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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 · 583 distinct matches · 119 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 655 · 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 583 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 ~1:24, middle half 1:13–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (39%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 6 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Mex
    4. Energy storage
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:59 · typical 1:24
  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 · 23 steps
    1. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. ValiantValiant ×2
    6. FinchFinch
    7. ValiantValiant ×2
    8. Con turret
    9. Wind
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    13. Con turret
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind ×3
    18. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    19. Wind ×2
    20. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    21. Wind
    22. ShurikenShuriken
    23. Wind
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 57% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken

    Some games also: con aircraft (35%) · fusion (34%) · 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 · 288 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. ShurikenShuriken
    9. Wind
    10. ShurikenShuriken
    11. Wind ×2
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. Wind ×3
    14. Energy storage
    15. Converter
    16. Wind
    17. ShurikenShuriken
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Converter
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Converter
    22. HerculesLight transport
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:47 · typical 6:48
    24. HerculesLight transport
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3
    26. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:48
    27. Construction BotCon bot ×8
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Construction BotCon bot
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Wind ×3
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. Wind ×3
    35. Construction BotCon botfor Front
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Construction BotCon bot
    38. Wind ×2
    39. Construction BotCon bot
    40. Wind ×3
    41. Construction BotCon bot
    42. Wind ×9
    43. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 9:08
    44. Wind ×15
    45. BlitzBlitzfor Tech
    46. Wind ×3
    47. BlitzBlitzfor Tech
    48. Wind ×2
    49. BlitzBlitzfor Tech
    50. Wind ×3
    51. BlitzBlitz
    52. Wind ×4
    53. Converter
    54. Wind
    55. BlitzBlitzfor Tech
    56. Wind
    57. Con turret
    58. Wind ×3
    59. Converter
    60. Wind
    61. BlitzBlitzfor Tech
    62. Con turret
    63. Wind ×4
    64. Converter
    65. Wind
    66. Con turret
    67. Wind
    68. BlitzBlitzfor Tech
    69. Wind ×3
    70. Converter
    71. Wind ×2
    72. BlitzBlitzfor Tech
    73. Wind ×3
    74. Converter
    75. Wind
    76. BlitzBlitzfor Tech
    77. Wind ×3
    78. BlitzBlitzfor Tech
    79. Wind ×2
    80. Converter
    81. Wind ×3
    82. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:18
    83. Converter
    84. Wind
    85. BlitzBlitzfor Tech
    86. Wind ×4
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind ×4
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Converter
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind ×5
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind ×3
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind
    97. Converter
    98. Wind ×2
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind ×2
    101. Converter
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind ×3
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Converter
    106. Wind ×3
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind
    109. ShurikenShuriken
    110. Wind
    111. ShurikenShuriken
    112. Wind ×2
    113. Converter
    114. Wind
    115. ShurikenShuriken
    116. Wind
    117. ShurikenShuriken
    118. Wind
    119. Converter
    120. Wind ×3
    121. ShurikenShuriken
    122. Wind
    123. ShurikenShuriken
    124. Wind
    125. Converter
    126. ShurikenShuriken
    127. Wind ×2
    128. ShurikenShuriken
    129. Wind
    130. Converter
    131. Wind ×2
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. Converter
    135. Wind ×2
    136. ShurikenShuriken
    137. Wind ×3
    138. Converter
    139. ShurikenShuriken
    140. Wind
    141. Con turret
    142. Wind ×3
    143. Converter
    144. Wind
    145. ShurikenShuriken
    146. Con turret
    147. Wind ×2
    148. ShurikenShuriken
    149. Wind
    150. Converter
    151. Wind ×2
    152. ShurikenShuriken
    153. Wind
    154. Converter
    155. ShurikenShuriken
    156. Wind ×2
    157. ShurikenShuriken
    158. Wind
    159. Converter
    160. ShurikenShuriken
    161. Wind
    162. ShurikenShuriken
    163. Wind ×2
    164. Converter
    165. Wind
    166. ShurikenShuriken
    167. Wind ×2
    168. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    169. Converter
    170. Wind
    171. ShurikenShuriken
    172. Wind ×2
    173. ShurikenShuriken
    174. Wind
    175. Converter
    176. Wind
    177. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    178. Converter
    179. Wind ×2
    180. ShurikenShuriken
    181. Wind
    182. Converter
    183. Wind
    184. ShurikenShuriken
    185. Con turret
    186. Wind
    187. Converter
    188. Wind ×4
    189. ShurikenShuriken
    190. Con turret
    191. Converter
    192. Wind
    193. Con turret
    194. Wind ×2
    195. ShurikenShuriken
    196. Wind ×2
    197. Con turret
    198. Converter
    199. Wind
    200. ShurikenShuriken
    201. Wind ×2
    202. ShurikenShuriken
    203. Wind
    204. Converter
    205. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    206. Wind ×2
    207. ShurikenShuriken
    208. Converter
    209. Con turret
    210. ShurikenShuriken
    211. Wind ×3
    212. Con turret
    213. Converter
    214. ShurikenShuriken
    215. Con turret
    216. Wind ×4
    217. ShurikenShuriken
    218. Wind
    219. Converter
    220. Con turret
    221. ShurikenShuriken
    222. Con turret
    223. ShurikenShuriken
    224. Wind ×3
    225. Converter
    226. Con turret
    227. ShurikenShuriken
    228. Wind
    229. ShurikenShuriken
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Con turret
    232. Wind
    233. Converter
    234. Wind ×2
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Wind
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Wind
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Converter
    241. ValiantValiant
    242. Wind
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Wind
    245. Con turret
    246. ValiantValiant
    247. Wind ×3
    248. ValiantValiant
    249. Con turret
    250. Wind
    251. Converter
    252. Con turret
    253. ValiantValiant
    254. Wind ×2
    255. ValiantValiant
    256. Wind
    257. Converter
    258. ValiantValiant
    259. Wind
    260. ValiantValiant
    261. Wind
    262. ValiantValiant
    263. Converter
    264. ValiantValiant
    265. Wind
    266. BeamerBeamer
    267. Wind
    268. ValiantValiant
    269. Wind
    270. ValiantValiant
    271. Converter
    272. ValiantValiant
    273. Wind
    274. Converter
    275. ValiantValiant
    276. Converter
    277. Wind ×2
    278. ShurikenShuriken
    279. Wind ×2
    280. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    281. Wind
    282. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    283. Wind ×3
    284. ShurikenShuriken
    285. Converter
    286. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    287. Wind
    288. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Crazydogg's (38 OS, 02/10/2026); 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 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:39 · in 65% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:44 · in 49% 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

655 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002055051
5:00276673116
6:003769125167
7:005146190219
8:007021226290
9:009346260342
10:0011817328467
11:0014409438638
12:0017109605950
13:00199519421277
14:002267214281816
15:002558320892709
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

Crazydogg

37.6 OS · 02/10/2026

Open source match ↗

29 received units · includes a constructor
6332 metal received · 135283 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:24Middle 50%: 1:13–1:35 · n=655
Advanced Metal Extractor6:48Middle 50%: 6:21–7:25 · n=629
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 9:56–12:17 · n=401

Played most by

DRM38games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort27games of this build