BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 209 distinct matches · 68 players · 63% of Cortex Front games · team won 44% of 212 · 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 209 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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:34 · 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
    • Thug7 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 · 18 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. GruntGrunt ×7
    4. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    5. Mex
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. ThugThug
    8. Mex
    9. ThugThug ×3
    10. Mex
    11. ThugThug ×3
    12. AggravatorAggravator ×5
    13. Mex
    14. GuardGuard
    15. ThugThug ×5
    16. Con turret
    17. ThugThug
    18. Construction BotCon bot ×3
  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 (47%) · energy storage (40%) · Radar Tower (39%) · converter (36%) · Twin Guard (36%) · eat Bot Lab (37%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 131 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator ×5
    2. Wind
    3. AggravatorAggravator
    4. Wind
    5. AggravatorAggravator
    6. Wind
    7. AggravatorAggravator
    8. Wind
    9. AggravatorAggravator
    10. Wind
    11. AggravatorAggravator
    12. Wind
    13. AggravatorAggravator
    14. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    15. Wind
    16. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    17. GraverobberGraverobber
    18. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    19. Wind
    20. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    21. GraverobberGraverobber
    22. Wind
    23. GraverobberGraverobber
    24. Wind ×2
    25. GraverobberGraverobber
    26. AggravatorAggravator
    27. Wind
    28. AggravatorAggravator
    29. Wind
    30. AggravatorAggravator
    31. Mex
    32. Wind
    33. AggravatorAggravator
    34. Mex
    35. Wind
    36. AggravatorAggravator
    37. Converter
    38. Con turret
    39. Wind
    40. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    41. Wind ×2
    42. Converter
    43. AggravatorAggravator
    44. Wind
    45. Con turret
    46. AggravatorAggravator
    47. Wind
    48. AggravatorAggravator
    49. Wind
    50. Converter
    51. AggravatorAggravator
    52. CastroCastro
    53. Wind ×2
    54. AggravatorAggravator
    55. Converter
    56. Wind
    57. AggravatorAggravator
    58. Wind
    59. Converter
    60. AggravatorAggravator
    61. Converter
    62. Wind
    63. AggravatorAggravator
    64. Converter
    65. Wind
    66. AggravatorAggravator
    67. Wind
    68. Converter
    69. Con turret
    70. Wind
    71. AggravatorAggravator
    72. Wind
    73. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    74. Wind ×2
    75. Con turret
    76. Wind ×2
    77. Con turret
    78. Wind ×5
    79. Con turret
    80. CastroCastro
    81. Wind
    82. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    83. Wind ×8
    84. Converter
    85. Wind
    86. Converter
    87. Wind
    88. Converter ×5
    89. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 12:05 · typical 9:13
    90. Converter
    91. Twin GuardTwin Guard ×2
    92. Converter ×2
    93. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    94. Converter ×2
    95. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:52
    96. LazarusLazarus ×5
    97. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 13:23
    98. LazarusLazarus
    99. BruteBrute
    100. LazarusLazarus
    101. PawnPawn
    102. BruteBrute
    103. PawnPawn
    104. BruteBrute
    105. PawnPawn ×2
    106. BruteBrute
    107. PawnPawn
    108. BruteBrute
    109. PawnPawn
    110. BruteBrute
    111. PawnPawn ×2
    112. LazarusLazarus
    113. BruteBrute
    114. LazarusLazarus
    115. BruteBrute
    116. LazarusLazarus
    117. BruteBrute
    118. PawnPawn
    119. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    120. BruteBrute
    121. PawnPawn
    122. BruteBrute
    123. PawnPawn
    124. BruteBrute
    125. PawnPawn
    126. BruteBrute
    127. PawnPawn
    128. BruteBrute
    129. PawnPawn
    130. BruteBrute
    131. PawnPawn

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is El_Turco's (37 OS, 05/10/2026); 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 66% 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

212 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:0016238686
4:002685356326
5:003812920862
6:00505516461608
7:00632923862536
8:00769131743348
9:00914638224242
10:001088743925077
11:001282749235936
12:001501152976967
13:001732959477650
14:001970263318543
15:002237471809445
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

El_Turco

36.6 OS · 05/10/2026

Open source match ↗

24 received units · includes a constructor
114 metal received · 24508 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=196
Advanced Metal Extractor9:13Middle 50%: 8:15–10:29 · n=166

Played most by

Hummell23games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildiLike2Eco13games of this buildErilium11games of this buildGeeGee11games of this build