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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 · 501 distinct matches · 111 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 559 · 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 501 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 1:13–1:33

    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 ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:12 · 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
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: energy storage (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · con turret (31%)

    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 · 33 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. Wind
    4. ShurikenShuriken
    5. FinchFinch
    6. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    7. Wind
    8. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    9. Wind
    10. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo sea
    11. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. Mex
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Con turret
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind ×5
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    20. Wind
    21. Converter
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Con turret
    24. Converter
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. Con turret
    28. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    29. Wind
    30. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    31. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    32. Wind ×2
    33. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
  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 · 111 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Converter
    4. Converter
    5. Wind ×14
    6. Converter
    7. Wind ×6
    8. Energy storage
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:33 · typical 6:50
    10. Wind
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    12. Converter
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    14. Wind
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    16. Converter
    17. Wind ×7
    18. Converter
    19. Wind ×3
    20. Converter
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. Con turret
    24. Energy storage
    25. Con turret ×4
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:21
    29. Wind ×2
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Converter
    32. ValiantValiant ×2
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant ×3
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. ValiantValiant ×3
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Converter
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind
    43. ValiantValiant ×2
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant ×2
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:12 · typical 10:56
    49. Wind
    50. Converter
    51. Wind ×3
    52. Converter
    53. Wind
    54. Fusion ReactorFusion
    55. Converter
    56. Wind ×3
    57. Converter
    58. Wind ×2
    59. Converter
    60. Con turret
    61. Wind
    62. Con turret
    63. Converter
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind
    66. Con turret
    67. Converter
    68. Con turret
    69. Converter
    70. Wind
    71. Con turret
    72. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 12:43
    73. Wind ×3
    74. Converter
    75. Converter ×2
    76. CondorRadar plane ×2
    77. Converter
    78. NighthawkNighthawk
    79. Converter
    80. NighthawkNighthawk ×2
    81. Converter
    82. NighthawkNighthawk ×3
    83. Converter
    84. NighthawkNighthawk
    85. Con turret ×2
    86. NighthawkNighthawk
    87. Con turret
    88. Converter
    89. Con turret
    90. Converter
    91. NighthawkNighthawk ×2
    92. Converter
    93. NighthawkNighthawk ×3
    94. Converter
    95. NighthawkNighthawk ×4
    96. Converter
    97. NighthawkNighthawk
    98. Converter
    99. NighthawkNighthawk ×2
    100. HailstormHailstorm
    101. Converter
    102. HailstormHailstorm
    103. Converter
    104. HailstormHailstorm
    105. Con turret ×2
    106. Converter
    107. Converter
    108. HailstormHailstorm ×2
    109. Wind ×2
    110. HailstormHailstorm
    111. NighthawkNighthawk ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Syphos's (40 OS, 21/09/2026); 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 98% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:26 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:38 · in 66% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:45 · in 48% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:19 · 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

559 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145700
4:002052051
5:00276573102
6:003779124147
7:005128176219
8:007036220281
9:009352250341
10:0011841314464
11:0014395439635
12:0017109605955
13:00199329071256
14:002261913911819
15:002548920592748
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

Syphos

39.5 OS · 21/09/2026

Open source match ↗

16 received units · includes a constructor
144 metal received · 36112 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:33 · n=559
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:23–7:27 · n=536
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:02–12:19 · n=338

Played most by

DRM35games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildAdeus28games of this buildNutzz25games of this buildhaaven24games of this build