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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 · 443 distinct matches · 137 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 50% of 460 · 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 443 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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:35 · 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 · 30 steps
    1. GraverobberGraverobber
    2. Mex
    3. GruntGrunt
    4. Wind
    5. GruntGrunt ×3
    6. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    7. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    8. Mex
    9. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    10. Construction BotCon bot
    11. Mex
    12. Construction BotCon bot
    13. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    14. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    15. GuardGuard
    16. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    17. GuardGuard
    18. AggravatorAggravator
    19. GraverobberGraverobber
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. ThugThug
    22. GuardGuard
    23. ThugThug
    24. GuardGuard
    25. ThugThug ×3
    26. Energy storage
    27. Wind
    28. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    29. Wind
    30. ThugThug
  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%) · converter (36%) · energy storage (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 · 112 steps
    1. Construction BotCon bot
    2. Wind
    3. ThugThug
    4. Wind
    5. ThugThug ×2
    6. Con turret
    7. GuardGuard
    8. ThugThug
    9. Wind
    10. ThugThug
    11. Wind
    12. Construction BotCon bot
    13. Wind
    14. ThugThug
    15. Wind
    16. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    17. GraverobberGraverobber
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. GraverobberGraverobber
    21. Converter
    22. Wind
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. ThugThug
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. GuardGuard
    29. ThugThug
    30. Wind
    31. ThugThug
    32. Wind
    33. ThugThug ×2
    34. GraverobberGraverobber
    35. ThugThug ×2
    36. GuardGuard
    37. ThugThug ×4
    38. Mex
    39. ThugThug
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:34 · typical 9:24
    41. ThugThug ×3
    42. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    43. ThugThug
    44. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    45. ThugThug
    46. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    47. Con turret
    48. ThugThug
    49. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    50. ThugThug ×3
    51. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    52. GraverobberGraverobber
    53. Energy storage
    54. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    55. GruntGrunt
    56. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:02
    57. GruntGrunt
    58. Metal storage
    59. GruntGrunt
    60. Wind ×2
    61. GruntGrunt
    62. Wind
    63. Con turret
    64. GruntGrunt
    65. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    66. GraverobberGraverobber
    67. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    68. GruntGrunt ×2
    69. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    70. GruntGrunt ×3
    71. GraverobberGraverobber
    72. Con turret
    73. JunoJuno
    74. GruntGrunt
    75. Con turret
    76. GruntGrunt ×2
    77. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    78. GruntGrunt
    79. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    80. Con turret
    81. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. GraverobberGraverobber
    84. Converter
    85. GruntGrunt ×2
    86. Converter
    87. Con turret
    88. GruntGrunt
    89. Wind
    90. GruntGrunt
    91. Converter
    92. GruntGrunt
    93. GraverobberGraverobber
    94. Converter
    95. GruntGrunt ×2
    96. Converter
    97. GruntGrunt
    98. Wind
    99. Converter
    100. GruntGrunt
    101. Converter
    102. GruntGrunt
    103. Converter
    104. GraverobberGraverobber
    105. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    106. Converter
    107. GruntGrunt
    108. Wind
    109. GruntGrunt ×4
    110. GraverobberGraverobber
    111. Con turret
    112. GruntGrunt

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Vaik's (34 OS, 05/08/2026); 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

460 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085400
3:00162710086
4:002704386337
5:003850916838
6:00510515861559
7:00638923642474
8:00772630943385
9:00914637694271
10:001077344855070
11:001264252035984
12:001455357176925
13:001682962137650
14:001901866638579
15:002063272469349
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

Vaik

34.1 OS · 05/08/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
1 metal received · 18698 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=447
Advanced Metal Extractor9:24Middle 50%: 8:19–10:45 · n=338

Played most by

iLike2Eco31games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildHummell15games of this build