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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is WaterBoy's (37 OS, 15/09/2026); 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

WaterBoy

37.3 OS · 15/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
99 metal received · 15188 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