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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 ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:08 · 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. Wind
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    7. Wind
    8. Energy storage
    9. FinchFinch
    10. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    11. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    12. ValiantValiant ×3
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    14. Mex
    15. Con turret
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Converter
    18. Con turret
    19. Converter
    20. Con turret
    21. Converter ×2
    22. Wind
    23. Converter ×2
    24. Wind
    25. ShurikenShuriken
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. ShurikenShuriken
    29. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. ShurikenShuriken
    33. 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 · 210 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. Wind
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. Wind
    8. ShurikenShuriken
    9. Wind
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Wind
    12. Con turret
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind ×2
    22. ShurikenShuriken
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. FinchFinch
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. FinchFinch
    30. Wind
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Converter
    33. ShurikenShuriken
    34. Converter
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:48 · typical 6:50
    36. Wind
    37. Wind
    38. Converter
    39. Wind
    40. Wind ×4
    41. Wind
    42. Wind
    43. Wind
    44. Wind ×2
    45. Wind
    46. Wind
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    48. Wind
    49. Wind ×2
    50. Wind
    51. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    52. Wind
    53. Con turret
    54. Wind
    55. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    56. Con turret
    57. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:17
    58. Wind
    59. Con turret
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. Con turret
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. Wind
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 10:56
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind
    77. ArbalestArbalest
    78. Wind
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant ×2
    81. Wind
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant ×2
    88. Fusion ReactorFusion
    89. Wind
    90. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    91. Converter
    92. Wind
    93. Wind
    94. Converter ×2
    95. Wind
    96. Converter
    97. Wind
    98. Converter
    99. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    100. Con turret
    101. Converter
    102. Wind
    103. Con turret
    104. Converter
    105. Con turret
    106. Wind
    107. Con turret
    108. Wind
    109. Wind
    110. Converter
    111. Wind ×3
    112. Wind
    113. Wind ×2
    114. Converter
    115. Wind ×2
    116. Wind
    117. Wind ×4
    118. Wind
    119. Wind
    120. Converter
    121. CitadelAnti-nukedone 12:00
    122. Wind
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind
    125. Wind
    126. Converter
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. Converter
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant ×3
    136. Wind
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Converter
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind ×2
    142. ValiantValiant ×3
    143. Converter
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant ×5
    146. Converter
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant ×2
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant ×2
    152. Converter
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    155. Converter
    156. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    157. Con turret
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind
    160. Wind
    161. Con turret
    162. ValiantValiant ×2
    163. Converter
    164. Con turret
    165. ValiantValiant ×4
    166. Wind
    167. ValiantValiant ×3
    168. Converter
    169. ValiantValiant ×7
    170. Wind
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. Converter
    174. ValiantValiant ×2
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant ×3
    177. Wind
    178. Converter
    179. ValiantValiant ×3
    180. Wind
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Fusion ReactorFusion
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Converter
    185. Wind
    186. Converter
    187. Wind
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Wind
    190. Converter ×2
    191. Wind
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind
    194. Converter
    195. Wind
    196. Converter
    197. ValiantValiant ×2
    198. ShurikenShuriken
    199. Wind
    200. ValiantValiant
    201. Wind
    202. ValiantValiant ×2
    203. ShurikenShuriken
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Wind
    206. ValiantValiant ×2
    207. ShurikenShuriken
    208. ValiantValiant
    209. Wind
    210. ValiantValiant ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Gieds's (45 OS, 29/09/2026); 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

Gieds

44.7 OS · 29/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
2065 metal received · 54081 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