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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

The usual Cortex air game: Aircraft Plant just after the start, Advanced Metal Extractor around 7 minutes and Fusion Reactor around 11 minutes, making transports and fighters for the team while scaling economy normally.

Usually transports first (72%)

#eco #team support #air · 501 distinct matches · 111 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 559 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:23

  1. Take 3 mex and open straight into Aircraft Plant.
  2. Finish Aircraft Plant, start pumping Valiant for escort duty.
  3. Get T2 constructor going to scale eco alongside air production.
  4. Add Advanced Metal Extractor to keep pace with team's economy.
  5. Bring Fusion Reactor online, keep making Hercules and Finch for allies.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 501 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 Aircraft Plant

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor3Mex
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 3 mex, 4 winddone ~1:22, middle half 1:13–1:33

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:10 · typical 1:22
  2. 2

    Aircraft Plant to 5:00

    Economy
    • Metal Extractor1Mex
    • Wind Turbine9Wind
    • Wind Turbine3Wind
    Builders
    • Construction Turret2 Con turret
    • Construction Aircraft1 Con aircraft
    Army
    • Valiant5 Valiant
    • Finch2 Finch for allies
    • Hercules2 Light transport for allies
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: energy storage (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · con turret (31%)

    By 5:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 13 wind · 3 wind · 1 energy storage · 2 con turret

    The example game in this phase · 26 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. ShurikenShuriken
    4. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    5. Wind ×3
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    7. Wind ×3
    8. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind ×2
    12. ValiantValiant ×2
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    14. ValiantValiant ×4
    15. Mex
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    19. Con turret
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. Con turret
    23. Wind ×3
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Wind ×2
    26. ValiantValiant
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine5Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken

    Some games also: con aircraft (36%) · fusion (33%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 24 wind · 20 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 151 steps
    1. Converter
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    3. Wind
    4. Converter
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Con turret
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. Converter
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. Wind
    13. Wind
    14. Wind
    15. Wind ×2
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:55 · typical 6:50
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind ×4
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Wind ×2
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:22 · typical 10:56
    29. Con turret
    30. Wind
    31. Con turret ×2
    32. Wind ×2
    33. Con turret
    34. Wind ×4
    35. T2 converter
    36. Wind
    37. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:52
    38. Wind ×3
    39. T2 converter
    40. Wind
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Con turret ×2
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind
    46. Converter
    47. Wind ×2
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    50. Wind
    51. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    52. Wind
    53. ShurikenShuriken
    54. Converter
    55. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    56. ValiantValiant ×2
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant ×2
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant ×3
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant ×2
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Con turret
    66. Converter
    67. Con turret
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Con turret
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Con turret
    72. ValiantValiant ×4
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. ArbalestArbalest
    88. Wind
    89. Converter
    90. Wind ×2
    91. ValiantValiant ×2
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant ×2
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant ×3
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant ×3
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant ×2
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant ×2
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    105. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    106. Wind
    107. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant ×3
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant ×2
    112. Wind
    113. ValiantValiant ×3
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant ×3
    116. Wind
    117. ValiantValiant ×2
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant ×4
    120. Wind
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Fusion ReactorFusion
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. ShurikenShuriken
    125. Wind
    126. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    127. Wind
    128. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    129. Wind
    130. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    131. Wind
    132. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    133. Wind
    134. ShurikenShuriken
    135. ValiantValiant ×2
    136. Wind
    137. ValiantValiant ×2
    138. T2 converter
    139. ValiantValiant ×3
    140. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    141. Wind
    142. T2 converter
    143. ValiantValiant ×2
    144. Con turret
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Con turret
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Con turret
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Pentry's (35 OS, 24/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst at 2:05 · in 98% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:26 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:38 · in 66% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:45 · in 48% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:19 · in 84% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:04 · in 94% 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

01k2k3k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

01k2k3k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

559 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145700
4:002052051
5:00276573102
6:003779124147
7:005128176219
8:007036220281
9:009352250341
10:0011841314464
11:0014395439635
12:0017109605955
13:00199329071256
14:002261913911819
15:002548920592748
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

This is the role's standard support job, winning less than half its games while producing little combat impact but reliably feeding transports and scouts to teammates.

  • + Reaches Aircraft Plant almost immediately (1:23), fast T2 constructor by 5:58.
  • + Keeps own losses low (2789 by 15:00) versus other roles.
  • − Destroys only 2027 enemy metal by 15:00, minimal combat contribution.
  • − Fusion Reactor only completes in 57% of games, some games stall on eco.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Pentry

35.4 OS · 24/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
1876 metal received · 19469 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:33 · n=559
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:23–7:27 · n=536
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:02–12:19 · n=338

Played most by

DRM35games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildAdeus28games of this buildNutzz25games of this buildhaaven24games of this build