BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

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 · 555 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 624 · 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 555 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 1:13–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (38%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Energy storage
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:35 · 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
    • 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. FinchFinch
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. FinchFinch
    4. FinchFinchfor Air
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Air
    6. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. FinchFinch
    12. Mex
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    14. Con turret ×2
    15. Wind
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    17. Wind
    18. FinchFinch
    19. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Con turret
    23. Wind ×3
  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 · 150 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:51 · typical 6:50
    4. Con turret
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Converter
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Converter
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    12. Converter
    13. Wind ×5
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. Wind ×4
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind ×3
    20. Con turret
    21. Wind
    22. Con turret ×2
    23. Wind ×9
    24. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 8:45 · typical 10:56
    25. Wind ×2
    26. Converter
    27. Con turret
    28. Converter
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. Wind
    38. Converter ×2
    39. Wind
    40. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:00
    41. Converter
    42. Wind
    43. Converter
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. Converter
    48. ValiantValiant ×3
    49. Wind
    50. ValiantValiant ×2
    51. Wind
    52. Converter
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Converter
    62. FinchFinch
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Converter
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant ×2
    72. Wind
    73. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    74. Converter
    75. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    76. Wind
    77. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    78. Converter
    79. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    80. Wind
    81. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    82. Converter
    83. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    84. Converter
    85. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    86. Converter
    87. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    88. Wind
    89. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    90. Converter
    91. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    92. FinchFinch
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant ×2
    95. Converter
    96. Con turret
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Con turret
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Converter
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant ×3
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Converter
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Converter
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant ×2
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant ×2
    121. Converter
    122. ValiantValiant ×2
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant ×3
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Converter
    128. ValiantValiant ×5
    129. Converter
    130. ValiantValiant ×4
    131. Converter
    132. ValiantValiant ×4
    133. Converter
    134. ValiantValiant ×3
    135. Converter
    136. ValiantValiant ×4
    137. Converter
    138. ValiantValiant ×4
    139. Converter
    140. ValiantValiant ×3
    141. Converter
    142. ValiantValiant ×4
    143. Converter
    144. ValiantValiant ×3
    145. Converter
    146. ValiantValiant ×4
    147. Converter
    148. ValiantValiant ×3
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiant ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is NFX_Scurvy's (38 OS, 15/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst at 2:06 · in 99% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:26 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · in 64% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:44 · in 48% 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

624 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002053051
5:00276573109
6:003759125167
7:005136190219
8:007017225290
9:009298258342
10:0011788328471
11:0014383440641
12:0017097606958
13:00199439331269
14:002265314171801
15:002554320602701
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

NFX_Scurvy

38.0 OS · 15/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
385 metal received · 50061 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:35 · n=624
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=599
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=383

Played most by

DRM37games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build