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Front / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard front

Cortex Front build order · Supreme Isthmus

The role's default economy-first play: Bot Lab right away, Advanced Metal Extractor around 9:12, transitioning into the usual Thug/Grunt/Aggravator mix to hold the wider gap and feed the middle.

#eco #defence · 188 distinct matches · 64 players · 62% of Cortex Front games · team won 45% of 191 · 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 188 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 0:33–0:46

    Some games also: wind (49%)

    By 0:24 in all: 2 mex

    The example game in this phase · 2 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Bot LabBot Labdone 0:33 · 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
    • Thug7 Thug
    • Aggravator5 Aggravator
    • Grunt4 Grunt

    Some games also: con turret (41%) · Radar Tower (35%)

    By 5:00 in all: 6 mex · 5 wind

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

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine17Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Graverobber2 Graverobber
    • Construction Bot2 Con bot
    Army
    • Guard1 Guard
    • Grunt7 Grunt
    • Thug2 Thug

    Some games also: aggravator (49%) · energy storage (41%) · Radar Tower (38%) · Twin Guard (36%) · converter (35%)

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

    The example game in this phase · 163 steps
    1. Wind
    2. AggravatorAggravator
    3. Wind
    4. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    5. AggravatorAggravator
    6. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×5
    7. AggravatorAggravator
    8. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    12. AggravatorAggravator
    13. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    14. Wind
    15. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    16. AggravatorAggravator
    17. Wind
    18. AggravatorAggravator
    19. Energy storage
    20. AggravatorAggravator
    21. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    22. Converter
    23. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×8
    24. AggravatorAggravator
    25. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    26. Wind
    27. AggravatorAggravator
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. GuardGuard
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. Wind ×2
    36. GruntGrunt
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:10 · typical 9:12
    38. GruntGrunt
    39. Converter
    40. GruntGrunt
    41. Wind
    42. GruntGrunt
    43. Construction BotCon bot
    44. Con turret
    45. Wind
    46. Converter
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    48. Wind
    49. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    50. Converter
    51. Wind
    52. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    53. Wind ×2
    54. AgitatorAgitatordone 9:20
    55. Wind
    56. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    57. Wind ×2
    58. Converter
    59. Wind
    60. AgitatorAgitator
    61. Con turret
    62. Wind ×2
    63. Converter
    64. Wind
    65. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    66. Wind ×2
    67. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    68. Wind
    69. GruntGrunt
    70. Wind
    71. GruntGrunt
    72. Converter
    73. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    74. GruntGrunt
    75. Construction BotCon bot
    76. Wind ×2
    77. GruntGrunt
    78. EradicatorEradicator
    79. Wind
    80. GuardGuard
    81. GruntGrunt
    82. Construction BotCon bot
    83. GuardGuard
    84. Converter
    85. Wind
    86. GraverobberGraverobber
    87. Wind
    88. GraverobberGraverobber
    89. GuardGuard
    90. Wind ×2
    91. GraverobberGraverobber
    92. Wind
    93. GraverobberGraverobber
    94. Wind
    95. GruntGrunt
    96. Construction BotCon bot
    97. Wind
    98. Mex
    99. Wind
    100. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    101. Wind
    102. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    103. Construction BotCon bot
    104. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    105. Wind ×5
    106. RocketeerRocketeer
    107. Wind
    108. Mexfor Suicide front
    109. Construction BotCon bot
    110. Wind ×2
    111. Construction BotCon bot
    112. Wind ×4
    113. Construction BotCon bot
    114. Energy storage
    115. Wind ×4
    116. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    117. Wind ×5
    118. Construction BotCon bot
    119. Wind ×3
    120. Metal storage
    121. Wind
    122. Converter
    123. Construction BotCon bot
    124. Wind ×3
    125. Con turret
    126. Wind
    127. Cloakable Fusion ReactorCloakable Fusion Reactornot finished by 15:00
    128. Construction BotCon bot
    129. Wind ×2
    130. PulsarPulsarnot finished by 15:00
    131. Wind
    132. Construction BotCon bot
    133. Wind ×4
    134. VeilVeil
    135. Construction BotCon bot
    136. Converter
    137. Wind ×2
    138. Construction BotCon bot
    139. Wind
    140. Construction BotCon bot
    141. Wind ×4
    142. Construction BotCon bot
    143. Con turret
    144. Wind ×2
    145. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    146. Wind
    147. Con turret
    148. Converter
    149. Wind
    150. Construction BotCon bot
    151. Wind
    152. Con turret
    153. Construction BotCon bot
    154. Wind
    155. Construction BotCon bot
    156. Wind
    157. WardenWarden
    158. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    159. Wind ×2
    160. Construction BotCon bot
    161. Wind
    162. Construction BotCon bot
    163. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hummell's (46 OS, 02/10/2026); 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 67% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Geo or Techfirst at 7:33 · in 66% 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

191 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0033100
2:0085800
3:0016238686
4:002684366326
5:003814938875
6:00505116511622
7:00631023642607
8:00765531393548
9:00902136104317
10:001084842455102
11:001278048825948
12:001495252076900
13:001730857597591
14:001971462628368
15:002249370189398
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

46.3 OS · 02/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
1520 metal received · 38565 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Bot Lab0:40Middle 50%: 0:33–0:46 · n=179
Advanced Metal Extractor9:12Middle 50%: 8:11–10:29 · n=150

Played most by

Hummell20games of this buildwatermeloans19games of this buildiLike2Eco13games of this buildGeeGee11games of this buildErilium10games of this build
Standard front · Cortex Front build order · BAR Build Atlas