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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×7
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:46 · 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 · 14 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. ValiantValiant ×5
    3. HerculesLight transport ×2for Tech
    4. Wind ×4
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Mex
    7. Wind ×4
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant ×2
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant ×3
  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 · 121 steps
    1. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:48 · typical 6:50
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    6. ValiantValiant ×2
    7. Con turret
    8. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    10. ShurikenShuriken ×8
    11. ValiantValiant ×2
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Wind
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Wind
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Con turret
    35. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:00 · typical 10:56
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Con turret ×2
    38. ValiantValiant ×4
    39. T2 converter
    40. ValiantValiant ×4
    41. T2 converter
    42. ValiantValiant ×3
    43. Con turret ×2
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:22
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Fusion ReactorFusion
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. FalconFighter
    50. Con turret
    51. FalconFighter
    52. Wind ×2
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. FalconFighter
    55. Wind
    56. FalconFighter
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. FalconFighter
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. FalconFighter
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. FalconFighter ×2
    65. Wind
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. FalconFighter
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. FalconFighter
    70. Wind
    71. FalconFighter
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. FalconFighter
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. FalconFighter
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. FalconFighter ×2
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. FalconFighter
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. FalconFighter
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. FalconFighter
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. FalconFighter ×2
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. FalconFighter
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. FalconFighter
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. FalconFighter
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. FalconFighter
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. FalconFighter
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. FalconFighter
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. FalconFighter
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. FalconFighter
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. FalconFighter
    113. Wind
    114. Con turret
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. FalconFighter
    117. Con turret
    118. T2 converter
    119. Wind ×2
    120. FalconFighter
    121. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hummell's (46 OS, 28/09/2026); 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

Hummell

46.4 OS · 28/09/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
216 metal received · 56814 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