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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is WaterBoy's (37 OS, 23/09/2026); 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

WaterBoy

36.9 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
508 metal received · 21100 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