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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 · 188 distinct matches · 64 players · 62% of Cortex Front games · team won 45% of 191 · 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 188 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 0:33–0:46

    Some games also: wind (49%)

    By 0:24 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 1 step
    1. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:20 · 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 (41%) · Radar Tower (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 38 steps
    1. GraverobberGraverobber
    2. GruntGrunt
    3. GuardGuard
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. GuardGuard
    6. Mex
    7. Construction BotCon bot
    8. Mex
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. Mex
    11. AggravatorAggravator
    12. Mex
    13. AggravatorAggravator
    14. Mex
    15. AggravatorAggravator
    16. GuardGuard
    17. Wind
    18. GuardGuard
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. Mex
    21. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    22. Wind
    23. AggravatorAggravator
    24. GuardGuard
    25. AggravatorAggravator
    26. Wind
    27. GuardGuard
    28. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    29. Wind
    30. AggravatorAggravator
    31. GuardGuard
    32. AggravatorAggravator
    33. Wind
    34. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    35. Wind
    36. GraverobberGraverobber
    37. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    38. Wind
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine17Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Graverobber2 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot
    Army
    • Guard1 Guard
    • Grunt7 Grunt
    • Thug2 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (49%) · energy storage (41%) · Radar Tower (38%) · Twin Guard (36%) · converter (35%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 134 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator ×8
    2. GuardGuard
    3. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    4. GruntGrunt ×3
    5. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. Con turret
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. Con turret
    10. Wind
    11. Construction BotCon bot
    12. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    13. Wind
    14. Construction BotCon bot
    15. GuardGuard
    16. Wind
    17. Construction BotCon botfor Pond
    18. Wind
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. Wind
    21. GuardGuard
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. Wind
    24. Construction BotCon bot
    25. Wind
    26. GuardGuard
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. Wind
    29. Energy storage
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. Wind
    32. GuardGuard
    33. Converter
    34. Wind ×3
    35. GuardGuard
    36. Wind ×3
    37. Converter
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:01 · typical 9:12
    39. Con turret
    40. Wind ×2
    41. Converter
    42. Wind ×5
    43. Converter
    44. Wind ×2
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. Wind ×2
    47. Converter
    48. Wind ×7
    49. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    50. Converter
    51. Wind ×5
    52. Converter
    53. Wind
    54. Advanced solar
    55. Wind ×2
    56. Con turret
    57. Wind
    58. Converter
    59. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    60. Wind
    61. Advanced solar
    62. Wind ×2
    63. Converter
    64. Advanced solar
    65. Wind
    66. Energy storage
    67. Wind ×2
    68. Converter
    69. Advanced solar
    70. Wind ×3
    71. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    72. Advanced solar
    73. Wind
    74. Converter
    75. Wind ×3
    76. Converter
    77. Advanced solar
    78. Converter
    79. Wind
    80. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    81. Wind
    82. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 13:07
    83. Fortification WallFortification Wall ×2
    84. Converter ×2
    85. Wind
    86. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    87. Wind
    88. Fortification WallFortification Wall ×2
    89. Wind
    90. Converter
    91. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 12:35
    92. Converter
    93. Wind
    94. Converter
    95. Wind
    96. Converter ×2
    97. Wind
    98. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    99. Converter
    100. GuardGuard
    101. Wind
    102. Converter
    103. GuardGuard
    104. Converter
    105. GuardGuard
    106. ArbiterArbiterdone 13:30
    107. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    108. Converter
    109. Con turret
    110. GuardGuard
    111. Converter
    112. Con turret
    113. Converter
    114. ArbiterArbiter
    115. Converter ×2
    116. ArbiterArbiter
    117. Converter ×2
    118. DeceiverJammer bot
    119. Converter
    120. ArbiterArbiter
    121. Converter ×3
    122. ArbiterArbiter
    123. Converter
    124. ArbiterArbiter
    125. Converter
    126. ArbiterArbiter
    127. Converter ×2
    128. ArbiterArbiter
    129. Converter ×2
    130. ArbiterArbiter ×2
    131. TwitcherTwitcher
    132. Wind
    133. Converter
    134. TwitcherTwitcher

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Erilium's (48 OS, 03/10/2026); 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 67% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:33 · 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

191 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:0016238686
4:002684366326
5:003814938875
6:00505116511622
7:00631023642607
8:00765531393548
9:00902136104317
10:001084842455102
11:001278048825948
12:001495252076900
13:001730857597591
14:001971462628368
15:002249370189398
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

Erilium

48.1 OS · 03/10/2026

Open source match ↗

25 received units · includes a constructor
20 metal received · 12434 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:40Middle 50%: 0:33–0:46 · n=179
Advanced Metal Extractor9:12Middle 50%: 8:11–10:29 · n=150

Played most by

Hummell20games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildiLike2Eco13games of this buildGeeGee11games of this buildErilium10games of this build