BAR / BUILD ATLAS
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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:46 · 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
    • 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 · 20 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. ThugThug
    4. Mex
    5. ThugThug ×3
    6. GraverobberGraverobber
    7. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    8. AggravatorAggravator
    9. Mex
    10. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    11. Mex
    12. AggravatorAggravator ×8
    13. Mex
    14. AggravatorAggravator ×6
    15. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    16. AggravatorAggravator
    17. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    18. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    19. GraverobberGraverobber
    20. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
  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 · 157 steps
    1. ThugThug
    2. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    3. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    4. AggravatorAggravator
    5. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    8. GuardGuard
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. AggravatorAggravator
    11. GuardGuard
    12. Wind
    13. AggravatorAggravator
    14. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    15. AggravatorAggravator
    16. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    17. AggravatorAggravator
    18. Wind
    19. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    20. AggravatorAggravator
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:42 · typical 9:06
    22. AggravatorAggravator
    23. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    24. Wind
    25. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    26. GuardGuard
    27. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    28. Wind
    29. Con turret
    30. AggravatorAggravator
    31. GruntGrunt
    32. Wind
    33. GruntGrunt
    34. GuardGuard
    35. GruntGrunt
    36. Wind
    37. GruntGrunt
    38. GuardGuard
    39. GruntGrunt ×2
    40. Wind
    41. GruntGrunt
    42. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    43. GruntGrunt
    44. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    45. Wind
    46. GruntGrunt
    47. GuardGuard
    48. GruntGrunt ×2
    49. Wind
    50. GuardGuard
    51. GruntGrunt
    52. Wind
    53. GruntGrunt ×2
    54. Wind
    55. GruntGrunt ×2
    56. Wind
    57. Mex
    58. GruntGrunt
    59. Con turret
    60. GruntGrunt
    61. Wind
    62. Construction BotCon bot
    63. Wind
    64. Construction BotCon bot
    65. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    66. Wind
    67. Construction BotCon bot
    68. Wind
    69. GruntGrunt
    70. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    71. Construction BotCon bot
    72. Wind
    73. GuardGuard
    74. Con turret
    75. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    76. Wind ×2
    77. GraverobberGraverobber
    78. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 10:22
    79. Wind
    80. Con turret
    81. Wind
    82. PounderPounder ×2
    83. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    84. Wind
    85. GraverobberGraverobber
    86. PounderPounder
    87. LasherLasher
    88. Wind
    89. PounderPounder
    90. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    91. Wind
    92. GraverobberGraverobber
    93. PounderPounder
    94. Wind
    95. GraverobberGraverobber
    96. Wind
    97. PounderPounder
    98. Energy storage
    99. GraverobberGraverobber
    100. Wind
    101. PounderPounder
    102. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    103. PounderPounder
    104. Wind ×2
    105. Solar
    106. Wind
    107. Solar
    108. Wind
    109. Solar
    110. StoutStout
    111. Wind
    112. Con turret
    113. LasherLasher
    114. StoutStout
    115. Solar
    116. Wind ×4
    117. Solar
    118. Wind ×2
    119. Mex
    120. Wind ×3
    121. PounderPounder
    122. Wind ×3
    123. Hardened Energy Storage
    124. PounderPounder
    125. Wind ×3
    126. PounderPounder
    127. Wind ×6
    128. Mex
    129. PounderPounder
    130. Wind ×3
    131. PounderPounder
    132. Wind ×2
    133. LasherLasher
    134. Wind ×3
    135. PounderPounder
    136. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    137. Wind ×3
    138. PounderPounder
    139. Wind ×2
    140. PounderPounder
    141. Wind ×2
    142. Mex
    143. PounderPounder
    144. Wind ×3
    145. PounderPounder
    146. Wind ×2
    147. LasherLasher
    148. Wind ×3
    149. PounderPounder
    150. Wind ×2
    151. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    152. PounderPounder
    153. Wind ×3
    154. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    155. PounderPounder
    156. Wind ×2
    157. PounderPounder

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is watermeloans's (55 OS, 19/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:18 · 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

watermeloans

55.0 OS · 19/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
649 metal received · 48085 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