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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 · 177 distinct matches · 62 players · 64% of Cortex Front games · team won 44% of 179 · 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 177 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
    • Wind Turbine1Wind
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 2 mex, 1 winddone ~0:40, middle half 0:34–0:46

    By 0:24 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:40 · 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 (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 35 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. Mex
    3. GruntGrunt
    4. Wind ×2
    5. ThugThug
    6. Wind
    7. ThugThug
    8. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    9. GraverobberGraverobber
    10. Construction BotCon bot
    11. ThugThug
    12. Construction BotCon bot
    13. GruntGrunt
    14. Construction BotCon bot
    15. AggravatorAggravator
    16. Mex
    17. BlitzBlitz
    18. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    19. Mex
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. ThugThug
    22. GruntGrunt
    23. ThugThug
    24. GraverobberGraverobber
    25. GruntGrunt
    26. AggravatorAggravator
    27. Mex
    28. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    29. Construction BotCon bot
    30. ThugThug
    31. GraverobberGraverobber
    32. GruntGrunt
    33. AggravatorAggravator ×4
    34. Wind
    35. AggravatorAggravator ×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 (46%) · energy storage (42%) · Twin Guard (36%) · converter (35%) · Radar Tower (35%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 121 steps
    1. Wind
    2. AggravatorAggravator
    3. Con turret
    4. Wind
    5. AggravatorAggravator
    6. Wind
    7. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    8. Wind
    9. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    10. Mex
    11. Wind
    12. Construction BotCon bot
    13. Wind
    14. ThugThug
    15. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    16. Wind
    17. GraverobberGraverobber
    18. ThugThug
    19. Wind
    20. Mex
    21. GraverobberGraverobber
    22. GruntGrunt
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. AggravatorAggravator
    27. Wind
    28. AggravatorAggravator
    29. Mex
    30. Energy storage
    31. AggravatorAggravator
    32. Converter
    33. GuardGuard
    34. Wind
    35. AggravatorAggravator
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:07 · typical 9:10
    37. Wind
    38. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    39. Converter
    40. AggravatorAggravator
    41. Wind
    42. Converter
    43. AggravatorAggravator
    44. Wind ×2
    45. AggravatorAggravator
    46. Wind
    47. AggravatorAggravator
    48. Con turret
    49. GruntGrunt ×3
    50. Converter
    51. GruntGrunt
    52. GraverobberGraverobber
    53. Converter
    54. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    55. GruntGrunt
    56. Mex
    57. GruntGrunt ×2
    58. Converter
    59. GruntGrunt
    60. Converter
    61. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    62. GruntGrunt
    63. Mex
    64. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    65. GruntGrunt
    66. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    67. Mex
    68. GuardGuard
    69. GruntGrunt ×4
    70. Shark's TeethShark's Teeth
    71. GruntGrunt
    72. Shark's TeethShark's Teeth
    73. GruntGrunt
    74. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    75. Converter
    76. GruntGrunt
    77. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    78. GruntGrunt ×2
    79. GraverobberGraverobber
    80. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    81. GraverobberGraverobber
    82. Con turret
    83. GruntGrunt
    84. GuardGuard
    85. Wind
    86. Con turret
    87. GruntGrunt
    88. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:10
    89. GruntGrunt
    90. Wind
    91. GruntGrunt ×2
    92. Wind
    93. GruntGrunt ×3
    94. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:00
    95. GruntGrunt
    96. Wind
    97. GruntGrunt ×11
    98. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    99. GruntGrunt ×7
    100. Wind
    101. GruntGrunt
    102. GraverobberGraverobber
    103. GruntGrunt
    104. GraverobberGraverobber
    105. GruntGrunt ×5
    106. Wind
    107. GruntGrunt ×2
    108. GraverobberGraverobber
    109. GruntGrunt ×7
    110. TrasherTrasher
    111. GruntGrunt ×2
    112. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    113. Wind
    114. GruntGrunt
    115. TrasherTrasher
    116. GruntGrunt ×2
    117. TrasherTrasher
    118. Wind
    119. GruntGrunt
    120. TrasherTrasher
    121. GruntGrunt

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is GeeGee's (36 OS, 01/10/2026); 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 68% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:26 · 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

179 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:0016248686
4:002692359336
5:003828938883
6:00505116831622
7:00633024302606
8:00769932503477
9:00914838644317
10:001091543525092
11:001287049345948
12:001507052866934
13:001774557647566
14:002019663178516
15:002293570989484
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

GeeGee

36.2 OS · 01/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
61 metal received · 70071 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=164
Advanced Metal Extractor9:10Middle 50%: 8:09–10:29 · n=140

Played most by

Hummell19games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildiLike2Eco12games of this buildCentientWaffle9games of this buildGeeGee9games of this build