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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4for Pond
    3. Energy storagefor Pond
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:34 · 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 · 20 steps
    1. Wind ×2for Pond
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    3. FinchFinch
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind ×3for Pond
    8. ValiantValiant ×2
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Mex
    12. Con turret ×2for Pond
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Con turretfor Pond
    15. Con turretfor Pond
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Converterfor Pond
    18. Wind ×6for Pond
    19. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 5:23
    20. Windfor Pond
  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 · 49 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Windfor Pond
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Windfor Pond
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Windfor Pond
    7. ThistleThistlefor Pond
    8. ValiantValiant ×4
    9. Windfor Pond
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Windfor Pond
    12. HerculesLight transport ×2for unknown
    13. Wind ×2for Pond
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Ponddone 7:05 · typical 6:50
    15. Windfor Pond
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    17. Wind ×2for Pond
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Pond
    19. Windfor Pond
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Pond
    21. Wind ×3for Pond
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Pond
    23. Wind ×2for Pond
    24. Converterfor Pond
    25. Windfor Pond
    26. Converterfor Pond
    27. Wind ×2for Pond
    28. Fusion ReactorFusionfor Ponddone 9:34 · typical 10:56
    29. Windfor Pond
    30. Converterfor Pond
    31. Wind ×2for Pond
    32. Converterfor Pond
    33. Wind ×2for Pond
    34. Converterfor Pond
    35. Windfor Pond
    36. Converterfor Pond
    37. Wind ×2for Pond
    38. Converter ×2for Pond
    39. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantfor Ponddone 9:47
    40. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    41. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Pond
    42. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    43. Converterfor Pond
    44. ShurikenShuriken
    45. ShurikenShuriken ×7for Pond
    46. ValiantValiant ×5
    47. ValiantValiant ×2for Pond
    48. Converterfor Pond
    49. ValiantValiant ×7for Pond

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Alphacure's (37 OS, 27/09/2026); 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

Alphacure

36.5 OS · 27/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
322 metal received · 47060 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