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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×5
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:53 · 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 · 28 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo sea
    3. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Con turretfor Beach sea
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Converter
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×3
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Mex
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    16. Wind ×5
    17. Converter
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Converter
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
  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 · 153 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Con turretfor Beach sea
    3. Wind
    4. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:14 · typical 6:50
    5. Con turretfor Beach sea
    6. FinchFinch
    7. Wind
    8. FinchFinch
    9. Wind
    10. FinchFinch
    11. Wind
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant ×4
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant ×4
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    25. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    26. Wind
    27. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    28. Wind
    29. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    30. Wind
    31. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    32. Wind
    33. ShurikenShuriken
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind
    38. HerculesLight transportfor Suicide front
    39. Wind
    40. HerculesLight transportfor Suicide front
    41. Con turret
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Con turretfor Beach sea
    44. Wind
    45. Con turret
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind
    50. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:30 · typical 10:56
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. Con turretfor Beach sea
    54. Wind
    55. Con turret
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind ×7
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind ×4
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant ×2
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant ×2
    68. Wind
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant ×2
    72. ShurikenShuriken
    73. Wind
    74. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    75. Wind
    76. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    77. Wind
    78. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    79. Wind
    80. ShurikenShuriken
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant ×2
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant ×2
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant ×2
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. T2 converter
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind
    99. Con turret ×2
    100. Wind
    101. Con turret
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind
    104. Con turret
    105. Wind
    106. Con turret
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind
    109. Con turret
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. HerculesLight transport
    114. Wind
    115. HerculesLight transport
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. T2 converter
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind ×2
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind
    124. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    125. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    126. Wind
    127. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    128. Wind
    129. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    130. Con turret
    131. Wind
    132. Con turret
    133. ShurikenShuriken
    134. Wind
    135. ShurikenShuriken
    136. Con turret
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant ×3
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant ×2
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant ×3
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant ×3
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant ×3
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant ×2
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant ×13
    152. Fusion ReactorFusion
    153. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is PixelPeeker's (43 OS, 07/09/2026); 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

42.7 OS · 07/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
75 metal received · 44417 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