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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 · 188 distinct matches · 64 players · 62% of Cortex Front games · team won 45% of 191 · 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 188 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 mex, 1 winddone ~0:40, middle half 0:33–0:46

    Some games also: wind (49%)

    By 0:24 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:40 · 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
    • Thug7 Thug
    • Aggravator5 Aggravator
    • Grunt4 Grunt

    Some games also: con turret (41%) · Radar Tower (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 39 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. Mex
    3. GruntGrunt
    4. Wind ×2
    5. ThugThug
    6. Wind
    7. AggravatorAggravator
    8. ThugThug
    9. AggravatorAggravator
    10. GraverobberGraverobber
    11. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    12. ThugThug
    13. Mex
    14. GraverobberGraverobber
    15. PhobosPhobos
    16. GruntGrunt
    17. AggravatorAggravator
    18. Mex
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. ThugThug
    22. Mex
    23. GraverobberGraverobber
    24. GuardGuard
    25. GruntGrunt
    26. GuardGuard
    27. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    28. GuardGuard
    29. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    30. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    31. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    32. Wind
    33. GraverobberGraverobber
    34. AggravatorAggravator
    35. Wind
    36. Construction BotCon bot
    37. ThugThug
    38. Wind
    39. GraverobberGraverobber
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine17Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Graverobber2 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot
    Army
    • Guard1 Guard
    • Grunt7 Grunt
    • Thug2 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (49%) · energy storage (41%) · Radar Tower (38%) · Twin Guard (36%) · converter (35%)

    By 10:00 in all: 7 mex · 24 wind · 3 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 174 steps
    1. GruntGrunt
    2. AggravatorAggravator
    3. Mex
    4. AggravatorAggravator
    5. Wind
    6. Construction BotCon bot
    7. GuardGuard
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. AggravatorAggravator
    10. Wind
    11. Con turret
    12. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    13. Wind
    14. Con turret
    15. Metal storage
    16. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    17. Wind
    18. AggravatorAggravator
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. Wind ×2
    21. ThugThug
    22. Wind
    23. GraverobberGraverobber
    24. Wind ×2
    25. GruntGrunt
    26. AggravatorAggravator
    27. Wind
    28. AggravatorAggravator
    29. Wind
    30. Mex
    31. AggravatorAggravator
    32. Wind
    33. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    34. Wind ×2
    35. AggravatorAggravator
    36. GuardGuard
    37. AggravatorAggravator
    38. Wind
    39. Construction BotCon bot
    40. Wind ×2
    41. Construction BotCon bot
    42. ThugThug
    43. Wind ×2
    44. GraverobberGraverobber
    45. Wind
    46. GruntGrunt
    47. AggravatorAggravator
    48. Wind
    49. AggravatorAggravator
    50. Wind
    51. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    52. Wind
    53. AggravatorAggravator
    54. Wind
    55. Mex
    56. AggravatorAggravator
    57. Wind
    58. AggravatorAggravator
    59. GuardGuard
    60. AggravatorAggravator
    61. Wind
    62. Construction BotCon bot
    63. Wind ×2
    64. GuardGuard
    65. ThugThug
    66. GraverobberGraverobber
    67. GruntGrunt
    68. Wind
    69. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    70. Construction BotCon bot
    71. Wind
    72. ThistleThistle
    73. Construction BotCon bot
    74. Wind
    75. ThugThug
    76. GuardGuard
    77. Wind
    78. GraverobberGraverobber
    79. Wind
    80. GruntGrunt
    81. Wind
    82. GruntGrunt
    83. GuardGuard
    84. GruntGrunt ×3
    85. Wind ×2
    86. GruntGrunt ×2
    87. GuardGuard
    88. GruntGrunt ×2
    89. Wind
    90. GruntGrunt
    91. Wind
    92. GruntGrunt ×3
    93. GuardGuard
    94. GruntGrunt ×3
    95. Wind
    96. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    97. GuardGuard
    98. AggravatorAggravator
    99. Wind
    100. AggravatorAggravator
    101. Construction BotCon bot
    102. ThugThug
    103. Wind
    104. GraverobberGraverobber
    105. Con turret ×2
    106. Wind
    107. GruntGrunt
    108. ThugThug
    109. Con turret
    110. GruntGrunt
    111. Wind
    112. GruntGrunt
    113. Wind
    114. GruntGrunt ×6
    115. Wind
    116. GruntGrunt ×2
    117. Mex
    118. GraverobberGraverobber
    119. Wind ×2
    120. GruntGrunt ×2
    121. GuardGuard
    122. GruntGrunt ×2
    123. Wind
    124. GruntGrunt ×2
    125. Wind
    126. GruntGrunt ×2
    127. GuardGuard
    128. GruntGrunt
    129. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    130. Wind ×2
    131. GraverobberGraverobber
    132. ThistleThistle
    133. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    134. GruntGrunt
    135. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    136. GruntGrunt ×3
    137. Wind
    138. GruntGrunt ×4
    139. Wind
    140. GruntGrunt ×4
    141. Wind
    142. AggravatorAggravator ×4
    143. Wind
    144. ThugThug
    145. Wind
    146. GraverobberGraverobber
    147. GruntGrunt
    148. ThugThug
    149. Wind
    150. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:57 · typical 9:12
    151. GruntGrunt ×2
    152. Mex
    153. GruntGrunt ×2
    154. Wind ×2
    155. GruntGrunt ×4
    156. Wind
    157. GruntGrunt ×2
    158. GraverobberGraverobber
    159. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    160. GruntGrunt ×3
    161. Wind ×2
    162. GruntGrunt ×7
    163. Wind
    164. GruntGrunt ×3
    165. Mex
    166. GruntGrunt ×3
    167. Wind
    168. GruntGrunt ×2
    169. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    170. Wind
    171. GruntGrunt ×3
    172. Wind
    173. AggravatorAggravator
    174. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is GeeGee's (37 OS, 03/10/2026); 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 67% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:33 · 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

191 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:0016238686
4:002684366326
5:003814938875
6:00505116511622
7:00631023642607
8:00765531393548
9:00902136104317
10:001084842455102
11:001278048825948
12:001495252076900
13:001730857597591
14:001971462628368
15:002249370189398
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

GeeGee

36.9 OS · 03/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
392 metal received · 17936 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:40Middle 50%: 0:33–0:46 · n=179
Advanced Metal Extractor9:12Middle 50%: 8:11–10:29 · n=150

Played most by

Hummell20games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildiLike2Eco13games of this buildGeeGee11games of this buildErilium10games of this build