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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:50 · 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 · 23 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    2. FinchFinch
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    4. FinchFinchfor unknown
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor unknown
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Mex
    8. Wind
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Con turret
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind ×5
    20. Con turret ×2
    21. Wind
    22. HerculesLight transport
    23. Wind
  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 · 89 steps
    1. Wind ×4
    2. Con turret
    3. Wind
    4. Converter ×4
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. Wind ×3
    8. Converter ×2
    9. Wind ×3
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. Converter
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Converter
    15. Wind ×4
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. HerculesLight transport
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Converter
    21. HerculesLight transport
    22. Wind
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. ShurikenShuriken ×11
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2done 7:50 · typical 6:50
    28. ThistleThistle ×2
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    30. ThistleThistle ×2
    31. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 10:52
    32. ValiantValiant ×5
    33. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:23
    34. ValiantValiant ×5
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    36. ValiantValiant ×2
    37. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    38. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    39. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    40. Wind ×3
    41. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 10:39
    42. Wind
    43. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    44. Wind
    45. LicheLichenot finished by 15:00
    46. Wind
    47. HighwindHighwind
    48. Wind
    49. HighwindHighwind
    50. Wind ×2
    51. HighwindHighwind
    52. LicheLiche
    53. Wind ×7
    54. LicheLiche
    55. BeamerBeamer
    56. HighwindHighwind ×3
    57. BeamerBeamer
    58. HighwindHighwind ×6
    59. Wind ×3
    60. HighwindHighwind
    61. Wind
    62. HighwindHighwind
    63. Wind ×2
    64. Con turret
    65. HighwindHighwind
    66. Con turret ×2
    67. HighwindHighwind
    68. Wind ×3
    69. HighwindHighwind
    70. Con turret
    71. Wind ×3
    72. OracleOracle
    73. Wind ×2
    74. HighwindHighwind
    75. Wind ×4
    76. HighwindHighwind
    77. Wind ×4
    78. HighwindHighwind
    79. Wind
    80. HighwindHighwind
    81. Wind
    82. HighwindHighwind
    83. Wind ×3
    84. HighwindHighwind
    85. Wind ×2
    86. HighwindHighwind
    87. Wind
    88. HighwindHighwind
    89. Wind

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

TrollHardGoPro

37.1 OS · 06/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
410 metal received · 103527 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