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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 · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:41 · 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 · 42 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. Mex
    3. GraverobberGraverobber
    4. GruntGrunt ×3
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. AggravatorAggravator
    7. Wind
    8. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. Mex
    11. ThugThug ×2
    12. Mex
    13. Wind
    14. ThugThug
    15. GuardGuard
    16. ThugThug
    17. Wind
    18. ThugThug ×2
    19. Mex
    20. Wind
    21. ThugThug
    22. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    23. ThugThug
    24. Wind
    25. ThugThug
    26. GuardGuard
    27. ThugThug
    28. Wind
    29. GraverobberGraverobber
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. Wind
    32. GuardGuard
    33. Mex
    34. ThugThug
    35. GuardGuard
    36. Wind
    37. GraverobberGraverobber
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. GruntGrunt
    40. TrasherTrasher ×2
    41. Wind
    42. GruntGrunt
  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 · 45 steps
    1. GruntGrunt ×4
    2. Wind
    3. GruntGrunt
    4. GraverobberGraverobber
    5. AggravatorAggravator
    6. GraverobberGraverobber
    7. Wind
    8. GraverobberGraverobber
    9. ThugThug ×2
    10. GruntGrunt
    11. Wind
    12. GruntGrunt ×2
    13. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    14. ThugThug
    15. GruntGrunt
    16. GuardGuard
    17. GruntGrunt ×2
    18. GuardGuard
    19. ThugThug
    20. GruntGrunt
    21. ThugThug
    22. GruntGrunt ×3
    23. ThugThug
    24. GruntGrunt ×2
    25. ThugThug
    26. GruntGrunt
    27. Mex
    28. GruntGrunt ×2
    29. ThistleThistle
    30. GruntGrunt ×2
    31. GuardGuard
    32. GruntGrunt ×6
    33. Mex
    34. GruntGrunt ×4
    35. Mex
    36. Con turret
    37. GruntGrunt
    38. Mex
    39. GruntGrunt ×2
    40. Con turret
    41. ThistleThistle
    42. Con turret
    43. GuardGuard
    44. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    45. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labnot finished by 15:00

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Vaik's (32 OS, 10/10/2026); 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

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

Vaik

31.9 OS · 10/10/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
10 metal received · 5923 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
Standard front · Cortex Front build order · BAR Build Atlas