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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 ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:04 · 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 · 31 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    7. Wind
    8. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    9. Energy storage
    10. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    13. ValiantValiant ×2
    14. Mex
    15. ValiantValiant ×2
    16. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    17. FinchFinch
    18. HerculesLight transport ×2for Tech
    19. Con turret
    20. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Geo sea
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Converter
    26. Wind
    27. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:52 · typical 6:50
    31. 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 (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 · 312 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. Converter
    3. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    4. Con turret
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:12
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    7. Converter
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    14. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:14
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Con turret
    26. Converter
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Wind
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. Construction BotCon bot
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Converter
    41. Wind
    42. Construction BotCon bot
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. Wind
    48. Construction BotCon bot
    49. Converter
    50. Wind
    51. Construction BotCon bot
    52. Wind ×2
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. Wind
    55. Converter
    56. Wind
    57. Construction BotCon bot
    58. Wind
    59. Converter
    60. Wind
    61. Construction BotCon bot
    62. Wind
    63. Converter
    64. Wind ×3
    65. Converter
    66. Wind ×3
    67. Converter
    68. Wind
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. Converter
    72. Wind ×2
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    76. Wind
    77. Converter
    78. Wind ×2
    79. Con turret
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind ×2
    82. Converter
    83. Wind
    84. Con turret
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind ×2
    87. Con turret
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Converter
    90. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:26 · typical 10:56
    91. Wind
    92. Con turret
    93. Wind ×3
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Con turret
    96. Wind ×3
    97. Converter
    98. Wind ×6
    99. Converter
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind ×3
    102. Converter
    103. Wind ×7
    104. Converter
    105. Wind ×4
    106. Converter
    107. Wind ×5
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind ×4
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Converter
    112. Wind
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind ×3
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind ×3
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind ×3
    119. Converter
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind ×3
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind ×2
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind ×2
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Converter
    128. Wind ×3
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind ×3
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind ×3
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    135. Wind
    136. Converter
    137. HerculesLight transport
    138. Wind ×2
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind ×3
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind ×2
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind
    145. Converter
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind ×3
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind ×2
    150. ValiantValiant ×2
    151. Wind ×3
    152. Converter
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind ×2
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind ×3
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Wind
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. Converter
    165. Wind ×2
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind ×2
    168. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    169. Wind ×3
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Wind
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Wind
    174. Converter
    175. Wind ×2
    176. Converter
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Wind ×2
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Wind ×2
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind ×2
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Converter
    185. Wind
    186. Converter
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. Wind ×3
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Wind ×2
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Wind ×2
    195. Converter
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Wind ×2
    198. ValiantValiant
    199. Wind
    200. Converter
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Wind ×3
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Wind
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind
    207. Converter
    208. Wind
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. Wind
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. Wind ×2
    213. Converter
    214. ValiantValiant
    215. Wind ×2
    216. ValiantValiant
    217. Wind ×2
    218. Converter
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Wind
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Wind
    223. Converter
    224. Wind
    225. ValiantValiant
    226. Wind ×2
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Wind
    229. ValiantValiant
    230. Converter
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. Wind
    233. ValiantValiant
    234. Wind ×2
    235. Converter
    236. ValiantValiant
    237. FinchFinch
    238. Wind
    239. FinchFinch ×2
    240. Wind
    241. FinchFinch
    242. Converter
    243. FinchFinch
    244. Wind ×2
    245. FinchFinch
    246. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    247. Wind ×3
    248. Converter
    249. FinchFinch
    250. Wind
    251. ValiantValiant
    252. Wind
    253. Con turret ×2
    254. Wind
    255. Con turret
    256. Converter
    257. Wind
    258. ValiantValiant
    259. Wind
    260. Converter
    261. Wind ×3
    262. ValiantValiant
    263. Wind
    264. Converter
    265. ValiantValiant
    266. Wind ×2
    267. ValiantValiant
    268. Wind ×2
    269. ValiantValiant
    270. Wind
    271. ValiantValiant ×2
    272. Converter
    273. Wind
    274. Converter
    275. ValiantValiant
    276. Wind ×2
    277. ValiantValiant
    278. Wind
    279. ValiantValiant ×2
    280. Wind ×3
    281. ValiantValiant
    282. Converter
    283. ValiantValiant
    284. Converter
    285. Wind
    286. ValiantValiant
    287. Wind
    288. ValiantValiant
    289. Wind ×3
    290. ValiantValiant
    291. Converter
    292. ValiantValiant
    293. Wind
    294. ValiantValiant
    295. Wind ×2
    296. ValiantValiant
    297. Wind ×2
    298. ValiantValiant
    299. Wind
    300. Converter
    301. ValiantValiant
    302. Converter
    303. ValiantValiant
    304. Wind ×2
    305. ValiantValiant
    306. Wind
    307. ValiantValiant
    308. Converter
    309. Wind
    310. ValiantValiant
    311. Wind ×2
    312. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is RitualMurder's (37 OS, 13/09/2026); 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

RitualMurder

37.2 OS · 13/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
254 metal received · 13424 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