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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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:47 · 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 · 47 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GruntGrunt
    3. Wind
    4. GruntGrunt
    5. Wind
    6. GraverobberGraverobber
    7. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    8. AggravatorAggravator
    9. Mex
    10. AggravatorAggravator
    11. Wind
    12. AggravatorAggravator
    13. GuardGuard
    14. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    15. Wind
    16. AggravatorAggravator
    17. Converter
    18. Mex
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. Wind
    21. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    22. Wind
    23. Converter
    24. Mex
    25. AggravatorAggravator
    26. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    27. AggravatorAggravator
    28. Wind
    29. AggravatorAggravator
    30. Converter
    31. GraverobberGraverobberfor Suicide front
    32. Wind
    33. AggravatorAggravator
    34. BeholderBeholder
    35. Wind
    36. AggravatorAggravator
    37. Mex
    38. Converter
    39. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    40. Wind
    41. BeholderBeholder
    42. AggravatorAggravator
    43. BeholderBeholder
    44. Converter
    45. BeholderBeholder
    46. Wind
    47. AggravatorAggravator ×2
  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 · 195 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GraverobberGraverobber
    3. Converter
    4. Wind
    5. AggravatorAggravator
    6. BeholderBeholder ×2
    7. AggravatorAggravator
    8. BeholderBeholder
    9. Wind
    10. Converter
    11. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    12. Wind
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:01 · typical 9:06
    14. AggravatorAggravator
    15. Construction BotCon bot
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. ThugThug ×3
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    23. ThugThug
    24. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    25. ThugThug
    26. Pit BullPit Bull
    27. ThugThug
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    29. ThugThug ×2
    30. GruntGrunt
    31. ThugThug
    32. Wind
    33. Advanced solar
    34. Wind
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Energy storage
    37. Wind
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. Construction BotCon bot
    40. Wind
    41. Advanced solar
    42. Wind
    43. Construction BotCon bot
    44. Wind
    45. GruntGrunt
    46. ThugThug
    47. Wind
    48. GruntGrunt
    49. Advanced solar
    50. Wind
    51. ThugThug
    52. Pit BullPit Bull
    53. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    54. Converter
    55. GruntGrunt
    56. Wind
    57. ThugThug
    58. Wind
    59. GruntGrunt
    60. Con turret
    61. ThugThug
    62. Advanced solar
    63. Wind
    64. Converter
    65. GruntGrunt
    66. Wind
    67. ThugThug
    68. Wind
    69. Con turret ×2
    70. Wind
    71. Advanced solar
    72. GruntGrunt
    73. Converter
    74. Wind
    75. ThugThug
    76. Con turret
    77. GruntGrunt
    78. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    79. Wind
    80. ThugThug
    81. Con turret
    82. Wind
    83. Con turret
    84. Advanced solar
    85. Converter
    86. Con turret
    87. Construction BotCon bot
    88. Wind
    89. Construction BotCon bot
    90. Con turret
    91. Wind
    92. Construction BotCon bot
    93. Con turret
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. ThugThug
    96. Wind
    97. Con turret
    98. GruntGrunt
    99. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    100. Advanced solar
    101. Con turret
    102. ThugThug
    103. Converter
    104. GruntGrunt
    105. Con turret
    106. Wind
    107. Pit BullPit Bull
    108. ThugThug
    109. GruntGrunt
    110. Wind
    111. Con turret
    112. Wind
    113. GruntGrunt
    114. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    115. Wind
    116. Advanced solar
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. GruntGrunt ×2
    120. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    121. GruntGrunt
    122. Wind ×2
    123. GruntGrunt ×2
    124. Wind
    125. GruntGrunt
    126. Wind
    127. GruntGrunt
    128. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    129. Wind
    130. GruntGrunt
    131. Wind ×3
    132. GruntGrunt
    133. Wind
    134. GruntGrunt
    135. Wind
    136. GruntGrunt
    137. Wind
    138. GruntGrunt ×2
    139. Wind ×2
    140. GruntGrunt
    141. Wind
    142. Converter
    143. Advanced solar
    144. Wind
    145. GruntGrunt
    146. Wind
    147. GruntGrunt
    148. Wind
    149. GruntGrunt
    150. Wind
    151. GruntGrunt
    152. Wind
    153. GruntGrunt
    154. Wind
    155. GruntGrunt
    156. Wind
    157. GruntGrunt
    158. Wind
    159. GruntGrunt
    160. Wind
    161. GruntGrunt
    162. Wind
    163. Con turret
    164. GruntGrunt
    165. Wind ×2
    166. GruntGrunt
    167. Wind
    168. GruntGrunt ×2
    169. Wind
    170. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    171. GruntGrunt ×2
    172. Wind ×2
    173. GruntGrunt
    174. Converter
    175. GruntGrunt ×4
    176. Wind ×2
    177. GruntGrunt
    178. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    179. Advanced solar
    180. Wind
    181. Construction BotCon bot
    182. Wind ×3
    183. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 14:47
    184. Wind
    185. Converter
    186. Wind
    187. Fortification WallFortification Wall
    188. Wind
    189. Fortification WallFortification Wall ×2
    190. Wind
    191. SheldonSheldondone 14:54
    192. Wind
    193. SheldonSheldon
    194. Converter ×2
    195. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is EXZoPrimer3's (39 OS, 19/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

Nothing regular.

You get

  • Tidal Generator4 Tidal from Pondfirst at 0:18 · 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

EXZoPrimer3

39.0 OS · 19/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
70 metal received · 45026 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