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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 · 547 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 615 · 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 547 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 1:13–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (38%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×6
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:25 · 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
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken

    Some games also: energy storage (45%) · 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 · 22 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    6. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    7. ValiantValiant ×2
    8. Wind ×3
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. FinchFinch
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    14. Mex
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    16. Con turret
    17. ValiantValiant ×3
    18. Con turret
    19. Energy storage
    20. FinchFinch
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind ×2
  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 · 277 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind ×2
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind
    5. FinchFinch
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind ×5
    9. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    10. Wind
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Wind
    13. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind ×2
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Converter
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. Converter
    22. FinchFinch
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:08 · typical 6:50
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. BeholderBeholder
    27. Converter
    28. BeholderBeholder
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. BeholderBeholder
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    33. Converter
    34. BeholderBeholder
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Converter
    37. FinchFinch
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    40. ValiantValiant ×2
    41. Converter
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. FinchFinch
    44. Converter
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Converter
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Converter
    49. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:12
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. FinchFinch
    52. Construction BotCon bot
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Construction BotCon bot
    55. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:39
    56. ValiantValiant ×2
    57. FinchFinch
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    60. ValiantValiant ×2
    61. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    62. FinchFinch
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Con turret
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    67. Wind
    68. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    69. Con turret
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    73. Con turret
    74. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    75. Con turret
    76. FinchFinch
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant ×3
    79. FinchFinch
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant ×2
    83. FinchFinch
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. NettleNettle
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. FinchFinch
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant ×3
    91. Con turret
    92. FinchFinch
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant ×2
    96. FinchFinch
    97. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind
    103. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind
    106. Con turret
    107. Wind
    108. FinchFinch
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind ×2
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind
    116. FinchFinch
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Con turret
    119. Wind ×3
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind ×4
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind ×3
    124. FinchFinch
    125. Wind ×3
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. Converter
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind ×3
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind ×2
    134. Converter
    135. Wind
    136. FinchFinch
    137. Con turret
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind
    143. Converter
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind ×6
    147. Converter
    148. FinchFinch
    149. Wind ×3
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind ×2
    152. Converter
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind ×3
    155. Converter
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind
    158. FinchFinch
    159. Converter
    160. Wind
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind ×5
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Converter
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Converter
    167. Wind ×2
    168. FinchFinch
    169. Wind
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Wind ×2
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Converter
    174. Wind
    175. Converter
    176. Wind
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Wind ×2
    179. FinchFinch
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind ×4
    182. Converter
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Converter
    185. Wind ×2
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Wind ×2
    188. FinchFinch
    189. Wind ×3
    190. Converter
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Converter
    193. Wind ×3
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind ×2
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Converter
    198. Wind ×3
    199. Converter
    200. FinchFinch
    201. Wind
    202. StorkLight transportfor Beach sea
    203. Wind
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Wind
    206. ValiantValiant
    207. Converter
    208. Wind
    209. StorkLight transportfor Geo sea
    210. ValiantValiant
    211. Wind
    212. Converter
    213. FinchFinch
    214. Wind
    215. Converter
    216. ValiantValiant
    217. StorkLight transport
    218. Wind ×2
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Converter ×2
    221. Wind
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. Wind ×3
    224. FinchFinch
    225. Converter
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Wind ×3
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind ×3
    230. Converter ×2
    231. Wind
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Wind ×2
    234. FinchFinch
    235. Wind ×3
    236. ValiantValiant
    237. Converter
    238. Wind ×2
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Wind
    241. Converter ×2
    242. Wind
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Wind ×2
    245. FinchFinch
    246. Wind
    247. Converter
    248. Wind ×2
    249. ValiantValiant
    250. Wind
    251. Converter
    252. ValiantValiant
    253. Wind ×3
    254. ValiantValiant
    255. Wind
    256. Converter
    257. FinchFinch
    258. Wind
    259. ValiantValiant
    260. Con turret
    261. Wind
    262. ValiantValiant
    263. Converter ×2
    264. Wind ×4
    265. ValiantValiant
    266. Wind ×2
    267. Converter
    268. FinchFinch
    269. Wind
    270. ValiantValiant ×2
    271. Wind
    272. Con turret
    273. Converter ×2
    274. Con turret
    275. Wind ×2
    276. ValiantValiant
    277. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is EXZoPrimer3'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 2:06 · 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 1:40 · in 65% 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 6:03 · 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

615 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145800
4:002052051
5:00276573109
6:003755125167
7:005136190219
8:007019220290
9:009335250341
10:0011795327471
11:0014399439641
12:0017100619962
13:00199489301269
14:002264113951807
15:002553020492701
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

EXZoPrimer3

36.7 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
98 metal received · 107522 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:35 · n=615
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=590
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:14 · n=375

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build