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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 ×2
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:00 · 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 · 35 steps
    1. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    2. Wind
    3. HerculesLight transport ×2for Beach sea
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. Wind
    6. FinchFinchfor unknown
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    15. ValiantValiant ×2
    16. Energy storage
    17. Con turret
    18. Mex
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Con turret
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. Converter
    24. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    25. Converter
    26. Wind
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Converter ×2
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Converter
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Converter
  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 · 151 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Converter ×2
    4. Wind
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    6. Wind
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:20 · typical 6:50
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Converter
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Con turret
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind ×4
    17. Converter
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Wind
    23. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Wind ×2
    26. Converter
    27. Energy storage
    28. Wind ×3
    29. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:22
    30. Wind ×2
    31. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    32. Wind
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    34. ValiantValiant ×2
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Con turret
    38. Wind ×2
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. Con turret
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind
    50. FinchFinch
    51. Wind
    52. FinchFinch
    53. Wind
    54. FinchFinch
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind
    61. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:44 · typical 10:52
    62. Converter
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant ×2
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant ×2
    68. Wind
    69. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    70. Wind
    71. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    72. Wind
    73. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    74. Wind
    75. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    76. Wind
    77. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    78. Converter
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. ShurikenShuriken
    84. Wind
    85. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    86. Wind
    87. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    88. FinchFinch
    89. Wind
    90. FinchFinch ×2
    91. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    92. Wind
    93. Converter
    94. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant ×2
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant ×2
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant ×2
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    109. Wind
    110. Con turret
    111. Fusion ReactorFusion
    112. Wind
    113. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    114. Con turret
    115. Wind
    116. Con turret ×2
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. Con turret
    120. ValiantValiant ×2
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. FinchFinch ×3
    124. Wind
    125. ValiantValiant ×3
    126. Wind
    127. ValiantValiant ×3
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant ×3
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant ×3
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant ×2
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant ×3
    136. Wind
    137. ValiantValiant ×3
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant ×4
    140. Converter
    141. Wind
    142. ValiantValiant ×3
    143. Wind
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Converter
    146. ValiantValiant ×3
    147. Wind
    148. ValiantValiant ×2
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiant ×4
    151. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Grump]Matsuri'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

[Grump]Matsuri

37.3 OS · 06/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
751 metal received · 76753 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
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas