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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

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 · 555 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 624 · 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 555 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 ×5
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:38 · 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 · 42 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    6. Con turret
    7. ValiantValiant ×2
    8. Wind
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    14. Wind
    15. Mex
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Converter
    18. Wind ×2
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Converter
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Wind
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. ShurikenShuriken
    35. Wind
    36. ShurikenShuriken
    37. Wind
    38. Con turret
    39. Wind
    40. ShurikenShuriken
    41. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    42. Wind ×2
  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 · 128 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. Wind ×2
    4. ShurikenShuriken
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. Wind
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Converter
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind ×2
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Converter
    27. ValiantValiant ×3
    28. Con turret
    29. Wind
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:36 · typical 6:50
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Wind
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind ×2
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind ×3
    41. ValiantValiant ×2
    42. ShurikenShuriken
    43. Wind
    44. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    45. Wind
    46. ShurikenShuriken
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    48. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant ×2
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant ×3
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant ×2
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:11 · typical 10:56
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind ×2
    69. Con turret
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. Con turret
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Con turret
    75. ValiantValiant ×2
    76. Converter
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Converter
    80. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    81. Converter
    82. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    83. Converter
    84. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    85. Converter
    86. ShurikenShuriken
    87. Wind
    88. ShurikenShuriken
    89. Converter
    90. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    91. Converter
    92. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    93. ValiantValiant ×2
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant ×3
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant ×8
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Converter
    101. ValiantValiant ×2
    102. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 13:29
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Converter
    107. ValiantValiant ×2
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant ×2
    110. AnglerTorpedo bomberdone 13:43
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant ×2
    113. Converter
    114. AnglerTorpedo bomber
    115. ValiantValiant ×2
    116. AnglerTorpedo bomber
    117. Converter
    118. AnglerTorpedo bomber
    119. Wind
    120. Converter
    121. AnglerTorpedo bomber
    122. Wind ×2
    123. Converter
    124. HailstormHailstorm
    125. Converter
    126. Wind ×3
    127. HailstormHailstorm
    128. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is PixelPeeker's (43 OS, 05/09/2026); 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 2:26 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · in 64% 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 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

624 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002053051
5:00276573109
6:003759125167
7:005136190219
8:007017225290
9:009298258342
10:0011788328471
11:0014383440641
12:0017097606958
13:00199439331269
14:002265314171801
15:002554320602701
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

PixelPeeker

42.6 OS · 05/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
790 metal received · 53884 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=624
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=599
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=383

Played most by

DRM37games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build