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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 · 443 distinct matches · 137 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 50% of 460 · 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 443 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:49 · 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 (34%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

    The example game in this phase · 23 steps
    1. Wind
    2. GruntGrunt ×2
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. GraverobberGraverobber
    5. Wind
    6. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    7. GruntGrunt ×2
    8. GraverobberGraverobber
    9. Mex
    10. Construction BotCon bot
    11. ThugThug ×5
    12. GuardGuard
    13. Construction BotCon bot
    14. Mex
    15. GraverobberGraverobber
    16. GuardGuard
    17. Mex
    18. ThugThug ×5
    19. Mex
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. GraverobberGraverobber
    22. BeholderBeholder
    23. ThugThug ×4
  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 (43%) · 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 · 103 steps
    1. ThugThug
    2. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. GraverobberGraverobber
    5. Con turret
    6. ThugThug ×5
    7. Construction BotCon bot
    8. GuardGuard
    9. GraverobberGraverobber
    10. ThugThug ×3
    11. CastroCastro
    12. ThugThug
    13. Wind ×3
    14. WardenWarden
    15. Wind ×3
    16. ThugThug
    17. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    18. Wind ×4
    19. AgitatorAgitatornot finished by 15:00
    20. Wind ×8
    21. BeholderBeholder
    22. Mex
    23. Wind
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 9:20 · typical 9:24
    25. Wind ×2
    26. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:05
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Mex
    29. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    30. GruntGrunt
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    32. GruntGrunt ×2
    33. BeholderBeholder
    34. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    35. GruntGrunt
    36. Wind ×2
    37. GruntGrunt
    38. GuardGuard
    39. GruntGrunt
    40. Wind ×2
    41. GruntGrunt
    42. Wind
    43. GuardGuard
    44. GruntGrunt
    45. Wind
    46. Energy storage
    47. GruntGrunt ×2
    48. ThistleThistle
    49. Wind
    50. GraverobberGraverobber
    51. Wind ×2
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    53. TrasherTrasher
    54. Wind ×2
    55. Mex
    56. GruntGrunt
    57. GuardGuard
    58. GruntGrunt ×2
    59. Mex
    60. GruntGrunt
    61. Con turret
    62. GruntGrunt ×5
    63. Con turret
    64. GruntGrunt
    65. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    66. GraverobberGraverobber
    67. TrasherTrasher
    68. Con turret
    69. GruntGrunt ×2
    70. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    71. GruntGrunt ×2
    72. GuardGuard
    73. GruntGrunt ×6
    74. CastroCastro
    75. GraverobberGraverobber
    76. TrasherTrasher
    77. GruntGrunt ×2
    78. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    79. GruntGrunt ×4
    80. GuardGuard
    81. GruntGrunt ×4
    82. GraverobberGraverobber
    83. TrasherTrasher
    84. GruntGrunt
    85. GuardGuard
    86. GruntGrunt
    87. BeholderBeholder
    88. GruntGrunt ×2
    89. BeholderBeholder
    90. GruntGrunt
    91. Dragon's MawDragon's Maw
    92. GruntGrunt ×3
    93. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 14:57
    94. GruntGrunt ×2
    95. GraverobberGraverobber
    96. Con turret
    97. Wind ×2
    98. TrasherTrasher
    99. Wind
    100. GruntGrunt
    101. Wind
    102. GruntGrunt
    103. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is hox2's (31 OS, 29/09/2026); 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 65% 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

460 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085400
3:00162710086
4:002704386337
5:003850916838
6:00510515861559
7:00638923642474
8:00772630943385
9:00914637694271
10:001077344855070
11:001264252035984
12:001455357176925
13:001682962137650
14:001901866638579
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

hox2

31.2 OS · 29/09/2026

Open source match ↗

14 received units · includes a constructor
123 metal received · 40298 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=447
Advanced Metal Extractor9:24Middle 50%: 8:19–10:45 · n=338

Played most by

iLike2Eco31games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildHummell15games of this build