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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 · 583 distinct matches · 119 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 655 · 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 583 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 ~1:24, middle half 1:13–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (39%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00 · typical 1:24
  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 · 26 steps
    1. Energy storage
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:31
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    6. Wind ×2
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. Wind ×2
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind ×3
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Mex
    17. ValiantValiant ×3
    18. HerculesLight transport
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind
    21. Wind ×3
    22. Wind
    23. Wind
    24. ShurikenShuriken
    25. Wind
    26. Con turret
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 57% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken

    Some games also: con aircraft (35%) · fusion (34%) · 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 · 131 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Wind
    4. Wind
    5. Con turret
    6. Wind
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind ×3
    9. Wind
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind ×3
    13. Wind
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:39 · typical 6:48
    18. Wind ×2
    19. Wind
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:01 · typical 10:55
    26. Con turret
    27. Fusion ReactorFusion
    28. Con turret ×2
    29. Converter ×9
    30. Con turret ×2
    31. Converter
    32. Con turret ×3
    33. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 11:43
    34. Wind
    35. Converter ×2
    36. Wind
    37. Converter
    38. Wind ×3
    39. Converter
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. NighthawkNighthawk
    43. Wind
    44. Converter
    45. NighthawkNighthawk
    46. Wind
    47. Converter
    48. NighthawkNighthawk
    49. Wind
    50. Converter
    51. NighthawkNighthawk
    52. Wind
    53. Converter
    54. NighthawkNighthawk
    55. Con turret
    56. Converter
    57. Con turret
    58. NighthawkNighthawk
    59. Con turret
    60. Converter
    61. NighthawkNighthawk
    62. Converter
    63. Wind
    64. NighthawkNighthawk
    65. Converter
    66. NighthawkNighthawk
    67. Wind
    68. Converter
    69. NighthawkNighthawk
    70. Wind
    71. NighthawkNighthawk
    72. Converter
    73. Wind
    74. NighthawkNighthawk
    75. Wind ×2
    76. NighthawkNighthawk
    77. Wind
    78. NighthawkNighthawk
    79. Wind
    80. NighthawkNighthawk
    81. Wind ×2
    82. NighthawkNighthawk
    83. Wind
    84. NighthawkNighthawk
    85. Wind
    86. NighthawkNighthawk
    87. Wind ×2
    88. NighthawkNighthawk
    89. Converter
    90. Wind
    91. NighthawkNighthawk
    92. Wind
    93. NighthawkNighthawk
    94. Wind
    95. NighthawkNighthawk
    96. Converter
    97. NighthawkNighthawk ×2
    98. Converter
    99. NighthawkNighthawk ×2
    100. Converter
    101. NighthawkNighthawk
    102. Converter
    103. NighthawkNighthawk ×2
    104. Converter
    105. Fusion ReactorFusion
    106. Wind
    107. NighthawkNighthawk
    108. Converter ×2
    109. NighthawkNighthawk
    110. Converter ×2
    111. NighthawkNighthawk
    112. Converter ×2
    113. Wind
    114. NighthawkNighthawk
    115. CondorRadar plane
    116. Converter
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. NighthawkNighthawk
    120. Wind
    121. NighthawkNighthawk
    122. Converter
    123. Wind
    124. NighthawkNighthawk
    125. Wind
    126. NighthawkNighthawk
    127. Wind
    128. AnglerTorpedo bomberdone 14:57
    129. Wind ×2
    130. AnglerTorpedo bomber
    131. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is derkarl's (39 OS, 02/10/2026); 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 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:39 · in 65% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:44 · in 49% 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

655 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002055051
5:00276673116
6:003769125167
7:005146190219
8:007021226290
9:009346260342
10:0011817328467
11:0014409438638
12:0017109605950
13:00199519421277
14:002267214281816
15:002558320892709
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

derkarl

38.7 OS · 02/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
1102 metal received · 102150 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:24Middle 50%: 1:13–1:35 · n=655
Advanced Metal Extractor6:48Middle 50%: 6:21–7:25 · n=629
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 9:56–12:17 · n=401

Played most by

DRM38games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort27games of this build