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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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:27 · 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 · 32 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Mex
    6. GuardGuard
    7. Construction BotCon bot
    8. GruntGrunt
    9. AggravatorAggravator
    10. Mex
    11. AggravatorAggravator
    12. GuardGuard
    13. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    14. Wind
    15. GraverobberGraverobber
    16. Mex
    17. GraverobberGraverobber
    18. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    19. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    20. GruntGrunt
    21. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    22. Mex
    23. AggravatorAggravator
    24. GuardGuard
    25. AggravatorAggravator
    26. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    27. GruntGrunt
    28. AggravatorAggravator ×4
    29. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    30. GruntGrunt
    31. AggravatorAggravator ×4
    32. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
  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 · 115 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    3. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    4. AggravatorAggravator
    5. GuardGuard
    6. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    7. GruntGrunt
    8. AggravatorAggravator ×4
    9. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    10. GruntGrunt
    11. AggravatorAggravator
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:18 · typical 9:10
    13. AggravatorAggravator ×3
    14. GraverobberGraverobber
    15. GuardGuard
    16. Construction BotCon bot
    17. GuardGuard ×3
    18. Wind
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. GuardGuard
    21. Wind
    22. Con turret
    23. Mex
    24. Wind
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    27. Wind
    28. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×4
    29. Wind
    30. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    31. Wind
    32. GuardGuard
    33. Wind
    34. GruntGrunt
    35. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    36. GruntGrunt
    37. Wind
    38. GruntGrunt ×2
    39. Wind
    40. GruntGrunt
    41. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    42. GraverobberGraverobber
    43. Wind
    44. GruntGrunt ×2
    45. GuardGuard
    46. GruntGrunt
    47. Wind
    48. GruntGrunt
    49. GuardGuard
    50. GruntGrunt
    51. Wind
    52. GraverobberGraverobber
    53. Energy storage
    54. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    55. GruntGrunt
    56. RattlesnakeRattlesnakenot finished by 15:00
    57. GruntGrunt
    58. Con turret ×2
    59. GuardGuard
    60. GruntGrunt
    61. RattlesnakeRattlesnake
    62. GruntGrunt
    63. Con turret
    64. GruntGrunt
    65. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    66. GraverobberGraverobber
    67. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    68. Con turret
    69. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    70. Wind
    71. GruntGrunt
    72. Wind ×2
    73. GruntGrunt ×5
    74. GraverobberGraverobber
    75. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    76. GruntGrunt ×3
    77. GuardGuard
    78. GruntGrunt ×2
    79. GraverobberGraverobber
    80. GruntGrunt
    81. GuardGuard
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. ThistleThistle
    84. GruntGrunt
    85. ThistleThistle
    86. GruntGrunt
    87. GuardGuard
    88. GruntGrunt
    89. GraverobberGraverobber
    90. Con turret
    91. GruntGrunt ×3
    92. Con turret
    93. GruntGrunt ×2
    94. Wind
    95. GraverobberGraverobber
    96. GruntGrunt
    97. Wind
    98. GruntGrunt
    99. Wind
    100. GruntGrunt
    101. Energy storage
    102. GruntGrunt
    103. Wind
    104. GruntGrunt
    105. GraverobberGraverobber
    106. Wind
    107. GuardGuard
    108. GruntGrunt
    109. Wind
    110. Con turret
    111. GruntGrunt ×2
    112. Con turret
    113. GruntGrunt
    114. Con turret
    115. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Cookie]swiftplant's (44 OS, 21/08/2026); 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 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

[Cookie]swiftplant

44.2 OS · 21/08/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
113 metal received · 64425 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