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Standard front

Cortex Front build order · Supreme Isthmus

Standard economy-first Front play: Bot Lab immediately, Advanced Metal Extractor around 9:23, then a mixed Thug/Grunt/Aggravator army sent up to defend the wider gap and move to middle as a line.

#eco #team support · 443 distinct matches · 137 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 50% of 460 · 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 443 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 mexdone ~0:40, middle half 0:34–0:46

    Some games also: wind (41%)

    By 0:23 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
    • Thug9 Thug
    • Aggravator5 Aggravator
    • Grunt4 Grunt

    Some games also: con turret (45%) · Radar Tower (34%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 40 steps
    1. Mex
    2. GruntGrunt
    3. Mex
    4. Wind ×2
    5. GruntGrunt
    6. Mex
    7. GruntGrunt
    8. GraverobberGraverobber
    9. Wind
    10. ThugThug
    11. Wind
    12. ThugThug ×3
    13. Construction BotCon bot
    14. ThugThug ×2
    15. Mex ×2
    16. AggravatorAggravator
    17. Mex
    18. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    19. PawnPawn
    20. AggravatorAggravator
    21. PawnPawn
    22. AggravatorAggravator
    23. GuardGuard
    24. AggravatorAggravator
    25. GuardGuard
    26. PawnPawn
    27. AggravatorAggravator
    28. Mex
    29. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    30. AggravatorAggravator
    31. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    32. BlitzBlitz
    33. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    34. AggravatorAggravator
    35. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    36. ThugThug
    37. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. GuardGuard
    40. ThugThug
  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
    • Grunt8 Grunt
    • Thug4 Thug
    • Aggravator1 Aggravator

    Some games also: Radar Tower (43%) · converter (36%) · energy storage (36%) · Twin Guard (33%) · eat Bot Lab (37%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 79 steps
    1. Construction BotCon bot
    2. GuardGuard
    3. BlitzBlitz
    4. AggravatorAggravator
    5. GuardGuard
    6. AggravatorAggravator
    7. GruntGrunt
    8. GuardGuard
    9. GruntGrunt ×2
    10. AgitatorAgitatornot finished by 15:00
    11. GruntGrunt ×2
    12. WardenWarden
    13. GruntGrunt ×4
    14. Con turret
    15. GruntGrunt
    16. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    17. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    18. GruntGrunt ×3
    19. Mex
    20. GruntGrunt ×2
    21. Mex
    22. GruntGrunt
    23. Mex
    24. GruntGrunt
    25. Construction BotCon botfor Geo
    26. GruntGrunt ×5
    27. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    28. GruntGrunt ×4
    29. Construction BotCon bot
    30. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    31. GruntGrunt
    32. Wind
    33. GruntGrunt
    34. GraverobberGraverobber
    35. Mex
    36. Wind
    37. GruntGrunt
    38. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    39. GruntGrunt ×2
    40. Wind
    41. GruntGrunt
    42. Mex
    43. GruntGrunt
    44. AgitatorAgitator
    45. GruntGrunt ×3
    46. Wind
    47. GruntGrunt ×3
    48. Wind
    49. GruntGrunt ×3
    50. Construction BotCon bot
    51. Wind
    52. Mex
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. Wind
    55. ThistleThistle
    56. GruntGrunt ×2
    57. Wind
    58. GruntGrunt
    59. Con turret
    60. Mex
    61. GruntGrunt ×2
    62. Wind
    63. GruntGrunt ×2
    64. Wind
    65. GruntGrunt
    66. AgitatorAgitator
    67. GruntGrunt
    68. Wind
    69. GruntGrunt ×2
    70. Wind
    71. GruntGrunt ×2
    72. Wind
    73. GruntGrunt ×2
    74. Wind
    75. GruntGrunt ×2
    76. Wind
    77. GruntGrunt
    78. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labnot finished by 15:00
    79. Radar TowerRadar Tower

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is GazzGrim's (31 OS, 22/09/2026); 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 65% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:46 · in 62% 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

460 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085400
3:00162710086
4:002704386337
5:003850916838
6:00510515861559
7:00638923642474
8:00772630943385
9:00914637694271
10:001077344855070
11:001264252035984
12:001455357176925
13:001682962137650
14:001901866638579
15:002063272469349
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

GazzGrim

30.9 OS · 22/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units
68 metal received · 18888 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=447
Advanced Metal Extractor9:24Middle 50%: 8:19–10:45 · n=338

Played most by

iLike2Eco31games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildHummell15games of this build
Standard front · Cortex Front build order · BAR Build Atlas