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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 (73%)

#eco #team support #air · 525 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 590 · 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 525 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 ~1:21, middle half 1:13–1:34

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    By 1:02 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:13 · typical 1:21
  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 (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 · 32 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Wind
    4. Energy storage
    5. Wind
    6. HerculesLight transport
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo sea
    9. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    12. Mex
    13. Con turret
    14. ValiantValiant ×3
    15. FinchFinch
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    20. Converter
    21. Wind ×3
    22. ShurikenShuriken
    23. Wind ×2
    24. ShurikenShuriken
    25. Wind ×2
    26. ShurikenShuriken
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Converter
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. Converter
  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 (32%) · 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 · 307 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 5:20
    5. Converter
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    7. Wind
    8. HerculesLight transport
    9. Wind
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:07 · typical 6:50
    11. Wind
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    13. Converter ×2
    14. Wind ×4
    15. Con turret
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    17. Wind
    18. Con turret ×3
    19. Wind
    20. Advanced solar
    21. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:14
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Advanced solar
    25. ValiantValiant ×2
    26. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. Advanced solar
    30. Wind
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Advanced solar
    33. Wind
    34. Advanced solar
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. Advanced solar
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    41. Advanced solar
    42. Wind
    43. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    44. Wind
    45. Advanced solar
    46. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant ×3
    49. Con turret ×2
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Con turret ×3
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Converter
    54. Wind ×2
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Converter
    60. Wind ×3
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. Converter
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×2
    66. Converter
    67. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    68. Wind ×3
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Con turret
    71. Converter
    72. Wind ×2
    73. Con turret
    74. Wind
    75. Con turret
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind
    78. Converter
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Converter
    82. Con turret
    83. Wind
    84. ShurikenShuriken
    85. Wind ×2
    86. ShurikenShuriken
    87. Converter
    88. ShurikenShuriken
    89. Wind ×2
    90. ShurikenShuriken
    91. Converter
    92. Wind
    93. ShurikenShuriken
    94. Wind
    95. ShurikenShuriken
    96. Converter
    97. Wind ×2
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind ×2
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. Converter
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind
    110. Converter
    111. Wind ×3
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind
    116. Converter
    117. Wind ×2
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind
    120. Converter
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind
    124. Converter
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind ×2
    127. Converter
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Converter
    132. Wind ×4
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Converter
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. Converter
    141. Wind ×2
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind
    144. Converter
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind
    147. Converter
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind ×3
    152. Converter
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind
    155. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    156. Converter
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind ×2
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Converter
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Wind ×2
    165. ShurikenShuriken
    166. Converter
    167. ShurikenShuriken
    168. Wind
    169. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    170. Wind
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Wind
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind ×2
    177. Converter
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind
    180. Converter
    181. Wind
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Wind ×2
    184. Converter
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Converter
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. Wind ×4
    189. Converter
    190. ValiantValiant
    191. Wind ×3
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Converter
    194. ValiantValiant ×2
    195. Wind ×2
    196. Converter
    197. Wind
    198. ValiantValiant
    199. Wind ×2
    200. ValiantValiant
    201. Wind
    202. Converter
    203. Wind
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Converter
    206. ValiantValiant
    207. Wind
    208. ShurikenShuriken
    209. Wind ×2
    210. Converter
    211. ShurikenShuriken
    212. Wind ×2
    213. ShurikenShuriken
    214. Converter
    215. ValiantValiant
    216. Wind ×2
    217. Converter
    218. ValiantValiant
    219. Wind
    220. Converter
    221. Wind ×2
    222. ValiantValiant ×2
    223. Wind
    224. Converter
    225. ValiantValiant
    226. Wind ×3
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Wind
    229. ValiantValiant
    230. Wind ×2
    231. Converter
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Wind
    234. ValiantValiant
    235. Wind
    236. ValiantValiant
    237. Wind ×3
    238. Converter
    239. Wind
    240. ValiantValiant
    241. Wind
    242. ValiantValiant
    243. Wind
    244. ValiantValiant
    245. Wind
    246. Converter
    247. ValiantValiant
    248. Wind
    249. ValiantValiant
    250. Wind ×3
    251. ValiantValiant
    252. Wind
    253. Converter
    254. ValiantValiant
    255. Wind
    256. ValiantValiant
    257. Wind ×2
    258. ValiantValiant
    259. Converter
    260. Wind
    261. ValiantValiant
    262. Wind ×3
    263. ValiantValiant
    264. Converter
    265. Wind
    266. ValiantValiant
    267. Wind
    268. ValiantValiant
    269. Wind
    270. ValiantValiant
    271. Wind
    272. ValiantValiant
    273. Wind ×2
    274. ValiantValiant
    275. Wind ×3
    276. ValiantValiant ×2
    277. Wind ×2
    278. ValiantValiant
    279. Wind ×2
    280. ValiantValiant
    281. ShurikenShuriken
    282. Wind
    283. ShurikenShuriken
    284. Wind ×3
    285. ShurikenShuriken
    286. Wind ×2
    287. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    288. Wind
    289. ShurikenShuriken
    290. Wind ×2
    291. ShurikenShuriken
    292. Wind ×2
    293. ShurikenShuriken
    294. Wind
    295. ShurikenShuriken
    296. Wind
    297. ShurikenShuriken
    298. Wind
    299. ShurikenShuriken
    300. Wind ×3
    301. ShurikenShuriken
    302. Wind
    303. ShurikenShuriken
    304. Wind
    305. ShurikenShuriken
    306. Wind
    307. ShurikenShuriken

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Fakepilot's (35 OS, 26/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst at 2:05 · 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 66% 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 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

590 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145800
4:002050051
5:00276373102
6:003766125150
7:005129176219
8:007014219285
9:009298248341
10:0011788315470
11:0014397439639
12:0017105603950
13:00199438701236
14:002263713511806
15:002549320022670
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

Fakepilot

35.3 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
624 metal received · 55021 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:21Middle 50%: 1:13–1:34 · n=590
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:22–7:27 · n=566
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=355

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus32games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildImmort25games of this buildNutzz25games of this build