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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 ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:16 · 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 · 33 steps
    1. Solar
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Wind
    4. Solar
    5. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    6. Wind ×2
    7. FinchFinch
    8. Solar
    9. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    10. Wind
    11. HerculesLight transport
    12. Wind
    13. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind ×2
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. Mex
    23. Wind
    24. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Con turret
    27. Wind
    28. Con turret
    29. Wind ×3
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. Con turret
    33. Wind
  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 · 246 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    3. Wind
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Converter
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. Converter
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Wind
    30. Wind
    31. Wind
    32. Wind
    33. Wind
    34. Wind
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. Wind
    38. Converter
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. Wind
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. Wind
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. Wind
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Wind
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:09 · typical 6:50
    56. Wind
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind ×4
    62. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    63. Wind ×2
    64. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    65. Wind
    66. Con turret
    67. Wind ×4
    68. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    69. Wind ×3
    70. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:06
    71. Converter
    72. Wind
    73. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    74. Wind
    75. Construction BotCon bot ×4
    76. Wind
    77. Converter
    78. Wind
    79. Construction BotCon bot
    80. Wind
    81. Construction BotCon bot
    82. Wind
    83. Construction BotCon bot
    84. Wind ×3
    85. Construction BotCon bot
    86. Wind
    87. Construction BotCon bot
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Converter
    90. Construction BotCon bot
    91. Wind ×2
    92. Construction BotCon bot
    93. Wind
    94. Construction BotCon bot
    95. Wind ×4
    96. Construction BotCon bot
    97. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:16
    98. Wind ×6
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind ×2
    101. Converter
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. FinchFinch
    105. Wind ×4
    106. FinchFinch
    107. Converter
    108. FinchFinch
    109. Wind ×2
    110. Converter
    111. FinchFinch
    112. Wind ×3
    113. FinchFinch
    114. Wind ×3
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind ×2
    117. Converter
    118. Con turret
    119. Wind ×2
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind ×4
    122. Con turret
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind ×2
    125. Converter
    126. Wind
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind ×4
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind ×2
    131. Con turret
    132. Wind
    133. CitadelAnti-nukedone 12:54
    134. Converter
    135. Wind
    136. Converter
    137. Wind ×4
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind ×2
    140. Converter
    141. Wind ×6
    142. Converter
    143. Wind ×3
    144. Con turret
    145. Wind ×4
    146. Converter
    147. Wind
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind ×5
    150. Converter
    151. Wind ×2
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Wind ×2
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind ×2
    156. Converter
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind ×3
    159. Converter
    160. Con turret
    161. Wind
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind ×4
    164. Con turret
    165. Wind ×3
    166. Converter
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Con turret
    169. Wind ×2
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Con turret
    172. Wind ×3
    173. Con turret
    174. Wind ×2
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind
    177. Converter
    178. Con turret
    179. Wind ×2
    180. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    181. Wind ×3
    182. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    183. Wind ×3
    184. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    185. Wind
    186. Converter
    187. Wind
    188. Converter
    189. Wind ×3
    190. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    191. Wind ×3
    192. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    193. Wind
    194. Converter
    195. Wind ×3
    196. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    197. Wind ×3
    198. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    199. Wind
    200. Converter
    201. Wind
    202. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    203. Wind ×3
    204. Converter
    205. Wind
    206. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    207. Wind ×3
    208. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    209. Wind
    210. Converter
    211. Wind ×2
    212. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    213. Wind ×2
    214. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    215. Wind ×3
    216. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    217. Wind
    218. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    219. Wind
    220. Converter
    221. Wind
    222. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    223. Wind ×3
    224. Converter
    225. Wind ×3
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Converter
    228. Wind
    229. ValiantValiant
    230. Wind ×2
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. Wind
    233. ValiantValiant
    234. Wind
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Wind ×2
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Wind
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Wind
    241. ValiantValiant
    242. Wind
    243. Converter
    244. ValiantValiant
    245. Wind ×2
    246. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Pentry's (36 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

Pentry

36.1 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
1151 metal received · 7977 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