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Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard front

The role's baseline: fast Bot Lab, economy first, then a Thug/Grunt/Aggravator mix moves up to hold the wider gap and contest middle with the ally.

#defence · 166 distinct matches · 58 players · 66% of Cortex Front games · team won 42% of 168 · 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 166 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 0:34–0:46

    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 ×2
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:46 · 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
    • Grunt4 Grunt
    • Aggravator3 Aggravator

    Some games also: con turret (42%) · Radar Tower (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 30 steps
    1. GruntGrunt ×5
    2. Mex
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. Wind ×3
    5. Construction BotCon bot
    6. GraverobberGraverobber
    7. ThugThug
    8. Mex
    9. ThugThug ×3
    10. Mex
    11. ThugThug
    12. GraverobberGraverobber
    13. Con turret
    14. ThugThug
    15. Mex
    16. ThugThug
    17. GuardGuard
    18. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    19. ThugThug
    20. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×6
    21. ThugThug
    22. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    23. ThugThug
    24. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    25. GraverobberGraverobber
    26. GuardGuard
    27. ThugThug
    28. GuardGuard
    29. ThugThug ×4
    30. GruntGrunt
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine17Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Graverobber1 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot1 Con bot
    Army
    • Guard1 Guard
    • Grunt7 Grunt
    • Thug1 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (45%) · energy storage (42%) · Twin Guard (36%) · converter (34%) · Radar Tower (34%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 131 steps
    1. GruntGrunt ×17
    2. Metal storage
    3. GruntGrunt ×2
    4. Wind
    5. Con turret
    6. GruntGrunt ×2
    7. Wind
    8. GruntGrunt ×2
    9. Wind
    10. GruntGrunt
    11. Wind
    12. GruntGrunt ×2
    13. Wind
    14. GruntGrunt ×3
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:10 · typical 9:06
    16. GruntGrunt
    17. CenturionCenturion
    18. GruntGrunt
    19. Wind
    20. GruntGrunt
    21. CenturionCenturion
    22. Wind ×2
    23. GruntGrunt
    24. Energy storage
    25. GruntGrunt
    26. Wind ×2
    27. GruntGrunt
    28. Converter
    29. GruntGrunt
    30. Wind
    31. Converter
    32. GruntGrunt
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. Wind
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    37. Wind ×4
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. Wind ×6
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    41. GruntGrunt ×5
    42. Wind
    43. GruntGrunt ×4
    44. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    45. Wind
    46. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    48. GraverobberGraverobber
    49. Wind
    50. GruntGrunt ×6
    51. Wind
    52. GruntGrunt ×7
    53. Wind
    54. GruntGrunt ×3
    55. Con turret
    56. GruntGrunt ×2
    57. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    58. Con turret
    59. Construction BotCon bot
    60. Con turret
    61. Construction BotCon bot
    62. Con turret
    63. Converter
    64. Wind
    65. Construction BotCon bot
    66. Con turret
    67. Wind ×2
    68. Con turret
    69. Construction BotCon bot
    70. Con turret ×2
    71. Cloakable Fusion ReactorCloakable Fusion Reactornot finished by 15:00
    72. Wind
    73. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    74. Wind ×4
    75. Converter
    76. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    77. Wind ×4
    78. Construction BotCon bot
    79. Wind ×5
    80. Construction BotCon bot
    81. Wind ×3
    82. Con turret
    83. Wind
    84. Construction BotCon bot
    85. Converter
    86. Wind ×2
    87. Construction BotCon bot
    88. Wind ×3
    89. Con turret
    90. Wind ×5
    91. Con turret
    92. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    93. Wind ×6
    94. GruntGrunt
    95. Wind ×3
    96. GruntGrunt
    97. Wind
    98. Converter
    99. Wind ×4
    100. GruntGrunt
    101. Wind ×2
    102. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    103. Wind
    104. GruntGrunt
    105. Wind ×2
    106. GruntGrunt
    107. Wind
    108. GruntGrunt
    109. Wind
    110. GruntGrunt
    111. Wind ×5
    112. GruntGrunt
    113. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    114. Wind
    115. GruntGrunt
    116. Wind ×4
    117. Converter
    118. Wind
    119. GruntGrunt
    120. Con turret
    121. Wind ×3
    122. GruntGrunt
    123. Wind ×3
    124. GruntGrunt
    125. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    126. Wind ×4
    127. GruntGrunt
    128. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    129. Wind ×9
    130. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    131. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hummell's (47 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 0:18 · in 67% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:26 · in 68% 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

168 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0086400
3:0016328586
4:002697352348
5:003807950947
6:00506917041785
7:00640325812693
8:00769333273737
9:00908139204434
10:001080544245184
11:001273550825966
12:001494552977104
13:001732459477675
14:001972863318778
15:002252869019802
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

Hummell

47.4 OS · 19/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
182 metal received · 51388 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=150
Advanced Metal Extractor9:06Middle 50%: 8:08–10:30 · n=130

Played most by

watermeloans19games of this buildHummell18games of this buildJelousOfMyEco12games of this buildCentientWaffle9games of this buildGeeGee7games of this build