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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 0:36 · 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 · 37 steps
    1. Mex
    2. GruntGrunt ×3
    3. GraverobberGraverobber
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. AggravatorAggravator
    6. GruntGrunt
    7. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    8. Mex
    9. Construction BotCon bot
    10. Mex
    11. Construction BotCon bot
    12. Mex ×2
    13. GuardGuard
    14. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    15. GuardGuard
    16. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    17. GuardGuard
    18. Construction BotCon bot
    19. GuardGuard
    20. AggravatorAggravator
    21. GuardGuard
    22. AggravatorAggravator
    23. Wind
    24. AggravatorAggravator
    25. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    26. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    27. Wind
    28. AggravatorAggravator
    29. Con turret
    30. AggravatorAggravator
    31. Wind
    32. AggravatorAggravator
    33. Wind
    34. AggravatorAggravator
    35. Wind ×3
    36. AggravatorAggravator
    37. 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
    • 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 · 138 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator
    2. Con turret
    3. Wind
    4. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    5. Con turret
    6. Mex
    7. GuardGuard
    8. Wind
    9. AggravatorAggravator
    10. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 5:40
    11. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    12. AggravatorAggravator
    13. IncisorIncisor
    14. AggravatorAggravator
    15. Wind
    16. IncisorIncisor
    17. AggravatorAggravator
    18. IncisorIncisor ×2
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. Wind
    21. IncisorIncisor ×2
    22. AggravatorAggravator
    23. IncisorIncisor
    24. AggravatorAggravator
    25. IncisorIncisor
    26. Wind
    27. AggravatorAggravator
    28. IncisorIncisor
    29. ThistleThistle ×2
    30. IncisorIncisor
    31. AggravatorAggravator
    32. Wind
    33. AggravatorAggravator
    34. IncisorIncisor
    35. Mex
    36. Wind
    37. AggravatorAggravator
    38. IncisorIncisor
    39. AggravatorAggravator
    40. IncisorIncisor
    41. Wind
    42. AggravatorAggravator
    43. IncisorIncisor
    44. AggravatorAggravator
    45. IncisorIncisor
    46. Wind
    47. Advanced solar
    48. AggravatorAggravator
    49. IncisorIncisor
    50. Wind
    51. AggravatorAggravator
    52. Wind
    53. AggravatorAggravator
    54. Wind
    55. AggravatorAggravator
    56. Wind
    57. IncisorIncisor
    58. Construction BotCon bot
    59. IncisorIncisor
    60. Wind
    61. IncisorIncisor
    62. Construction BotCon bot
    63. IncisorIncisor ×2
    64. Wind
    65. GuardGuard
    66. IncisorIncisor
    67. Construction BotCon bot
    68. IncisorIncisor ×2
    69. Wind
    70. IncisorIncisor ×2
    71. Wind
    72. IncisorIncisor ×2
    73. Wind
    74. IncisorIncisor
    75. Mex
    76. IncisorIncisor
    77. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    78. Wind
    79. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×2
    80. Wind
    81. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    82. IncisorIncisor ×2
    83. Wind
    84. IncisorIncisor ×4
    85. Wind
    86. IncisorIncisor ×3
    87. Wind
    88. IncisorIncisor ×4
    89. Wind
    90. IncisorIncisor ×3
    91. Energy storage
    92. IncisorIncisor ×8
    93. Wind
    94. IncisorIncisor ×2
    95. Con turret
    96. IncisorIncisor
    97. Wind
    98. IncisorIncisor
    99. Con turret
    100. IncisorIncisor
    101. Wind
    102. IncisorIncisor ×4
    103. Wind
    104. IncisorIncisor ×4
    105. Con turret
    106. Wind
    107. Con turret
    108. IncisorIncisor
    109. Wind ×2
    110. IncisorIncisor ×2
    111. Wind
    112. IncisorIncisor
    113. Wind
    114. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    115. IncisorIncisor ×2
    116. Wind
    117. IncisorIncisor ×2
    118. Wind
    119. IncisorIncisor ×3
    120. Wind
    121. IncisorIncisor
    122. Wind
    123. IncisorIncisor
    124. Wind
    125. IncisorIncisor
    126. Wind
    127. IncisorIncisor
    128. Wind
    129. Converter
    130. AgitatorAgitatornot finished by 15:00
    131. IncisorIncisor
    132. Wind ×2
    133. Converter
    134. IncisorIncisor
    135. Wind
    136. Converter
    137. Wind
    138. RascalRascal ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is MarcoRalseks's (35 OS, 19/09/2026); 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

MarcoRalseks

34.6 OS · 19/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
792 metal received · 34084 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