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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Mixosis's (37 OS, 18/08/2026); 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

Mixosis

36.7 OS · 18/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
134 metal received · 13599 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