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Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 447 distinct matches · 138 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 50% of 464 · 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 447 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:39 · 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 (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 48 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GruntGrunt
    3. Wind
    4. GruntGrunt
    5. Wind
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. Wind
    8. Con turret
    9. GruntGrunt
    10. Wind
    11. GruntGrunt ×2
    12. Mex
    13. GraverobberGraverobber
    14. Construction BotCon bot
    15. GruntGrunt ×2
    16. Mex ×2
    17. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    18. Wind
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. Wind
    21. GuardGuard
    22. AggravatorAggravator
    23. Wind
    24. AggravatorAggravator
    25. Wind
    26. GraverobberGraverobber
    27. GuardGuard
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind
    30. AggravatorAggravator
    31. Mex
    32. GuardGuard
    33. Energy storage
    34. AggravatorAggravator
    35. Wind
    36. AggravatorAggravator
    37. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantnot finished by 15:00
    38. Converter
    39. Wind
    40. AggravatorAggravator
    41. Converter
    42. AggravatorAggravator
    43. Wind
    44. Converter
    45. Vehicle PlantEat Vehicle Plantreclaimed for its metal
    46. GraverobberGraverobber
    47. Converter
    48. Construction BotCon bot
  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 (42%) · 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 · 133 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. AggravatorAggravator
    4. Converter
    5. AggravatorAggravator
    6. Wind
    7. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    8. Wind
    9. GraverobberGraverobber
    10. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    11. Wind
    12. AggravatorAggravator
    13. Exploiter
    14. AggravatorAggravator
    15. GraverobberGraverobber
    16. Wind
    17. AggravatorAggravator ×4
    18. Wind
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. GraverobberGraverobber
    21. AggravatorAggravator
    22. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    23. Wind
    24. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    25. Wind
    26. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    27. Wind
    28. GraverobberGraverobber
    29. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    30. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    31. Wind
    32. AggravatorAggravator
    33. GruntGrunt ×3
    34. Wind
    35. GruntGrunt ×2
    36. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    37. GruntGrunt ×4
    38. Wind
    39. GruntGrunt ×2
    40. Wind
    41. GruntGrunt ×2
    42. Wind
    43. GruntGrunt
    44. GuardGuard
    45. GruntGrunt ×2
    46. Wind
    47. GruntGrunt
    48. Wind
    49. GruntGrunt
    50. GraverobberGraverobber
    51. Wind
    52. GruntGrunt ×5
    53. GraverobberGraverobber
    54. Wind
    55. GruntGrunt ×5
    56. Wind
    57. GraverobberGraverobber
    58. GruntGrunt ×4
    59. Wind
    60. GruntGrunt
    61. GraverobberGraverobber
    62. Con turret
    63. GruntGrunt ×2
    64. Wind
    65. GruntGrunt ×3
    66. GraverobberGraverobber
    67. Wind
    68. GruntGrunt ×5
    69. Converter
    70. GraverobberGraverobber
    71. Converter
    72. Wind
    73. GruntGrunt ×3
    74. Converter
    75. Construction BotCon bot
    76. Converter
    77. GuardGuard
    78. Wind
    79. GruntGrunt ×2
    80. Converter
    81. Con turret
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. GuardGuard
    84. GruntGrunt
    85. Wind
    86. GruntGrunt
    87. Converter
    88. GruntGrunt
    89. Converter
    90. GruntGrunt
    91. Converter
    92. GruntGrunt ×3
    93. Wind
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. Wind ×2
    96. GruntGrunt
    97. Construction BotCon bot
    98. Wind
    99. GuardGuard
    100. GruntGrunt
    101. Wind
    102. GruntGrunt ×3
    103. Wind ×2
    104. GruntGrunt
    105. Wind
    106. GruntGrunt
    107. Wind
    108. GruntGrunt ×3
    109. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    110. GruntGrunt ×2
    111. Wind ×2
    112. GruntGrunt
    113. Wind
    114. GruntGrunt
    115. GuardGuard
    116. GruntGrunt
    117. Wind
    118. ThistleThistle
    119. GruntGrunt ×4
    120. ThistleThistle
    121. Wind
    122. GruntGrunt
    123. Construction BotCon bot
    124. GruntGrunt ×5
    125. Wind
    126. ThistleThistle
    127. GruntGrunt
    128. Wind
    129. GruntGrunt ×2
    130. ThistleThistle
    131. GruntGrunt ×4
    132. Wind
    133. GruntGrunt ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is eL_bArToad's (32 OS, 17/08/2026); 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 64% 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

464 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085400
3:00162710286
4:002707387345
5:003850917839
6:00510515861559
7:00638923652478
8:00772631103385
9:00914638064291
10:001077345215079
11:001264252035987
12:001455356906925
13:001682962067650
14:001901866638566
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

eL_bArToad

31.7 OS · 17/08/2026

Open source match ↗

11 received units · includes a constructor
80 metal received · 58535 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=451
Advanced Metal Extractor9:23Middle 50%: 8:19–10:45 · n=341

Played most by

iLike2Eco31games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildEl_Turco15games of this build