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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:09 · 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 · 41 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    7. Wind
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. Wind
    12. Mex
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    14. Con turret ×2
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. HephaestusHeavy transport
    19. Wind
    20. HerculesLight transport
    21. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind ×3
    31. Converter
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. Wind ×2
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. Converter
    38. Con turret
    39. Wind
    40. Energy storage
    41. Wind
  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 · 175 steps
    1. Wind ×3
    2. Con turret
    3. Wind ×4
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Converter
    9. Wind ×3
    10. Converter
    11. Wind ×4
    12. Converter
    13. Wind ×3
    14. Converter
    15. Wind ×3
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:48 · typical 6:50
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    19. Wind
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:45
    22. ValiantValiant ×5
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    26. ValiantValiant ×6
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind ×2
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind ×2
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind
    36. Con turret
    37. FinchFinch ×2
    38. Wind
    39. Con turret
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant ×2
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant ×2
    45. Con turret
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant ×6
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant ×2
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind ×2
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind ×2
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:19 · typical 10:56
    68. Wind ×10
    69. T2 converter
    70. Wind ×5
    71. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:38
    72. Wind ×2
    73. TickTickfor Geo
    74. Wind
    75. TickTickfor Geo
    76. Wind
    77. TickTick ×2for Geo
    78. Wind
    79. TickTick ×2for Geo
    80. Con turret
    81. Wind
    82. TickTick ×2for Geo
    83. Con turret
    84. Wind
    85. TickTick ×3for Geo
    86. Con turret
    87. Wind ×2
    88. TickTickfor Geo
    89. T2 converter
    90. Con turret
    91. Wind
    92. TickTick ×2for Geo
    93. Con turret
    94. Wind
    95. TickTick ×2for Geo
    96. Wind
    97. TickTick ×2for Geo
    98. Wind
    99. TickTick ×3for Geo
    100. Wind
    101. T2 converter
    102. TickTick ×2for Geo
    103. Wind ×9
    104. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:56
    105. Wind ×2
    106. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:00
    107. Wind
    108. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    109. Wind
    110. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    111. Wind
    112. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    113. Wind ×2
    114. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    115. Wind
    116. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    117. Wind
    118. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    119. Wind
    120. ShurikenShuriken
    121. Wind
    122. ShurikenShuriken
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. ShurikenShuriken
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind ×2
    127. ShurikenShuriken
    128. ValiantValiant ×2
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant ×2
    131. Wind
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant ×2
    135. Wind ×2
    136. ValiantValiant ×4
    137. Wind
    138. Fusion ReactorFusion
    139. ValiantValiant ×2
    140. Wind ×2
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind ×2
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind ×3
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant ×3
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant ×2
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant ×3
    152. T2 converter
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind ×2
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Con turret
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Con turret
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiant ×2
    161. Wind
    162. Con turret
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Wind
    165. Con turret
    166. ValiantValiant ×2
    167. Con turret
    168. Wind
    169. Con turret
    170. Wind ×2
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant ×4
    174. Wind
    175. ValiantValiant ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is SkyFireEX's (37 OS, 21/09/2026); 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

SkyFireEX

37.5 OS · 21/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
407 metal received · 135594 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