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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 · 451 distinct matches · 138 players · 65% of Cortex Front games · team won 51% of 468 · 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 451 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 ×3
    2. Wind
    3. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:52 · 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 · 19 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Construction BotCon bot
    3. GruntGrunt ×3
    4. GraverobberGraverobber
    5. ThugThug ×4
    6. Mex
    7. ThugThug
    8. Construction BotCon bot
    9. Mex ×2
    10. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    11. ThugThug ×3
    12. Con turret
    13. ThugThug ×5
    14. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    15. Mex
    16. GraverobberGraverobber
    17. GuardGuard
    18. Con turret
    19. Construction BotCon bot
  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%) · energy storage (36%) · converter (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 · 136 steps
    1. GuardGuard
    2. Wind
    3. Construction BotCon bot
    4. Wind
    5. ThugThug
    6. Wind
    7. ThugThug
    8. GraverobberGraverobber
    9. Wind
    10. Construction BotCon bot
    11. Wind
    12. Construction BotCon bot
    13. Wind
    14. GraverobberGraverobber
    15. Wind
    16. GraverobberGraverobber
    17. Wind
    18. ThugThug ×4
    19. Con turret
    20. ThugThug ×2
    21. Wind ×3
    22. ThugThug
    23. Wind ×2
    24. ThugThug
    25. Wind ×2
    26. AgitatorAgitatornot finished by 15:00
    27. Wind ×4
    28. ThugThug
    29. Wind ×2
    30. ThugThug
    31. Wind ×2
    32. ThugThug
    33. Wind
    34. ThugThug
    35. Wind
    36. ThugThug
    37. Con turret
    38. Wind
    39. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 8:34
    40. ThugThug
    41. GruntGrunt
    42. Con turret
    43. GruntGrunt
    44. Wind
    45. GruntGrunt
    46. IncisorIncisor
    47. Converter
    48. GruntGrunt
    49. Wind
    50. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    51. IncisorIncisor
    52. Converter
    53. IncisorIncisor
    54. Converter
    55. IncisorIncisor
    56. Converter
    57. IncisorIncisor
    58. Wind
    59. Converter
    60. IncisorIncisor ×2
    61. Converter
    62. IncisorIncisor
    63. Con turret
    64. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 10:40 · typical 9:23
    65. IncisorIncisor
    66. Wind
    67. IncisorIncisor ×2
    68. Wind
    69. IncisorIncisor
    70. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    71. Wind
    72. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    73. IncisorIncisor
    74. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    75. Wind ×3
    76. IncisorIncisor
    77. Wind
    78. Vehicle PlantEat Vehicle Plantreclaimed for its metal
    79. Wind ×4
    80. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:00
    81. Wind
    82. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:04
    83. TickTick ×5
    84. Wind
    85. TickTick ×5
    86. Wind
    87. TickTick ×10
    88. Wind
    89. TickTick
    90. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    91. TickTick ×12
    92. Wind
    93. TickTick
    94. Wind
    95. TickTick ×4
    96. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:28
    97. TickTick ×7
    98. Wind
    99. TickTick ×8
    100. Wind
    101. TickTick
    102. Wind
    103. TickTick ×3
    104. LazarusLazarus
    105. TickTick
    106. Wind
    107. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    108. Wind
    109. LazarusLazarus
    110. Construction BotCon bot
    111. Wind ×2
    112. LazarusLazarus
    113. Wind ×2
    114. Construction BotCon bot
    115. Wind ×2
    116. LazarusLazarus
    117. Construction BotCon bot
    118. Wind
    119. RocketeerRocketeer
    120. TickTick
    121. Construction BotCon bot
    122. TickTick
    123. Wind
    124. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    125. TickTick ×2
    126. Wind
    127. TickTick ×4
    128. Wind
    129. TickTick ×5
    130. Wind
    131. TickTick ×6
    132. Wind
    133. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    134. TickTick ×20
    135. T2 converter
    136. TickTick ×4

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is EthanTheEpic's (30 OS, 24/08/2026); 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

468 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085600
3:00162710486
4:002711389341
5:003853921839
6:00510915891556
7:00639523722474
8:00772631253385
9:00915138374291
10:001079845385079
11:001264252055987
12:001450856906925
13:001681462067630
14:001896966638539
15:002063272579305
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

EthanTheEpic

30.1 OS · 24/08/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
100 metal received · 32622 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=454
Advanced Metal Extractor9:23Middle 50%: 8:19–10:45 · n=343

Played most by

iLike2Eco31games of this buildTheGeneraI27games of this buildSauceDispenser27games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildEl_Turco15games of this build