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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 · 514 distinct matches · 114 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 575 · 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 514 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 1:13–1:34

    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 ×5
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:25 · 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
    • Hercules3 Light transport for allies
    • Finch2 Finch for allies
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is arcsiz's (36 OS, 01/09/2026); 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 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 1:39 · in 66% 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 2:19 · in 85% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:04 · 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

575 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145800
4:002052051
5:00276573102
6:003776125147
7:005132176219
8:007036219281
9:009346249341
10:0011841314464
11:0014395439635
12:0017116607950
13:00199988991230
14:002266413641807
15:002550120102691
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

arcsiz

35.5 OS · 01/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
314 metal received · 28048 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:34 · n=575
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:22–7:27 · n=553
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:17 · n=345

Played most by

DRM35games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildAdeus29games of this buildhaaven25games of this buildNutzz25games of this build