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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 · 501 distinct matches · 111 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 559 · 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 501 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 1:13–1:33

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:04 · 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
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: energy storage (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · con turret (31%)

    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 · 29 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    3. Solar
    4. ShurikenShuriken
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    6. Mex
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    9. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    10. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. Con turret
    13. Mex
    14. Wind ×3
    15. Con turret
    16. Wind
    17. Energy storage
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Wind
    21. HerculesLight transport ×2for unknown
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Wind
    24. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
  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 · 104 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. Wind
    4. Wind ×2
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:06 · typical 6:50
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    12. Converter
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    14. Converter
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    16. Converter ×4
    17. Con turret ×3
    18. Converter
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind
    21. Converter
    22. Wind ×3
    23. Converter
    24. Wind ×3
    25. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:05 · typical 10:56
    26. Converter ×3
    27. Converter
    28. Con turret
    29. Converter
    30. Con turret
    31. Converter
    32. Converter
    33. Converter ×2
    34. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:33
    35. Converter
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. SAMSAM
    38. Converter
    39. ValiantValiant ×2
    40. Converter
    41. ValiantValiant ×3
    42. Converter
    43. ValiantValiant ×17
    44. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×3
    45. Geothermal PowerplantGeonot finished by 15:00
    46. ValiantValiant ×7
    47. Fusion ReactorFusion
    48. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×3
    49. ValiantValiant ×4
    50. Con turret
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Con turret
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Con turret ×2
    55. ValiantValiant ×2
    56. Con turret ×2
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Con turret ×2
    59. ValiantValiant ×2
    60. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×6
    61. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    62. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    63. GuardGuard
    64. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    65. GuardGuard
    66. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×5
    67. GuardGuard
    68. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    69. GuardGuard
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. GuardGuard
    72. ValiantValiant ×8
    73. GuardGuard
    74. ValiantValiant ×6
    75. GuardGuard
    76. ValiantValiant ×5
    77. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 14:04
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. GuardGuard
    80. ValiantValiant ×3
    81. NighthawkNighthawk
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. NighthawkNighthawk
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. NighthawkNighthawk
    86. ValiantValiant ×2
    87. NighthawkNighthawk
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. NighthawkNighthawk
    90. ValiantValiant ×2
    91. NighthawkNighthawk
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. NighthawkNighthawk
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. NighthawkNighthawk
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. NighthawkNighthawk
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. NighthawkNighthawk
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. NighthawkNighthawk
    102. ValiantValiant ×2
    103. Advanced Construction AircraftT2 con aircraft
    104. ValiantValiant ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is IMBALANCED's (42 OS, 05/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst at 2:05 · in 98% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:26 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:38 · in 66% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:45 · in 48% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:19 · in 84% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:04 · 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

559 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145700
4:002052051
5:00276573102
6:003779124147
7:005128176219
8:007036220281
9:009352250341
10:0011841314464
11:0014395439635
12:0017109605955
13:00199329071256
14:002261913911819
15:002548920592748
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

IMBALANCED

41.8 OS · 05/09/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
3779 metal received · 71058 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:33 · n=559
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:23–7:27 · n=536
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:02–12:19 · n=338

Played most by

DRM35games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildAdeus28games of this buildNutzz25games of this buildhaaven24games of this build