
    88. Converter
    89. Advanced Construction BotT2 con bot
    90. Wind ×2
    91. GuardGuard
    92. Wind ×3
    93. Converter
    94. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 12:08 · typical 9:13
    95. Wind ×3
    96. Converter
    97. Wind
    98. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    99. Wind ×3
    100. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    101. Wind ×2
    102. SheldonSheldonnot finished by 15:00
    103. AugurRadar bot
    104. Wind
    105. Converter
    106. Wind ×2
    107. DeceiverJammer bot
    108. GuardGuard
    109. Wind
    110. SheldonSheldon
    111. GuardGuard
    112. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    113. Wind
    114. SheldonSheldon
    115. Wind ×4
    116. GuardGuard
    117. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    118. SheldonSheldon
    119. Converter
    120. Wind ×2
    121. FiendFiend
    122. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hummell's (49 OS, 12/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:17 · in 66% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:34 · in 66% 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

212 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:0016238686
4:002685356326
5:003812920862
6:00505516461608
7:00632923862536
8:00769131743348
9:00914638224242
10:001088743925077
11:001282749235936
12:001501152976967
13:001732959477650
14:001970263318543
15:002237471809445
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

Hummell

48.9 OS · 12/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
684 metal received · 101289 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=196
Advanced Metal Extractor9:13Middle 50%: 8:15–10:29 · n=166

Played most by

Hummell23games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildiLike2Eco13games of this buildErilium11games of this buildGeeGee11games of this build