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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 · 501 distinct matches · 111 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 559 · 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 501 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 1:13–1:33

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    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 1:12 · 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
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: energy storage (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · con turret (31%)

    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 · 27 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    3. HerculesLight transport ×4for Geo sea
    4. Wind
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    6. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind ×5
    12. Mex
    13. Wind ×7
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    19. Converter
    20. HerculesLight transport
    21. Con turret
    22. Converter
    23. Converter
    24. Wind ×4
    25. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    26. Wind ×4
    27. Converter
  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 · 162 steps
    1. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    2. Wind
    3. Converter
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    8. Converter
    9. Wind ×13
    10. Converter
    11. Wind ×8
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2done 6:48 · typical 6:50
    13. Converter
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. Energy storage ×2
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    17. Converter
    18. Wind ×5
    19. Converter
    20. Wind
    21. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:01 · typical 10:56
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Converter
    24. Converter ×3
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Converter ×3
    28. Con turret ×2
    29. Converter
    30. Wind
    31. Con turret
    32. Wind
    33. Con turret ×6
    34. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:49
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo
    40. Wind ×2
    41. Converter
    42. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant ×2
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. ValiantValiant ×2
    53. Wind
    54. ValiantValiant ×2
    55. Converter
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant ×4
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Con turret ×2
    61. Wind
    62. FinchFinch ×2
    63. Wind
    64. Converter
    65. Wind ×4
    66. Converter
    67. Wind ×4
    68. Converter
    69. Wind ×2
    70. Converter
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Converter
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant ×2
    81. Wind
    82. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    83. Wind ×2
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Converter
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind ×2
    88. Con turret
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Con turret
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Con turret
    94. Wind
    95. Con turret ×2
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind ×2
    102. ValiantValiant ×2
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind
    108. Converter
    109. ValiantValiant ×2
    110. Wind ×2
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Converter
    113. Converter
    114. ValiantValiant ×2
    115. Wind ×2
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Converter
    118. ValiantValiant ×2
    119. Converter
    120. Wind
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Wind
    123. FinchFinch
    124. Converter
    125. FinchFinch ×2
    126. Wind
    127. FinchFinch ×2
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant ×3
    131. Wind
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Converter
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Converter
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind ×2
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Converter
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Fusion ReactorFusion
    142. Converter
    143. Wind ×8
    144. Converter
    145. Wind ×3
    146. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 13:55
    147. Wind ×4
    148. Converter
    149. Con turret ×2
    150. AnglerTorpedo bomberdone 14:03
    151. Converter
    152. NighthawkNighthawk ×2
    153. AnglerTorpedo bomber ×2
    154. Wind
    155. NighthawkNighthawk ×2
    156. Converter
    157. AnglerTorpedo bomber
    158. Wind
    159. AnglerTorpedo bomber
    160. Wind ×2
    161. NighthawkNighthawk ×2
    162. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Syphos's (41 OS, 21/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst at 2:05 · in 98% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:26 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:38 · in 66% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:45 · in 48% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:19 · 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

559 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145700
4:002052051
5:00276573102
6:003779124147
7:005128176219
8:007036220281
9:009352250341
10:0011841314464
11:0014395439635
12:0017109605955
13:00199329071256
14:002261913911819
15:002548920592748
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

Syphos

40.6 OS · 21/09/2026

Open source match ↗

11 received units · includes a constructor
461 metal received · 96111 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:33 · n=559
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:23–7:27 · n=536
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:02–12:19 · n=338

Played most by

DRM35games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildAdeus28games of this buildNutzz25games of this buildhaaven24games of this build