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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 · 501 distinct matches · 111 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 559 · 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 501 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 1:13–1:33

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×6
    3. Solar
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:33 · 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
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: energy storage (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · con turret (31%)

    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 · 25 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. Wind ×2
    4. ShurikenShuriken
    5. Wind ×2
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    9. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    10. ShurikenShurikenfor Geo sea
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind ×2
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    15. Mex
    16. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    17. Con turret
    18. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    19. Con turret
    20. HerculesLight transport
    21. Con turret
    22. HerculesLight transport
    23. ValiantValiant ×2
    24. Wind
    25. FinchFinch ×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 · 158 steps
    1. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Wind
    4. Wind
    5. Con turret
    6. Wind
    7. Wind
    8. Wind ×3
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. Wind
    12. Wind ×3
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Converter ×2
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Wind
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Wind
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Wind
    29. Con turret
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:35 · typical 6:50
    31. Wind
    32. Wind ×4
    33. Wind
    34. Wind
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    38. Wind
    39. Converter ×5
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    43. Wind
    44. Converter ×2
    45. Wind
    46. Converter
    47. Wind
    48. Converter ×3
    49. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:50
    50. Wind
    51. Converter
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    53. Converter ×2
    54. HephaestusHeavy transport
    55. Converter
    56. Wind
    57. Converter
    58. ShurikenShuriken
    59. Converter
    60. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    61. Converter
    62. ShurikenShuriken
    63. Con turret
    64. Wind
    65. ShurikenShuriken
    66. Con turret
    67. Wind ×2
    68. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. Con turret
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Con turret
    75. ValiantValiant ×2
    76. Wind ×2
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant ×2
    92. Wind
    93. ThistleThistle
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. ThistleThistle
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. ThistleThistle
    99. ValiantValiant ×2
    100. ThistleThistle
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant ×5
    103. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant ×2
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. HerculesLight transport
    109. Mex
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant ×2
    113. Con turret
    114. Wind
    115. Con turret
    116. Mex
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Con turret
    119. Energy storage
    120. Wind
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:42
    123. ValiantValiant ×4
    124. ShurikenShuriken
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. ShurikenShuriken
    127. Converter
    128. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    129. Converter
    130. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    131. Wind
    132. Converter
    133. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    134. Wind
    135. Converter
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. ShurikenShuriken
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Converter
    140. ShurikenShuriken
    141. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind
    144. Converter
    145. ShurikenShuriken
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Converter
    148. ShurikenShuriken
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Converter
    151. ShurikenShuriken
    152. Wind
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Converter
    155. Converter
    156. ShurikenShuriken
    157. Converter
    158. ShurikenShuriken

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is UsurpeR's (43 OS, 23/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst at 2:05 · in 98% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:26 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:38 · in 66% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:45 · in 48% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:19 · in 84% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:04 · 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

559 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145700
4:002052051
5:00276573102
6:003779124147
7:005128176219
8:007036220281
9:009352250341
10:0011841314464
11:0014395439635
12:0017109605955
13:00199329071256
14:002261913911819
15:002548920592748
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

UsurpeR

42.9 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

10 received units · includes a constructor
262 metal received · 9147 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:33 · n=559
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:23–7:27 · n=536
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:02–12:19 · n=338

Played most by

DRM35games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildAdeus28games of this buildNutzz25games of this buildhaaven24games of this build