BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:17 · 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 · 24 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. ShurikenShurikenfor Geo sea
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. Wind
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant ×2
    8. Mex
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Con turret
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. Con turret
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    18. Wind ×3
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    22. Con turret
    23. Wind
    24. 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 · 104 steps
    1. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind ×2
    9. Wind
    10. Energy storage
    11. Converter
    12. Con turret
    13. ValiantValiant ×2
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:49 · typical 6:50
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind ×3
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Mex
    25. GuardGuard
    26. Wind
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. ValiantValiant ×2
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Converter
    37. Wind ×2
    38. Converter
    39. Wind ×2
    40. Mex
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    42. Converter
    43. Wind ×2
    44. Converter
    45. Wind
    46. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    47. Converter
    48. Mex
    49. Wind
    50. Converter
    51. Wind
    52. Con turret
    53. Wind
    54. Con turret
    55. Wind
    56. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:50 · typical 10:56
    57. GuardGuard
    58. Wind ×2
    59. Con turret
    60. GuardGuard
    61. Wind ×3
    62. CitadelAnti-nukedone 10:42
    63. Wind ×5
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind
    66. Con turret
    67. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:58
    68. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    69. Converter
    70. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 11:34
    71. Converter ×7
    72. LicheLichenot finished by 15:00
    73. Converter ×4
    74. HighwindHighwind
    75. Converter ×2
    76. ChainsawChainsaw
    77. HighwindHighwind
    78. Converter
    79. ArbalestArbalest
    80. Converter ×2
    81. HighwindHighwind
    82. Converter ×2
    83. HighwindHighwind ×3
    84. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:43
    85. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00
    86. LazarusLazarus ×5
    87. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 14:06
    88. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    89. LazarusLazarus ×2
    90. Fusion ReactorFusion
    91. Construction BotCon bot
    92. AbductorAbductor
    93. HighwindHighwind
    94. Con turret
    95. Construction BotCon bot
    96. ArbalestArbalest
    97. HighwindHighwind
    98. Con turret
    99. Construction BotCon bot
    100. AbductorAbductorfor Beach sea
    101. Construction BotCon bot
    102. RoughneckRoughneck
    103. Con turret
    104. RoughneckRoughneck

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is arcsiz's (37 OS, 29/08/2026); 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

arcsiz

36.7 OS · 29/08/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
284 metal received · 63223 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