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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 ×3
    2. Wind ×4for Tech
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:14 · 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 · 24 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×3for Tech
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. Wind ×2for Tech
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Tech
    10. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    11. Mexfor Tech
    12. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Con turret ×2for Tech
    17. Windfor Tech
    18. Con turretfor Tech
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. HerculesLight transport
    21. Windfor Tech
    22. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    23. Con turretfor Tech
    24. Wind ×4for Tech
  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 · 77 steps
    1. Wind ×2for Tech
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    3. Windfor Tech
    4. Converter
    5. Windfor Tech
    6. Converter
    7. Windfor Tech
    8. Converter
    9. Windfor Tech
    10. Converter
    11. Windfor Tech
    12. Converter ×3
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Tech
    14. Converter
    15. Windfor Tech
    16. Converter
    17. Windfor Tech
    18. Converter
    19. Wind ×5for Tech
    20. Converter
    21. Wind ×4for Tech
    22. Converter
    23. Wind ×3for Tech
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Windfor Tech
    27. Converter
    28. ShurikenShuriken
    29. Wind
    30. ShurikenShurikenfor Tech
    31. ShurikenShuriken
    32. Converter
    33. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    34. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    35. Windfor Tech
    36. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    37. Windfor Tech
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    40. Windfor Tech
    41. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    42. Windfor Tech
    43. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    44. Windfor Tech
    45. Wind
    46. Windfor Tech
    47. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    48. Windfor Tech
    49. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    50. Converter
    51. Wind ×2for Tech
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Techdone 8:18 · typical 6:50
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind ×2for Tech
    55. Converter
    56. Windfor Tech
    57. Converter
    58. Windfor Tech
    59. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Tech
    60. Converter
    61. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Tech
    62. Con turret ×2for Tech
    63. GuardGuardfor Tech
    64. Converter
    65. GuardGuardfor Tech
    66. Windfor Tech
    67. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Tech
    68. GuardGuardfor Tech
    69. Windfor Tech
    70. GuardGuardfor Tech
    71. Wind ×2for Tech
    72. Converter
    73. Windfor Tech
    74. GuardGuardfor Tech
    75. Converter
    76. Wind ×2for Tech
    77. GuardGuardfor Tech

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Blover's (38 OS, 24/09/2026); 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

Blover

37.5 OS · 24/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
969 metal received · 11701 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