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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 · 445 distinct matches · 138 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 50% of 462 · 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 445 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 · 4 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Mex
    3. Wind
    4. 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 · 43 steps
    1. Mex
    2. GruntGrunt ×2
    3. Wind
    4. GraverobberGraverobber
    5. Wind ×2
    6. GruntGrunt
    7. Wind
    8. GruntGrunt
    9. Energy storage
    10. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    11. Mex
    12. GraverobberGraverobber
    13. ThugThug
    14. Mex
    15. ThugThug
    16. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    17. ThugThug
    18. GuardGuard
    19. Mex
    20. ThugThug ×2
    21. Mex
    22. Con turret
    23. WardenWarden
    24. ThugThug
    25. Con turret
    26. ThugThug
    27. GuardGuard
    28. ThugThug
    29. Mex
    30. Con turret
    31. ThugThug
    32. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    33. ThugThug
    34. Con turret
    35. WardenWarden
    36. ThugThug
    37. Wind
    38. ThugThug
    39. Wind ×2
    40. GraverobberGraverobber
    41. Wind
    42. Mex
    43. GraverobberGraverobber
  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 · 164 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GuardGuard
    3. ThugThug
    4. Wind ×2
    5. ThugThug
    6. Wind
    7. ThugThug
    8. Wind
    9. ThugThug
    10. Wind
    11. ThugThug ×2
    12. Mex
    13. Wind
    14. WardenWarden
    15. ThugThug
    16. Wind
    17. ThugThug
    18. Wind
    19. ThugThug
    20. Wind
    21. GruntGrunt ×2
    22. Wind
    23. GruntGrunt
    24. Wind
    25. ThugThug
    26. Wind
    27. GraverobberGraverobber
    28. Wind
    29. GuardGuard
    30. GraverobberGraverobber
    31. GuardGuard
    32. ThugThug
    33. Wind
    34. ThugThug
    35. Wind
    36. ThugThug
    37. Dragon's MawDragon's Maw
    38. ThugThug
    39. Wind
    40. ThugThug ×2
    41. Wind
    42. ThugThug
    43. Wind
    44. ThugThug
    45. Wind
    46. LazarusLazarus
    47. ThugThug
    48. Wind
    49. ThugThug
    50. Wind
    51. ThugThug
    52. Mex
    53. Wind
    54. ThugThug
    55. Wind
    56. ThugThug
    57. Wind
    58. ThugThug
    59. Wind
    60. Mex
    61. ThugThug ×3
    62. Wind
    63. ThugThug ×2
    64. Wind
    65. ThugThug ×2
    66. Wind
    67. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    68. ThugThug
    69. Wind
    70. ThugThug
    71. Wind
    72. Con turret
    73. ThugThug
    74. Wind
    75. ThugThug
    76. Mex
    77. Wind
    78. ThugThug
    79. Wind
    80. Con turret
    81. ThugThug
    82. Wind
    83. ThugThug
    84. Wind
    85. CastroCastro
    86. ThugThugfor Suicide front
    87. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    88. ThugThug
    89. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    90. ThugThug
    91. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    92. Construction BotCon bot
    93. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    96. GruntGrunt ×2
    97. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    98. GruntGrunt
    99. BeholderBeholder
    100. GruntGrunt
    101. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    102. GruntGrunt ×2
    103. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    104. GruntGrunt ×2
    105. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    106. GruntGrunt
    107. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    108. GruntGrunt ×5
    109. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    110. GruntGrunt
    111. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    112. GruntGrunt
    113. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    114. GruntGrunt
    115. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    116. GruntGrunt ×8
    117. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    118. Energy storage
    119. GraverobberGraverobber
    120. Metal storage
    121. Exploiter
    122. GruntGrunt
    123. Armada CommanderArmada Commander
    124. GruntGrunt ×2
    125. Con turret
    126. Mex
    127. GruntGrunt
    128. GraverobberGraverobber
    129. Con turret
    130. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 12:19 · typical 9:24
    131. Exploiter
    132. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    133. Converter
    134. GruntGrunt
    135. Converter
    136. GruntGrunt
    137. Converter
    138. GruntGrunt
    139. Converter
    140. GruntGrunt
    141. Converter
    142. GruntGrunt
    143. Converter
    144. GruntGrunt ×2
    145. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 13:23
    146. GruntGrunt
    147. Armada CommanderArmada Commanderfor unknown
    148. Advanced Radar TowerAdvanced Radar Tower
    149. GruntGrunt
    150. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    151. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 12:57
    152. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    153. SentrySentry
    154. Advanced Construction BotT2 con bot
    155. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    156. Advanced Construction BotT2 con bot
    157. TwitcherTwitcher
    158. FiendFiend
    159. ScorpionScorpion
    160. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    161. FiendFiend
    162. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    163. FiendFiend ×4
    164. TwitcherTwitcher

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is spieriz's (34 OS, 02/10/2026); 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 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

462 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085400
3:00162510186
4:002704386341
5:003848916838
6:00509915851559
7:00638823642474
8:00771130943385
9:00914237694271
10:001074145005077
11:001262251885987
12:001450856906925
13:001681462067650
14:001896966488566
15:002060472399349
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

spieriz

33.5 OS · 02/10/2026

Open source match ↗

10 received units · includes a constructor
280 metal received · 89997 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=449
Advanced Metal Extractor9:24Middle 50%: 8:19–10:45 · n=340

Played most by

iLike2Eco31games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildHummell15games of this build