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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Mex ×2
    4. Wind
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:32 · 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. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×4
    4. ShurikenShurikenfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×4
    6. ShurikenShurikenfor Geo sea
    7. Wind
    8. ThistleThistle
    9. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    10. Wind ×3
    11. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    12. Wind
    13. Con turret
    14. ValiantValiant ×5
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    16. Wind ×2
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. 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 · 147 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:49 · typical 6:50
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Con turret
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    7. ValiantValiant ×2
    8. Con turret
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    10. ValiantValiant ×4
    11. Wind ×4
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind ×2
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. Wind
    17. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    18. Wind
    19. ShurikenShuriken
    20. Wind
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. ShurikenShuriken
    23. Wind
    24. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    25. Wind
    26. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:56
    27. ShurikenShuriken
    28. Wind
    29. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    30. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    31. GruntGrunt ×2
    32. ShurikenShuriken
    33. GraverobberGraverobber
    34. ShurikenShuriken
    35. GruntGrunt ×2
    36. ShurikenShuriken
    37. GraverobberGraverobber
    38. GruntGrunt
    39. TrasherTrasher
    40. ShurikenShuriken
    41. GraverobberGraverobber
    42. TrasherTrasher
    43. ShurikenShuriken
    44. GruntGrunt ×2
    45. ShurikenShuriken
    46. GraverobberGraverobber
    47. TrasherTrasher
    48. ShurikenShuriken
    49. GruntGrunt ×2
    50. ShurikenShuriken
    51. GraverobberGraverobber
    52. TrasherTrasher
    53. ShurikenShuriken
    54. Wind
    55. GruntGrunt
    56. Wind
    57. GruntGrunt
    58. ShurikenShuriken
    59. GraverobberGraverobber
    60. Wind
    61. ShurikenShuriken
    62. TrasherTrasher
    63. Wind
    64. GruntGrunt
    65. ShurikenShuriken
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. GruntGrunt
    69. Wind
    70. GraverobberGraverobber
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    74. Wind
    75. Metal storage
    76. Wind
    77. TrasherTrasher
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. GruntGrunt
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind
    84. GruntGrunt
    85. Wind ×2
    86. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    87. GraverobberGraverobber
    88. Wind
    89. TrasherTrasher
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. ThugThug
    92. Wind
    93. GruntGrunt
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    96. GruntGrunt
    97. Wind ×3
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. GraverobberGraverobber ×2
    100. Wind
    101. TrasherTrasher
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind
    104. GruntGrunt
    105. BlitzBlitz
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind
    109. FinchFinch
    110. GruntGrunt
    111. GraverobberGraverobber
    112. ThugThug
    113. FinchFinch
    114. TrasherTrasher
    115. FinchFinch
    116. GruntGrunt ×2
    117. FinchFinch
    118. GraverobberGraverobber
    119. TrasherTrasher
    120. FinchFinch
    121. GruntGrunt ×2
    122. FinchFinch
    123. GraverobberGraverobber
    124. FinchFinch
    125. TrasherTrasher
    126. GruntGrunt
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. GruntGrunt
    129. GraverobberGraverobber
    130. TrasherTrasher
    131. GruntGrunt
    132. Construction BotCon bot
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Con turret
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Construction BotCon bot
    137. Con turret
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Construction BotCon bot
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Construction BotCon bot
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Con turret
    146. ValiantValiant ×2
    147. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is pyrothraxus's (38 OS, 08/09/2026); 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

pyrothraxus

37.6 OS · 08/09/2026

Open source match ↗

11 received units · includes a constructor
1470 metal received · 18785 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