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Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard front

Standard Front play: Bot Lab immediately, expanding economy with an Advanced Metal Extractor around 9:00, then defending the wider gap with bots like Thug, Grunt and Aggravator as the middle firms up.

#eco #defence · 171 distinct matches · 62 players · 63% of Cortex Front games · team won 43% of 173 · 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 171 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 · 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
    • Aggravator5 Aggravator
    • Grunt4 Grunt

    Some games also: con turret (42%) · Radar Tower (36%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 38 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. Mex
    4. GruntGrunt
    5. Wind
    6. Mex
    7. GruntGrunt
    8. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    9. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    10. Mex
    11. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    12. Mex
    13. AggravatorAggravator ×4
    14. GuardGuard
    15. Construction BotCon bot
    16. Mex
    17. AggravatorAggravator
    18. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    19. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    20. GuardGuard
    21. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    22. AggravatorAggravator
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind
    25. GraverobberGraverobber
    26. Con turret
    27. GraverobberGraverobber
    28. Wind
    29. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    30. Wind
    31. AggravatorAggravator
    32. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    33. AggravatorAggravator
    34. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    35. Wind
    36. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    37. Wind
    38. 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
    • Thug1 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (47%) · energy storage (43%) · Twin Guard (36%) · Radar Tower (35%) · converter (34%)

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 24 wind · 1 energy storage · 3 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 95 steps
    1. Wind
    2. AggravatorAggravator
    3. Wind ×4
    4. AggravatorAggravator
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Mex
    7. Wind
    8. Con turret
    9. ShipyardShipyardnot finished by 15:00
    10. Wind ×13
    11. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:38
    12. Wind ×4
    13. HerculesLight transport
    14. Wind ×4
    15. ShipyardShipyardnot finished by 15:00
    16. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    17. Wind ×4
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Con turret
    21. Wind
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:24
    23. Wind
    24. HerculesLight transport
    25. Wind ×4
    26. ShipyardShipyarddone 8:39
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:05 · typical 9:12
    28. CastroCastro
    29. Wind
    30. Energy storage
    31. JellyfishJellyfish
    32. Construction ShipCon ship
    33. OppressorDestroyer ×2not finished by 15:00
    34. Con turret
    35. ShipyardShipyarddone 9:18
    36. Wind
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    38. Wind
    39. OppressorDestroyer
    40. Wind
    41. RiptideFrigatedone 9:51
    42. Wind
    43. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    44. RiptideFrigate
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. Wind
    47. RiptideFrigate
    48. Death CavalryDeath Cavalry
    49. Wind
    50. HerringMissile corvette ×2
    51. Wind
    52. HerringMissile corvette ×3
    53. Construction ShipCon ship
    54. Wind
    55. Construction ShipCon ship
    56. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    57. Wind
    58. Seaplane PlatformSeaplane Platformdone 11:49
    59. Wind ×3
    60. Mex
    61. Wind
    62. Dam BusterSeaplane bomber
    63. Wind
    64. Dam BusterSeaplane bomber ×2
    65. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    66. Dam BusterSeaplane bomber ×2
    67. Converter
    68. UrchinUrchin
    69. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    70. Dam BusterSeaplane bomber
    71. Converter
    72. UrchinUrchin
    73. Dam BusterSeaplane bomber
    74. Converter
    75. Dam BusterSeaplane bomber
    76. Con turret
    77. Converter
    78. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:13
    79. UrchinUrchin
    80. Naval Construction Turret
    81. Con turret
    82. Converter
    83. Con turret
    84. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 14:29
    85. Con turret ×2
    86. Wind ×2
    87. Dam BusterSeaplane bomber
    88. Wind ×2
    89. UrchinUrchin
    90. Con turret
    91. Wind ×2
    92. Dam BusterSeaplane bomber
    93. Fusion ReactorFusion
    94. Wind ×2
    95. Experimental GantryExperimental Gantrynot finished by 15:00

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is PRO_Rerory's (49 OS, 28/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:17 · in 68% 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

173 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:0016248686
4:002686350336
5:003810938895
6:00504016971662
7:00633025242607
8:00769533073575
9:00914138954317
10:001085943745102
11:001287050665960
12:001507052866978
13:001774558947597
14:002023963458690
15:002294371609707
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

PRO_Rerory

49.3 OS · 28/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
139 metal received · 62894 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=158
Advanced Metal Extractor9:12Middle 50%: 8:10–10:30 · n=136

Played most by

watermeloans19games of this buildHummell16games of this buildiLike2Eco12games of this buildCentientWaffle8games of this buildGeeGee8games of this build