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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:12 · 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 · 28 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Solar
    5. Wind
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    7. Solar
    8. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    9. FinchFinch
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. ValiantValiant ×3
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    14. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo sea
    15. Mex
    16. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    17. Con turret ×2
    18. Wind
    19. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    20. Wind
    21. Wind
    22. FinchFinch
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Wind
    27. Con turret
    28. 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 · 157 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Energy storage
    4. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:04 · typical 6:48
    5. Wind
    6. Wind
    7. ThistleThistle
    8. Con turret
    9. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. ThistleThistle
    13. Wind
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. Wind
    16. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:03
    17. Wind
    18. Mex
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    20. FinchFinch
    21. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    22. Converter
    23. FinchFinch
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Mex
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Converter
    31. Wind ×3
    32. Wind
    33. Advanced solar
    34. Converter
    35. Advanced solar ×2
    36. GuardGuard
    37. Wind
    38. Advanced solar
    39. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:56 · typical 10:55
    40. Con turret
    41. Wind
    42. Converter ×2
    43. GuardGuard
    44. Wind
    45. Converter ×2
    46. Wind
    47. Con turret
    48. Converter
    49. Con turret ×3
    50. Converter
    51. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:21
    52. Converter
    53. FinchFinch
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Wind
    56. Advanced solar
    57. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    58. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    59. ShurikenShuriken
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Advanced solar
    62. Converter
    63. ValiantValiant ×4
    64. Converter
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant ×2
    68. Converter
    69. ValiantValiant ×2
    70. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    71. Converter
    72. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    73. Wind
    74. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    75. Converter
    76. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    77. Converter
    78. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    79. ValiantValiant ×2
    80. Con turret
    81. Converter
    82. Wind
    83. Fusion ReactorFusion
    84. Con turret
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Con turret
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Converter
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Con turret ×2
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Converter
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Converter
    95. ValiantValiant ×2
    96. Converter
    97. FinchFinch
    98. ValiantValiant ×4
    99. Converter
    100. ValiantValiant ×3
    101. Converter
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Converter
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Converter
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Con turret
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Con turret
    112. T2 converter
    113. Converter
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Con turret
    116. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    117. Con turret
    118. ShurikenShuriken
    119. Wind
    120. Con turret
    121. ShurikenShuriken
    122. Converter
    123. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    124. Converter
    125. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    126. ValiantValiant ×4
    127. Converter
    128. ValiantValiant ×3
    129. FinchFinch
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant ×3
    132. Converter
    133. ValiantValiant ×7
    134. Converter
    135. ValiantValiant ×4
    136. Wind
    137. ValiantValiant ×3
    138. Converter
    139. ValiantValiant ×2
    140. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:19
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Converter
    143. FinchFinch ×2
    144. ValiantValiant ×4
    145. Converter
    146. ValiantValiant ×3
    147. Wind
    148. HerculesLight transport ×2for Beach sea
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Converter
    151. ValiantValiant ×6
    152. Converter
    153. ValiantValiant ×6
    154. Converter
    155. ValiantValiant ×2
    156. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    157. ValiantValiant ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Grump]Grumpiness's (48 OS, 01/10/2026); 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

[Grump]Grumpiness

48.0 OS · 01/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
1358 metal received · 66852 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