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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Wind
    3. Mex ×2
    4. Wind ×3
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:15 · 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 · 36 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. Wind
    6. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. ThistleThistle
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Con turret
    14. Wind
    15. Mex
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind ×2
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    22. Wind
    23. Converter
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Converter
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. Energy storage
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Wind
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Con turret
    33. Wind ×2
    34. HerculesLight transport
    35. Wind
    36. 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 (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 · 142 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:16 · typical 6:50
    3. Wind
    4. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Con turret
    7. Wind
    8. Con turret ×2
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Wind
    11. Wind
    12. Wind
    13. Con turret
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:43
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. FinchFinch
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant ×2
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. Wind ×2
    33. Wind ×2
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind
    36. NettleNettle
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind ×2
    40. Wind
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind
    43. Wind
    44. Wind ×2
    45. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:35 · typical 10:56
    46. Wind
    47. Wind
    48. Wind
    49. Converter
    50. Wind
    51. Wind
    52. Wind
    53. Converter ×4
    54. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:50
    55. Converter ×3
    56. FinchFinch
    57. Converter
    58. ValiantValiant ×3
    59. Converter
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Converter
    62. CastroCastro
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Converter
    65. ValiantValiant ×3
    66. Converter
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Converter
    69. ValiantValiant ×2
    70. Converter
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Converter
    73. ValiantValiant ×2
    74. Converter
    75. Con turret
    76. Converter
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Converter
    79. Con turret
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Converter
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Con turret
    84. Converter
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Con turret
    87. ShurikenShuriken
    88. Converter
    89. Con turret
    90. ShurikenShuriken
    91. Converter
    92. ShurikenShuriken
    93. Converter
    94. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    95. Converter
    96. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    97. Converter
    98. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    99. Converter
    100. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    101. Converter ×2
    102. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    103. Con turret
    104. ShurikenShuriken
    105. Con turret
    106. Converter
    107. ShurikenShuriken
    108. Con turret
    109. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    110. Con turret
    111. ValiantValiant ×2
    112. Converter
    113. FinchFinch
    114. Converter
    115. ValiantValiant ×8
    116. Converter
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Converter
    119. ValiantValiant ×3
    120. Fusion ReactorFusion
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Converter
    123. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    124. Converter
    125. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:55
    126. FinchFinch
    127. ValiantValiant ×8
    128. Converter
    129. ValiantValiant ×7
    130. Converter
    131. ValiantValiant ×5
    132. FinchFinch
    133. Fusion ReactorFusion
    134. Converter
    135. ValiantValiant ×5
    136. Converter
    137. ValiantValiant ×5
    138. Converter
    139. ValiantValiant ×10
    140. FinchFinch
    141. EradicatorEradicator
    142. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is CentientWaffle's (36 OS, 28/08/2026); 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

CentientWaffle

35.7 OS · 28/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
765 metal received · 45340 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