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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

The role's baseline: Aircraft Plant immediately, transports and scouts for the team first, Advanced Metal Extractor and Fusion Reactor on a normal timeline, transitioning into Valiant fighter coverage over the game.

Usually transports first (72%)

#eco #team support #air · 633 distinct matches · 123 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 48% of 707 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:24

  1. Take 3 mex and open wind before committing to aircraft plant.
  2. Finish aircraft plant to start churning scouts and transports.
  3. Send Hercules, Finch and Hephaestus to allies as they ask.
  4. Get your advanced metal extractor up to fund fighter spam.
  5. Bring fusion online and shift into Valiant fighter coverage.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 633 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 ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:17 · 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 (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · 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 · 32 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. Wind
    5. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    6. Wind ×3
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. Energy storage
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    10. Con turret ×2
    11. Mex
    12. Wind ×2
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant ×3
    16. Wind ×2
    17. HerculesLight transport
    18. Wind ×3
    19. HerculesLight transport
    20. Wind
    21. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    22. Wind ×4
    23. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Wind
    27. ShurikenShuriken
    28. Converter
    29. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. ShurikenShuriken
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (50%) · fusion (36%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 24 wind · 19 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 154 steps
    1. Converter
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. Converter
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. Wind ×3
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. Wind
    9. Con turret
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind ×2
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. HerculesLight transport
    18. Wind ×5
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:04 · typical 6:50
    20. Wind
    21. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Wind ×4
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Con turret
    28. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:59 · typical 10:52
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. Wind
    32. Con turret
    33. Wind ×2
    34. Con turret ×2
    35. Wind
    36. Con turret
    37. Fusion ReactorFusion
    38. Wind ×2
    39. Con turret
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. Wind
    43. Converter
    44. Wind
    45. Converter
    46. Con turret
    47. Wind
    48. Con turret
    49. Converter
    50. Con turret
    51. Wind
    52. Con turret
    53. Converter
    54. Con turret
    55. Wind ×2
    56. Con turret
    57. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:56
    58. Wind
    59. Converter
    60. Wind ×2
    61. ValiantValiant ×2
    62. Converter
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant ×3
    65. Converter
    66. ValiantValiant ×2
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Converter
    72. ValiantValiant ×2
    73. Wind
    74. FinchFinch
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Converter
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant ×3
    81. FinchFinch
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant ×3
    84. Converter
    85. Wind
    86. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. FinchFinch
    91. Converter
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant ×4
    94. Wind
    95. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    96. Converter
    97. ValiantValiant ×2
    98. Con turret
    99. Wind
    100. Con turret
    101. Converter
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Con turret
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Converter
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    109. Wind
    110. Converter
    111. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    112. Wind
    113. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    114. Converter
    115. Wind
    116. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    120. Wind
    121. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind
    124. Converter
    125. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    126. Wind
    127. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    128. Converter
    129. Wind
    130. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    131. Wind
    132. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    133. Converter
    134. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    135. Wind
    136. ShurikenShuriken
    137. ValiantValiant ×3
    138. Converter
    139. ValiantValiant ×4
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant ×3
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant ×2
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant ×2
    146. Converter
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant ×4
    150. Converter
    151. ValiantValiant ×5
    152. Converter
    153. ValiantValiant ×5
    154. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is DRM's (43 OS, 04/10/2026); 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 Beach seafirst 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 1:38 · 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 95% 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

707 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002057051
5:00276873116
6:003751125167
7:005142190225
8:007010240292
9:009301263344
10:0011805340474
11:0014399440641
12:0017093607949
13:00199139491280
14:002269914671852
15:002558321432789
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard air sits below average team win rate at 48%, reflecting the role's support nature rather than kills.

  • + Aircraft plant lands fast at 1:24, enabling early transport and scout support.
  • − Own metal lost still reaches 2705 by 15:00 despite a support-first role.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

DRM

43.5 OS · 04/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
753 metal received · 22888 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=707
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:24–7:25 · n=681
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:53–12:08 · n=442

Played most by

DRM44games of this buildAdeus37games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildImmort29games of this buildNutzz29games of this build