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Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 451 distinct matches · 138 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 51% of 468 · 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 451 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 (41%)

    By 0:23 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:52 · 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 (34%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 36 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. GraverobberGraverobber
    4. GruntGrunt ×2
    5. Energy storage
    6. Mex
    7. GruntGrunt
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. GruntGrunt ×3
    10. Mex
    11. GruntGrunt ×2
    12. Construction BotCon bot
    13. ThugThug
    14. GuardGuard
    15. ThugThug
    16. Mex
    17. ThugThug ×2
    18. GuardGuard
    19. ThugThug
    20. GuardGuard
    21. AggravatorAggravator
    22. GuardGuard
    23. AggravatorAggravator
    24. WardenWarden
    25. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    26. Wind
    27. AggravatorAggravator
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind
    30. ThugThug
    31. WardenWarden
    32. ThugThug
    33. Converter
    34. ThugThug
    35. Mex
    36. 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
    • Grunt8 Grunt
    • Thug4 Thug
    • Aggravator1 Aggravator

    Some games also: Radar Tower (43%) · 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 · 41 steps
    1. ThugThug
    2. Wind
    3. ThugThug ×3
    4. Wind
    5. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    6. ThugThug
    7. Wind ×2
    8. ThugThug
    9. GuardGuard
    10. ThugThug ×2
    11. Con turret
    12. ThugThug ×5
    13. WardenWarden
    14. ThugThug
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:20 · typical 9:23
    16. Mex
    17. ThugThug
    18. AgitatorAgitatordone 9:26
    19. Wind
    20. GraverobberGraverobber
    21. AgitatorAgitator ×2
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    24. CastroCastro
    25. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    26. Mex
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. GraverobberGraverobber
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    30. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    31. Mex
    32. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    33. Wind
    34. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    35. GuardGuard
    36. Wind
    37. GuardGuard
    38. Wind ×4
    39. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    40. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 13:05
    41. WolverineWolverine ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is SK0NK's (31 OS, 20/09/2026); 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 65% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:46 · 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

02.5k5k7.5k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

05k10k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

468 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085600
3:00162710486
4:002711389341
5:003853921839
6:00510915891556
7:00639523722474
8:00772631253385
9:00915138374291
10:001079845385079
11:001264252055987
12:001450856906925
13:001681462067630
14:001896966638539
15:002063272579305
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

SK0NK

30.6 OS · 20/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
288 metal received · 31441 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=454
Advanced Metal Extractor9:23Middle 50%: 8:19–10:45 · n=343

Played most by

iLike2Eco31games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildEl_Turco15games of this build