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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

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 · 554 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 623 · 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 554 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 1:27 · 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 · 23 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    3. Wind
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    5. ShurikenShuriken
    6. Wind
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. Wind ×2
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Wind ×2
    11. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    12. Wind ×2
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind ×3
    15. ValiantValiant ×2
    16. Mex
    17. ValiantValiant ×2
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant ×3
    20. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    21. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    22. Mex
    23. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • 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 · 211 steps
    1. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    2. Con turret
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    4. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:38 · typical 6:50
    5. Wind
    6. Con turret
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Wind
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Wind
    11. Wind
    12. Energy storage
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    14. Wind ×4
    15. Wind
    16. Wind ×4
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. Wind ×2
    19. Wind
    20. Wind
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. Wind
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Con turret ×2
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. Wind ×3
    29. Converter
    30. Wind ×6
    31. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:45 · typical 10:56
    32. Converter ×3
    33. Wind
    34. Converter ×3
    35. Wind
    36. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:00
    37. Wind ×3
    38. Converter
    39. StorkLight transport
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. OspreyHeavy transport
    43. Wind
    44. Con turret
    45. Converter
    46. Wind
    47. Con turret
    48. Con turret
    49. Wind
    50. Con turret
    51. Con turret
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    53. StorkLight transport
    54. Wind
    55. Converter
    56. StorkLight transport
    57. Con turret
    58. Converter ×2
    59. StorkLight transport
    60. Converter ×2
    61. BlinkScout plane
    62. Converter ×2
    63. BlinkScout plane ×2
    64. Converter ×2
    65. BlinkScout plane
    66. Converter ×2
    67. BlinkScout plane
    68. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    69. Converter ×2
    70. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    71. Con turret
    72. Converter ×2
    73. Con turret
    74. Converter
    75. Con turret
    76. Converter ×2
    77. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    78. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 12:07
    79. Con turret
    80. Converter
    81. Con turret ×2
    82. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    83. Con turret
    84. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    85. Wind
    86. Wind
    87. Converter
    88. LicheLichedone 12:31
    89. Wind
    90. Wind
    91. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    92. Converter
    93. Wind ×3
    94. Converter ×2
    95. OracleOracle
    96. Wind ×2
    97. Wind
    98. Converter
    99. OracleOracle
    100. Wind ×2
    101. Converter
    102. AbductorAbductor
    103. Wind ×2
    104. Converter ×2
    105. Wind ×3
    106. GuardGuard
    107. Converter
    108. Wind
    109. Wind
    110. Wind ×2
    111. Converter
    112. Wind
    113. HighwindHighwind
    114. Wind
    115. Wind
    116. Con turret
    117. Converter
    118. GuardGuard
    119. HighwindHighwind
    120. PrudePrudedone 14:46
    121. Wind
    122. HighwindHighwind
    123. Wind
    124. Converter
    125. Wind
    126. GuardGuard
    127. HighwindHighwind
    128. Wind
    129. Con turret
    130. Wind
    131. HighwindHighwind
    132. Wind
    133. Converter
    134. Wind
    135. Wind
    136. HighwindHighwind
    137. GuardGuard
    138. Wind
    139. Con turret
    140. Wind
    141. HighwindHighwind
    142. Converter
    143. Wind
    144. HighwindHighwind
    145. Wind ×2
    146. Wind
    147. Wind
    148. HighwindHighwind
    149. Converter
    150. Wind ×2
    151. Wind
    152. HighwindHighwind
    153. Wind ×2
    154. Wind
    155. Wind
    156. HighwindHighwind
    157. Wind
    158. Wind
    159. Wind ×2
    160. HighwindHighwind
    161. Wind
    162. Wind
    163. HighwindHighwind
    164. Converter
    165. Wind
    166. Wind
    167. HighwindHighwind
    168. Wind
    169. Wind
    170. HighwindHighwind
    171. Wind
    172. Converter
    173. HighwindHighwind
    174. Wind
    175. Wind
    176. HighwindHighwind
    177. Converter
    178. Wind ×2
    179. HighwindHighwind
    180. Wind
    181. Converter
    182. Wind
    183. HighwindHighwind
    184. Wind
    185. Wind
    186. Converter
    187. HighwindHighwind
    188. Wind
    189. Wind
    190. Converter
    191. HighwindHighwind
    192. Wind
    193. Wind
    194. Wind
    195. HighwindHighwind
    196. Converter
    197. Wind
    198. HighwindHighwind
    199. Wind
    200. Converter
    201. HighwindHighwind
    202. Wind
    203. Wind
    204. Converter
    205. HighwindHighwind
    206. Wind
    207. Converter
    208. Wind
    209. Converter
    210. Wind ×2
    211. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is UsurpeR's (45 OS, 30/09/2026); 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 2:26 · in 74% 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 85% 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

623 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
8:007015223290
9:009301256341
10:0011781327471
11:0014395439640
12:0017100605956
13:00199489321269
14:002266414091801
15:002555520592701
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

UsurpeR

45.2 OS · 30/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
3430 metal received · 92009 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=623
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=598
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=383

Played most by

DRM37games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build