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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 · 633 distinct matches · 123 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 48% of 707 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:24

  1. Take 3 mex and open wind before committing to aircraft plant.
  2. Finish aircraft plant to start churning scouts and transports.
  3. Send Hercules, Finch and Hephaestus to allies as they ask.
  4. Get your advanced metal extractor up to fund fighter spam.
  5. Bring fusion online and shift into Valiant fighter coverage.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 633 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:13 · 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 (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · 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. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. HerculesLight transport
    4. Energy storage
    5. FinchFinch
    6. Mex
    7. Converter
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Converter
    10. Con turret
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Con turret ×2
    14. ValiantValiant ×2
    15. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    17. Wind
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. ShurikenShuriken
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (50%) · fusion (36%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 24 wind · 19 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is El_Turco's (36 OS, 04/10/2026); 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 2:26 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:38 · in 65% 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 95% 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

707 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002057051
5:00276873116
6:003751125167
7:005142190225
8:007010240292
9:009301263344
10:0011805340474
11:0014399440641
12:0017093607949
13:00199139491280
14:002269914671852
15:002558321432789
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard air sits below average team win rate at 48%, reflecting the role's support nature rather than kills.

  • + Aircraft plant lands fast at 1:24, enabling early transport and scout support.
  • − Own metal lost still reaches 2705 by 15:00 despite a support-first role.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

El_Turco

35.5 OS · 04/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
988 metal received · 57624 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=707
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:24–7:25 · n=681
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:53–12:08 · n=442

Played most by

DRM44games of this buildAdeus37games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildImmort29games of this buildNutzz29games of this build