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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 · 555 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 624 · 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 555 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 ×5
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:20 · 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. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    5. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    6. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    8. Con turret
    9. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo
    10. Wind
    11. Mex
    12. Wind ×4
    13. Energy storage
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. HephaestusHeavy transport
  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 · 259 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:21 · typical 6:50
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Converter ×2
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    7. Wind
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. HerculesLight transport
    11. Wind
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    13. HerculesLight transport
    14. Wind
    15. Con turret
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    17. Wind
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    19. Wind ×3
    20. Con turret
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Con turret
    23. Wind ×10
    24. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:24 · typical 10:56
    25. Wind
    26. Con turret ×2
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Converter ×2
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Converter ×2
    31. Wind
    32. Converter ×2
    33. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:38
    34. Wind
    35. Converter ×2
    36. Wind
    37. FinchFinch ×2
    38. Wind
    39. FinchFinch
    40. Converter
    41. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    42. Converter
    43. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    48. Converter
    49. Wind
    50. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    51. Wind
    52. Converter
    53. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    56. Converter
    57. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. Converter
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant ×2
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Converter
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. ShurikenShuriken
    72. Wind
    73. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    74. Converter
    75. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    76. Converter
    77. Wind
    78. ShurikenShuriken
    79. Converter
    80. Wind
    81. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    82. Wind
    83. ShurikenShuriken
    84. Converter ×2
    85. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    86. Con turret
    87. ShurikenShuriken
    88. Wind
    89. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    90. Converter
    91. Wind
    92. ShurikenShuriken
    93. ValiantValiant ×2
    94. Wind
    95. Converter
    96. ValiantValiant ×2
    97. Converter
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Converter
    102. ValiantValiant ×2
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant ×3
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Converter
    108. ValiantValiant ×2
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Converter
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. ShurikenShuriken
    120. Wind
    121. Converter
    122. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    123. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:18
    124. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    125. Con turret
    126. ShurikenShuriken
    127. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    128. ShurikenShuriken
    129. Wind
    130. ShurikenShuriken
    131. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    132. ShurikenShuriken
    133. Converter
    134. ShurikenShuriken
    135. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    136. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    137. Wind
    138. Con turret
    139. ShurikenShuriken
    140. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    143. Wind
    144. Con turret
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    147. Converter
    148. ValiantValiant ×2
    149. Wind
    150. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    153. Con turret
    154. Wind
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Converter
    157. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    158. Wind
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Con turret
    161. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    162. Wind
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Con turret
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Converter
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant ×2
    170. Wind ×2
    171. ValiantValiant ×2
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Converter
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Con turret
    177. Wind
    178. ValiantValiant ×2
    179. Wind
    180. Con turret
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Converter ×2
    183. Converter
    184. Wind
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. FalconFighter
    187. Wind
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Converter
    190. Wind
    191. FalconFighter
    192. Wind
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Converter
    195. FinchFinch
    196. FalconFighter
    197. Converter
    198. FinchFinch
    199. Converter
    200. FalconFighter
    201. Wind ×2
    202. Converter
    203. Wind ×2
    204. Converter
    205. FalconFighter
    206. Converter
    207. Wind ×3
    208. Converter
    209. FalconFighter
    210. Wind ×3
    211. FalconFighter
    212. Wind
    213. Converter
    214. Converter
    215. Wind
    216. FinchFinch
    217. Converter
    218. FalconFighter
    219. Wind ×2
    220. FinchFinch
    221. Wind
    222. Converter
    223. FalconFighter
    224. Wind ×2
    225. FinchFinch
    226. Wind
    227. FalconFighter
    228. Converter
    229. FinchFinch
    230. Converter
    231. Wind ×3
    232. FinchFinch
    233. FalconFighter
    234. Converter
    235. Wind ×3
    236. FinchFinch
    237. Wind ×3
    238. FalconFighter
    239. Wind
    240. Converter
    241. Converter
    242. Wind
    243. FinchFinch
    244. Wind ×2
    245. Converter
    246. FalconFighter
    247. Wind
    248. FinchFinch
    249. Wind
    250. Converter
    251. Wind ×2
    252. FinchFinch
    253. Wind ×3
    254. Converter
    255. Wind
    256. FinchFinch
    257. Wind ×3
    258. Con turret ×2
    259. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Spreukenindekeuken's (36 OS, 07/09/2026); 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 64% 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

624 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002053051
5:00276573109
6:003759125167
7:005136190219
8:007017225290
9:009298258342
10:0011788328471
11:0014383440641
12:0017097606958
13:00199439331269
14:002265314171801
15:002554320602701
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

Spreukenindekeuken

36.4 OS · 07/09/2026

Open source match ↗

11 received units · includes a constructor
56 metal received · 40727 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=624
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=599
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