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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 (73%)

#eco #team support #air · 525 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 590 · 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 525 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 ~1:21, middle half 1:13–1:34

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    By 1:02 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:32 · typical 1:21
  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 (39%) · con turret (33%)

    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 · 38 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinch
    5. Wind
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    11. Wind
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Mex
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Con turret
    21. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    22. Wind
    23. ShurikenShuriken
    24. Con turret
    25. Converter
    26. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    27. Wind
    28. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    29. Converter
    30. Con turret
    31. Wind
    32. Converter
    33. Con turret
    34. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. Converter
    38. ValiantValiantfor Geo
  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 (32%) · 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 · 175 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. HerculesLight transport
    7. Wind
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. Converter
    11. Wind ×3
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. Wind
    14. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    15. Wind ×4
    16. Wind
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Wind ×4
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:54 · typical 6:50
    20. Wind
    21. Wind
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3
    23. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 8:52 · typical 10:55
    24. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:03
    25. Con turret
    26. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    27. Con turret
    28. Converter
    29. Con turret
    30. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    31. Con turret
    32. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    33. Converter
    34. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    35. Converter
    36. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    37. Con turret
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Converter
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Converter
    42. FinchFinch ×2
    43. Con turret
    44. FinchFinch
    45. Converter
    46. ValiantValiant ×2
    47. Con turret
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Converter
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Con turret
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Converter
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Con turret
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Converter
    58. ValiantValiant ×3
    59. Converter
    60. ValiantValiant ×3
    61. Converter
    62. ValiantValiant ×3
    63. Converter
    64. ValiantValiant ×3
    65. Converter
    66. ValiantValiant ×3
    67. Converter
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant ×2
    71. Converter
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant ×3
    76. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    77. Wind
    78. Converter
    79. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    80. Wind
    81. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    82. Con turret
    83. Wind
    84. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    85. Con turret
    86. Converter
    87. Con turret
    88. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    89. Wind
    90. Con turret
    91. Converter
    92. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×4
    93. Wind
    94. Converter
    95. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    96. Converter
    97. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant ×2
    100. Con turret
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Converter
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant ×2
    106. Converter
    107. ValiantValiant ×2
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Converter
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Converter
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind
    117. ValiantValiant ×3
    118. Wind
    119. Converter
    120. ValiantValiant ×3
    121. Con turret
    122. ValiantValiant ×2
    123. Converter
    124. ValiantValiant ×5
    125. Converter
    126. ValiantValiant ×4
    127. Con turret
    128. ValiantValiant ×2
    129. Converter
    130. ValiantValiant ×3
    131. Converter
    132. ValiantValiant ×2
    133. Con turret
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Converter
    136. ValiantValiant ×2
    137. Converter
    138. ValiantValiant ×2
    139. Converter
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Con turret
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Converter
    144. ValiantValiant ×3
    145. Converter
    146. ValiantValiant ×4
    147. Converter
    148. ValiantValiant ×3
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiant ×5
    151. Wind
    152. Converter
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Con turret
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Converter
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiant ×2
    161. Fusion ReactorFusion
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Con turret
    164. Wind
    165. Converter
    166. Wind
    167. Con turret
    168. Wind
    169. Converter ×3
    170. Wind
    171. Con turret
    172. Converter
    173. Wind ×3
    174. Converter
    175. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Lexosis's (37 OS, 26/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst at 2:05 · in 99% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:39 · in 66% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:44 · in 48% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:20 · 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

590 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145800
4:002050051
5:00276373102
6:003766125150
7:005129176219
8:007014219285
9:009298248341
10:0011788315470
11:0014397439639
12:0017105603950
13:00199438701236
14:002263713511806
15:002549320022670
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

Lexosis

36.9 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

16 received units · includes a constructor
459 metal received · 263141 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:21Middle 50%: 1:13–1:34 · n=590
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:22–7:27 · n=566
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=355

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus32games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildImmort25games of this buildNutzz25games of this build