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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 · 633 distinct matches · 123 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 48% of 707 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:24

  1. Take 3 mex and open wind before committing to aircraft plant.
  2. Finish aircraft plant to start churning scouts and transports.
  3. Send Hercules, Finch and Hephaestus to allies as they ask.
  4. Get your advanced metal extractor up to fund fighter spam.
  5. Bring fusion online and shift into Valiant fighter coverage.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 633 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 ×5
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:35 · 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 (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · 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 · 34 steps
    1. Energy storage
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    5. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    6. ValiantValiant ×2
    7. HerculesLight transport
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Con turret
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Mex
    13. Wind ×3
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. Wind ×2
    17. ShurikenShuriken
    18. Wind ×3
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Con turret
    21. Wind
    22. HerculesLight transport ×2for Tech
    23. Wind
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Converter
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Converter
    32. Wind
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (50%) · fusion (36%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 24 wind · 19 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 154 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Converter
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind
    7. Converter
    8. Wind
    9. Wind
    10. Converter
    11. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind ×3
    22. Wind ×3
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:40 · typical 6:50
    24. Wind
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. Wind
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. Wind
    32. Wind
    33. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:33
    34. Wind
    35. Wind ×2
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    37. Wind
    38. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    39. Converter
    40. Wind
    41. Con turret ×3
    42. Converter
    43. Converter
    44. Con turret
    45. Converter
    46. ValiantValiant ×2
    47. Converter
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:35 · typical 10:52
    50. Converter
    51. Converter ×3
    52. Converter
    53. Converter
    54. Converter
    55. Converter
    56. ValiantValiant ×2
    57. Converter
    58. ValiantValiant ×2
    59. Converter
    60. ValiantValiant ×3
    61. Converter
    62. ValiantValiant ×2
    63. Fusion ReactorFusion
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Converter
    66. Converter ×2
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Converter
    69. Con turret
    70. Converter
    71. Con turret
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Con turret
    74. Converter
    75. ValiantValiant ×2
    76. Converter
    77. ValiantValiant ×2
    78. Converter
    79. ValiantValiant ×4
    80. Converter
    81. ValiantValiant ×2
    82. Converter
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Converter
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Con turret
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Con turret
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Converter
    91. Con turret ×2
    92. Converter
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Con turret
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Con turret
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Converter
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. FinchFinch
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. FinchFinch
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. FinchFinch
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Converter
    107. FinchFinch
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. FinchFinch
    110. Converter
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. FinchFinch
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. FinchFinch
    115. ValiantValiant ×2
    116. Converter
    117. ValiantValiant ×4
    118. Converter
    119. ValiantValiant ×3
    120. Fusion ReactorFusion
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Converter
    123. Converter
    124. Converter
    125. Converter
    126. Converter
    127. ShurikenShuriken
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Converter
    130. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×4
    131. Converter
    132. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×4
    133. Converter
    134. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×4
    135. Converter
    136. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    137. Converter
    138. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    139. Converter
    140. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    141. ShurikenShuriken
    142. ValiantValiant ×2
    143. Converter
    144. ValiantValiant ×4
    145. Converter
    146. ValiantValiant ×2
    147. Converter
    148. ValiantValiant ×2
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiant ×7
    151. Converter
    152. ValiantValiant ×5
    153. Converter
    154. ValiantValiant ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Adeus's (37 OS, 06/10/2026); 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 2:26 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:38 · 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 85% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:03 · 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

707 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002057051
5:00276873116
6:003751125167
7:005142190225
8:007010240292
9:009301263344
10:0011805340474
11:0014399440641
12:0017093607949
13:00199139491280
14:002269914671852
15:002558321432789
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard air sits below average team win rate at 48%, reflecting the role's support nature rather than kills.

  • + Aircraft plant lands fast at 1:24, enabling early transport and scout support.
  • − Own metal lost still reaches 2705 by 15:00 despite a support-first role.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Adeus

36.6 OS · 06/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
57 metal received · 42274 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=707
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:24–7:25 · n=681
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:53–12:08 · n=442

Played most by

DRM44games of this buildAdeus37games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildImmort29games of this buildNutzz29games of this build