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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 · 177 distinct matches · 62 players · 64% of Cortex Front games · team won 44% of 179 · 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 177 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
    • Wind Turbine1Wind
    Order
    1. Bot LabBot Lab after 2 mex, 1 winddone ~0:40, middle half 0:34–0:46

    By 0:24 in all: 2 mex · 1 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:40 · 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 (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 54 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. Mex
    3. GruntGrunt
    4. Wind ×2
    5. GruntGrunt
    6. Wind
    7. GruntGrunt
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Construction BotCon bot
    11. Wind
    12. Construction BotCon bot
    13. GraverobberGraverobber
    14. Mex
    15. ThugThug
    16. Con turret
    17. ThugThug
    18. Wind
    19. Mex
    20. ThugThug
    21. Wind
    22. ThugThug
    23. Wind
    24. ThugThug
    25. Wind
    26. Energy storage
    27. GraverobberGraverobber
    28. Mex
    29. Wind
    30. ThugThug
    31. Wind
    32. ThugThug
    33. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    34. Wind
    35. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    36. ThugThug
    37. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    38. Wind
    39. ThugThug ×2
    40. Wind
    41. GraverobberGraverobber
    42. Wind
    43. ThugThug ×3
    44. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    45. Wind
    46. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    47. ThugThug
    48. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    49. ThugThug
    50. GraverobberGraverobber
    51. GruntGrunt
    52. ThugThug
    53. Wind
    54. 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
    • Grunt7 Grunt
    • Thug2 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (46%) · energy storage (42%) · Twin Guard (36%) · converter (35%) · Radar Tower (35%)

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 24 wind · 1 energy storage · 3 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 207 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ThugThug
    3. Wind
    4. ThugThug
    5. Wind
    6. ThugThug
    7. Wind
    8. GraverobberGraverobber
    9. Wind
    10. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    11. ThugThug
    12. Wind
    13. ThugThug ×2
    14. GraverobberGraverobber
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:30 · typical 9:10
    16. Wind
    17. ThugThug ×2
    18. GraverobberGraverobber
    19. Converter
    20. Wind
    21. Mex
    22. CenturionCenturion
    23. ThugThug
    24. Wind
    25. ThugThug
    26. Converter
    27. ThugThug
    28. Con turret
    29. GraverobberGraverobber
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. Wind
    32. GraverobberGraverobber
    33. Converter
    34. ThugThug
    35. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    36. Wind
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. Converter
    40. Construction BotCon bot
    41. Wind
    42. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    43. Wind
    44. Converter
    45. Construction BotCon bot
    46. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    47. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    48. GruntGrunt
    49. Wind
    50. GruntGrunt ×2
    51. Wind
    52. GruntGrunt ×3
    53. Wind ×2
    54. GruntGrunt
    55. Wind
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. GruntGrunt
    59. Wind
    60. Mex
    61. Wind
    62. GruntGrunt
    63. Wind ×2
    64. GruntGrunt
    65. Wind
    66. GruntGrunt
    67. Wind ×2
    68. GruntGrunt
    69. Wind
    70. Converter
    71. GruntGrunt
    72. Metal storage
    73. Wind ×2
    74. GruntGrunt
    75. Wind ×2
    76. Converter
    77. GruntGrunt
    78. Energy storage
    79. GruntGrunt
    80. Wind ×2
    81. GruntGrunt
    82. Wind
    83. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    84. Wind
    85. GruntGrunt
    86. Wind ×2
    87. GruntGrunt
    88. Wind
    89. GruntGrunt
    90. Wind
    91. GruntGrunt
    92. Converter
    93. Wind ×2
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. Wind
    96. Energy storage
    97. GruntGrunt
    98. ThistleThistle
    99. Wind ×2
    100. Converter
    101. ThistleThistle
    102. GruntGrunt
    103. Wind ×3
    104. GruntGrunt
    105. Wind
    106. GruntGrunt
    107. Wind
    108. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    109. Wind
    110. GruntGrunt
    111. Wind ×2
    112. GruntGrunt
    113. Converter
    114. GruntGrunt
    115. Wind ×2
    116. GruntGrunt
    117. Wind
    118. GruntGrunt
    119. Wind
    120. Converter
    121. Wind
    122. GruntGrunt
    123. ThistleThistle
    124. Wind
    125. GruntGrunt
    126. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    127. ThistleThistle
    128. Wind
    129. Mex
    130. GruntGrunt ×2
    131. ThistleThistle
    132. Wind ×2
    133. Converter ×2
    134. GruntGrunt
    135. Wind
    136. GruntGrunt
    137. Wind
    138. GruntGrunt
    139. Construction BotCon bot
    140. Wind
    141. Mex
    142. Wind
    143. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 12:55
    144. Construction BotCon bot
    145. Wind ×3
    146. Construction BotCon bot
    147. Converter ×2
    148. Wind
    149. Construction BotCon bot
    150. Wind ×3
    151. Con turret
    152. Pit BullPit Bull
    153. Wind
    154. Construction BotCon bot
    155. Converter ×2
    156. Wind ×5
    157. Advanced Construction BotT2 con bot
    158. Construction BotCon bot
    159. PulsarPulsardone 13:50
    160. Wind ×5
    161. Construction BotCon bot
    162. Wind ×3
    163. Construction BotCon bot
    164. Wind ×8
    165. TwitcherTwitcher
    166. Construction BotCon bot
    167. Wind ×3
    168. Converter
    169. Construction BotCon bot
    170. Wind ×2
    171. TwitcherTwitcher
    172. ArbalestArbalest
    173. Wind ×3
    174. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    175. Wind ×2
    176. Construction BotCon bot
    177. Wind
    178. TwitcherTwitcher
    179. Wind ×3
    180. Construction BotCon bot
    181. Wind ×2
    182. TwitcherTwitcher
    183. Wind ×4
    184. Construction BotCon bot
    185. Wind ×4
    186. Converter
    187. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    188. TwitcherTwitcher
    189. Wind
    190. Construction BotCon bot
    191. Wind ×4
    192. Construction BotCon bot
    193. Wind ×5
    194. CitadelAnti-nukenot finished by 15:00
    195. Wind
    196. Construction BotCon bot
    197. Wind ×4
    198. Construction BotCon bot
    199. Wind ×2
    200. Converter
    201. Wind
    202. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    203. Wind ×3
    204. FiendFiend
    205. Wind
    206. SumoSumonot finished by 15:00
    207. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hummell's (46 OS, 30/09/2026); 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 7:26 · 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

179 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:0016248686
4:002692359336
5:003828938883
6:00505116831622
7:00633024302606
8:00769932503477
9:00914838644317
10:001091543525092
11:001287049345948
12:001507052866934
13:001774557647566
14:002019663178516
15:002293570989484
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

Hummell

45.7 OS · 30/09/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
2685 metal received · 70335 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=164
Advanced Metal Extractor9:10Middle 50%: 8:09–10:29 · n=140

Played most by

Hummell19games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildiLike2Eco12games of this buildCentientWaffle9games of this buildGeeGee9games of this build