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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:39 · 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 · 32 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. Mex
    3. GruntGrunt
    4. Wind ×2
    5. ThugThug
    6. Wind
    7. AggravatorAggravator
    8. ThugThug
    9. AggravatorAggravator
    10. GraverobberGraverobber
    11. Construction BotCon bot
    12. ThugThug
    13. GruntGrunt
    14. Construction BotCon bot
    15. ThugThug
    16. GraverobberGraverobber
    17. Mex
    18. GruntGrunt
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. Mex
    22. ThugThug
    23. GraverobberGraverobber
    24. Mex
    25. GruntGrunt
    26. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. ThugThug
    29. GraverobberGraverobber
    30. GruntGrunt
    31. AggravatorAggravator ×5
    32. Construction BotCon bot
  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 · 131 steps
    1. ThugThug
    2. Con turret
    3. GraverobberGraverobber
    4. GruntGrunt
    5. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    6. Wind
    7. AggravatorAggravator
    8. Wind
    9. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    10. Wind
    11. Construction BotCon bot
    12. ThugThug
    13. GraverobberGraverobber
    14. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    15. Wind
    16. GruntGrunt
    17. AggravatorAggravator ×5
    18. ThugThug
    19. GruntGrunt
    20. GuardGuard
    21. ThugThug
    22. Wind
    23. GruntGrunt
    24. Mex
    25. Wind
    26. Mex
    27. Wind
    28. GruntGrunt
    29. Mex
    30. ThugThug
    31. GraverobberGraverobber
    32. Wind ×2
    33. Con turret
    34. Mex
    35. GraverobberGraverobber
    36. Wind ×3
    37. GraverobberGraverobber
    38. Wind
    39. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    40. Wind
    41. GraverobberGraverobber
    42. Wind ×3
    43. Energy storage
    44. GruntGrunt
    45. Wind ×2
    46. GruntGrunt
    47. Energy storage
    48. Wind
    49. GruntGrunt
    50. Wind
    51. TrasherTrasher
    52. Wind
    53. Con turret
    54. TrasherTrasher
    55. Mex
    56. Wind ×2
    57. Con turret
    58. TrasherTrasher
    59. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    60. Con turret
    61. GruntGrunt
    62. Wind
    63. GruntGrunt
    64. Wind
    65. GruntGrunt
    66. Wind
    67. GruntGrunt ×2
    68. Wind ×2
    69. GruntGrunt
    70. Wind
    71. GruntGrunt
    72. Wind ×2
    73. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    74. GruntGrunt
    75. Wind
    76. GruntGrunt
    77. Wind ×2
    78. GruntGrunt
    79. Wind
    80. GruntGrunt
    81. Wind ×2
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. Wind
    84. Converter
    85. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    86. GruntGrunt
    87. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    88. Wind
    89. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    90. Converter
    91. GruntGrunt
    92. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    93. Wind
    94. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    95. GruntGrunt
    96. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    97. Converter
    98. GruntGrunt ×3
    99. Converter
    100. GruntGrunt
    101. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 13:24 · typical 9:12
    102. GruntGrunt
    103. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    104. Converter
    105. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    106. JunoJuno
    107. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    108. GruntGrunt
    109. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    110. GruntGrunt
    111. Converter
    112. GruntGrunt
    113. GraverobberGraverobber
    114. Converter
    115. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    116. Converter
    117. Bot LabBot Labdone 14:08
    118. Converter
    119. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    120. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 14:48
    121. GruntGrunt ×4
    122. Wind
    123. GruntGrunt
    124. RascalRascal
    125. GruntGrunt
    126. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    127. RascalRascal
    128. Wind
    129. GruntGrunt
    130. RascalRascal
    131. GruntGrunt

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is GeeGee's (38 OS, 29/09/2026); 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

GeeGee

37.5 OS · 29/09/2026

Open source match ↗

18 received units · includes a constructor
188 metal received · 40807 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