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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 · 547 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 615 · 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 547 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 1:06 · 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 (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. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. Wind
    6. Energy storage
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. Wind ×3
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    10. Mex
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. Con turret
    13. Energy storage
    14. Con turret
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Con turret
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Converter ×2
    22. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. ShurikenShuriken
    26. Wind
    27. ShurikenShuriken
    28. Wind
    29. ShurikenShuriken
    30. Wind
    31. ShurikenShuriken
    32. ValiantValiant ×2
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Con turret
  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 · 169 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Converter
    5. Wind ×3
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Converter
    8. Wind ×2
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Wind
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Wind ×2
    13. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    14. Wind
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. Wind ×4
    17. Converter
    18. Wind ×3
    19. ShurikenShuriken
    20. Wind
    21. Converter
    22. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:02 · typical 6:50
    24. Wind
    25. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. HerculesLight transport
    29. Wind
    30. Converter ×2
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    32. Converter
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    34. Converter ×2
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    36. Converter ×2
    37. HephaestusHeavy transport
    38. Converter
    39. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    40. Converter
    41. ShurikenShuriken
    42. Con turret ×2
    43. Wind
    44. ShurikenShuriken
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind ×2
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Converter
    53. Con turret ×2
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant ×2
    56. Converter
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant ×2
    60. Wind ×2
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Converter
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind ×2
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Converter
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind ×2
    69. ValiantValiant ×2
    70. Converter
    71. ValiantValiant ×2
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. Converter
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Converter
    78. Wind
    79. HephaestusHeavy transport
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. HerculesLight transport
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    85. Converter
    86. Wind ×2
    87. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 12:01
    88. Wind
    89. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    90. Wind ×3
    91. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    92. Wind ×2
    93. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    94. Wind ×2
    95. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    96. Wind
    97. Con turret
    98. Wind
    99. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    100. Con turret
    101. Wind
    102. Con turret
    103. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    104. Wind ×2
    105. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    106. Wind ×3
    107. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    108. Wind
    109. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    110. Wind ×2
    111. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    112. Wind ×3
    113. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    114. Wind ×2
    115. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    116. Wind
    117. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    118. Wind
    119. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    120. Wind
    121. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    122. Wind
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind
    125. ValiantValiant ×2
    126. Wind
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant ×4
    134. Con turret
    135. Pit BullPit Bull
    136. ValiantValiant ×2
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant ×6
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant ×4
    141. Wind ×3
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind ×2
    146. ValiantValiant ×2
    147. Advanced Radar TowerAdvanced Radar Tower
    148. Con turret
    149. Wind
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Con turret
    152. Wind
    153. Con turret
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Con turret
    156. Wind
    157. MercuryMercurynot finished by 15:00
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind ×5
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Wind
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind ×2
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind ×6

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Nutzz's (42 OS, 29/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst 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 1:40 · 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 84% 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

615 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145800
4:002052051
5:00276573109
6:003755125167
7:005136190219
8:007019220290
9:009335250341
10:0011795327471
11:0014399439641
12:0017100619962
13:00199489301269
14:002264113951807
15:002553020492701
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

Nutzz

42.3 OS · 29/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
3011 metal received · 161827 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=615
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=590
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:14 · n=375

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build