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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 · 468 distinct matches · 145 players · 64% of Cortex Front games · team won 51% of 485 · 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 468 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 (40%)

    By 0:23 in all: 2 mex

    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
    • 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 · 53 steps
    1. GruntGrunt ×3
    2. Wind
    3. GruntGrunt
    4. GraverobberGraverobber
    5. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    6. Con turret
    7. GraverobberGraverobber
    8. Mex
    9. AggravatorAggravator
    10. Wind
    11. AggravatorAggravator
    12. Mex
    13. AggravatorAggravator
    14. Energy storage
    15. Wind
    16. AggravatorAggravator
    17. Wind
    18. Mex
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. AggravatorAggravator
    23. Mex
    24. Converter
    25. AggravatorAggravator
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Converter
    30. AggravatorAggravator
    31. Wind
    32. Con turret
    33. AggravatorAggravator
    34. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    35. AggravatorAggravator
    36. Wind
    37. GuardGuard
    38. AggravatorAggravator
    39. Wind
    40. AggravatorAggravator
    41. GuardGuard
    42. AggravatorAggravator
    43. GuardGuard
    44. Construction BotCon bot
    45. AggravatorAggravator
    46. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    47. AggravatorAggravator
    48. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    49. AggravatorAggravator
    50. Con turret
    51. AggravatorAggravator
    52. Mex
    53. AggravatorAggravator
  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
    • Thug4 Thug
    • Aggravator1 Aggravator

    Some games also: Radar Tower (43%) · energy storage (37%) · converter (36%) · Twin Guard (34%) · eat Bot Lab (37%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 170 steps
    1. AggravatorAggravator
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. AggravatorAggravator ×6
    4. Construction BotCon bot
    5. Wind
    6. Con turret
    7. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    8. Wind
    9. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    10. Wind
    11. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    12. Wind
    13. Construction BotCon bot
    14. Converter
    15. AggravatorAggravator ×2
    16. Wind
    17. AggravatorAggravator
    18. Wind ×2
    19. AggravatorAggravator
    20. Wind
    21. AggravatorAggravator
    22. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    23. Wind
    24. Construction BotCon bot
    25. Wind ×3
    26. Con turret
    27. Converter ×2
    28. Wind ×2
    29. AgitatorAgitatordone 8:03
    30. Wind
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Wind ×6
    33. Converter
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. CastroCastro
    38. Wind ×3
    39. Converter
    40. Wind ×2
    41. Con turret
    42. Wind
    43. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    44. Wind ×2
    45. Converter
    46. ThistleThistle
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:17 · typical 9:24
    48. Wind ×3
    49. Con turret
    50. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    51. Wind
    52. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    53. Wind
    54. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    55. Converter
    56. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    57. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    58. Wind ×3
    59. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    60. Wind
    61. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    62. Wind
    63. Converter
    64. Wind
    65. Converter
    66. Wind ×2
    67. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    68. Converter
    69. ThugThug
    70. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    71. Wind ×8
    72. ThugThug
    73. Converter
    74. Wind ×2
    75. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    76. ThugThug
    77. Converter
    78. Wind ×2
    79. Con turret
    80. Wind
    81. GuardGuard
    82. Converter
    83. Wind
    84. ThugThug
    85. Wind ×4
    86. Converter
    87. ThugThug
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Converter
    90. ThugThug
    91. GuardGuard
    92. Wind
    93. Converter
    94. ThugThug
    95. Converter ×2
    96. ThistleThistle
    97. ThugThug
    98. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    99. Wind
    100. ThugThug
    101. Wind
    102. GuardGuard
    103. ThistleThistle
    104. Wind ×2
    105. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    106. CastroCastro
    107. ThugThug
    108. Converter
    109. Wind ×2
    110. ThugThug
    111. Wind ×2
    112. ThugThug
    113. Wind ×2
    114. ThugThug
    115. Converter
    116. Wind
    117. GuardGuard
    118. ThugThug
    119. Wind ×2
    120. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    121. Wind
    122. ThugThug
    123. Converter
    124. Wind
    125. ThugThug
    126. Wind ×3
    127. ThugThug
    128. CastroCastro
    129. Wind
    130. ThugThug
    131. Wind ×3
    132. ThugThug
    133. Wind ×2
    134. ThugThug
    135. Converter
    136. Wind
    137. Converter
    138. ThugThug
    139. Converter
    140. ThugThug
    141. Wind ×2
    142. ThugThug
    143. Wind ×3
    144. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    145. Wind ×3
    146. Construction BotCon bot
    147. Wind ×3
    148. Converter
    149. Wind
    150. Con turret
    151. Converter
    152. GuardGuard
    153. Converter
    154. Wind
    155. Con turret
    156. GruntGrunt
    157. Wind ×2
    158. Con turret
    159. Construction BotCon bot
    160. Wind ×2
    161. Bot LabBot Labdone 14:41
    162. Wind ×2
    163. Construction BotCon bot
    164. Converter
    165. Wind
    166. Con turret
    167. Wind
    168. Converter
    169. GuardGuard
    170. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Buckyo's (36 OS, 14/10/2026); 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 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

485 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:00163410686
4:002721386336
5:003878935840
6:00512715991555
7:00643723912457
8:00778431583352
9:00923638954269
10:001091546135075
11:001273552795989
12:001458557596889
13:001691562537616
14:001913867758561
15:002086474519382
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

Buckyo

35.7 OS · 14/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
171 metal received · 31388 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=469
Advanced Metal Extractor9:24Middle 50%: 8:19–10:44 · n=352

Played most by

iLike2Eco30games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildEl_Turco15games of this build