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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 · 583 distinct matches · 119 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 655 · 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 583 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 ~1:24, middle half 1:13–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (39%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:31 · typical 1:24
  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 · 35 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    3. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    4. Wind ×3
    5. FinchFinch
    6. Wind
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. Wind
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    10. ValiantValiant ×2
    11. Wind
    12. Mex
    13. Wind
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Con turret
    21. Wind ×2
    22. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. Con turret
    26. HerculesLight transportfor Front
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Converter
    31. Con turret
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. ShurikenShuriken
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 57% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Lexosis's (38 OS, 02/10/2026); 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 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:39 · in 65% 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 2:20 · 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

655 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002055051
5:00276673116
6:003769125167
7:005146190219
8:007021226290
9:009346260342
10:0011817328467
11:0014409438638
12:0017109605950
13:00199519421277
14:002267214281816
15:002558320892709
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

Lexosis

38.1 OS · 02/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
184 metal received · 86055 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:24Middle 50%: 1:13–1:35 · n=655
Advanced Metal Extractor6:48Middle 50%: 6:21–7:25 · n=629
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 9:56–12:17 · n=401

Played most by

DRM38games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort27games of this build