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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 (73%)

#eco #team support #air · 525 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 590 · 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 525 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 ~1:21, middle half 1:13–1:34

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    By 1:02 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:16 · typical 1:21
  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 (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 · 22 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×3for Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind ×5
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind ×3
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    11. Mex
    12. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Con turret
    16. Wind ×3
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind ×2
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
  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 (32%) · 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 · 254 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind
    7. Con turret
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. Wind
    11. Wind ×3
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. Converter
    16. Wind
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:24 · typical 6:50
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. ShurikenShuriken
    25. Wind
    26. ShurikenShuriken
    27. Wind ×2
    28. HerculesLight transport
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Wind ×2
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Wind
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind ×3
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    41. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    42. ValiantValiant ×6
    43. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:08
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Converter
    47. Construction BotCon bot
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Construction BotCon bot
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. Construction BotCon bot
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Construction BotCon bot
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Construction BotCon bot
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. Construction BotCon bot
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Construction BotCon bot
    67. Wind ×2
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. ShurikenShuriken
    70. Wind
    71. Converter
    72. Construction BotCon bot
    73. ShurikenShuriken
    74. Wind ×3
    75. ShurikenShuriken
    76. Construction BotCon bot
    77. Wind
    78. ShurikenShuriken
    79. Wind
    80. ShurikenShuriken
    81. Construction BotCon bot
    82. Wind
    83. ShurikenShuriken
    84. Wind ×2
    85. ShurikenShuriken
    86. Construction BotCon bot
    87. Converter
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind ×4
    90. Construction BotCon bot
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind ×3
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Construction BotCon bot
    95. Wind ×2
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind ×2
    98. Construction BotCon bot
    99. Wind ×2
    100. Converter
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind
    103. Construction BotCon bot
    104. Wind ×3
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind
    107. Construction BotCon bot
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind ×5
    110. Construction BotCon bot
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Converter
    113. Wind
    114. Converter
    115. Wind ×2
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind ×2
    118. Converter
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind ×3
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    123. Wind ×4
    124. Converter
    125. Wind ×2
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind ×2
    128. Converter
    129. Con turret
    130. Wind ×5
    131. Converter
    132. Wind ×7
    133. Converter
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind ×2
    136. Con turret
    137. Wind ×3
    138. Converter
    139. Wind ×3
    140. Converter
    141. Wind ×3
    142. Con turret
    143. Wind ×4
    144. FinchFinch
    145. Converter
    146. Wind ×2
    147. Con turret
    148. Wind ×5
    149. Converter
    150. Wind
    151. Con turret
    152. Wind
    153. Converter
    154. Wind ×2
    155. FinchFinch
    156. Con turret
    157. Wind ×4
    158. Con turret
    159. Wind ×2
    160. Converter
    161. FinchFinch
    162. Wind
    163. Con turret
    164. Wind ×3
    165. FinchFinch
    166. Wind
    167. Con turret
    168. Wind
    169. Converter
    170. Wind ×2
    171. Con turret
    172. Converter
    173. FinchFinch
    174. Wind ×2
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind ×3
    177. Converter
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Con turret
    180. Wind ×2
    181. Con turret
    182. Wind
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Wind ×3
    185. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    186. Wind
    187. Converter
    188. Wind ×2
    189. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    190. Wind ×3
    191. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    192. Wind ×2
    193. Converter
    194. Wind ×2
    195. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    196. Converter
    197. Wind ×3
    198. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    199. Wind ×2
    200. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    201. Wind ×3
    202. Converter
    203. Wind
    204. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    205. Wind ×3
    206. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    207. Wind ×4
    208. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    209. Converter
    210. Converter
    211. Wind ×2
    212. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    213. Wind ×3
    214. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    215. Wind ×3
    216. Converter
    217. Wind
    218. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    219. Wind ×3
    220. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    221. Wind ×3
    222. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    223. Converter
    224. Wind
    225. Converter
    226. Wind ×2
    227. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    228. Wind ×3
    229. ValiantValiant
    230. Wind ×2
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. Converter
    233. Wind
    234. ValiantValiant
    235. Wind ×2
    236. ValiantValiant
    237. Wind ×2
    238. ValiantValiant
    239. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 10:55
    240. Wind ×2
    241. ValiantValiant ×2
    242. Converter
    243. Wind
    244. Converter
    245. Wind ×3
    246. ValiantValiant
    247. Wind ×5
    248. Converter
    249. Wind ×4
    250. ValiantValiant
    251. Wind ×5
    252. Converter
    253. Converter
    254. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Pentry's (36 OS, 25/09/2026); 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 2:05 · 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 66% 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 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

590 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145800
4:002050051
5:00276373102
6:003766125150
7:005129176219
8:007014219285
9:009298248341
10:0011788315470
11:0014397439639
12:0017105603950
13:00199438701236
14:002263713511806
15:002549320022670
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

Pentry

35.7 OS · 25/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
298 metal received · 5022 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:21Middle 50%: 1:13–1:34 · n=590
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:22–7:27 · n=566
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=355

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus32games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildImmort25games of this buildNutzz25games of this build