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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

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 · 555 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 624 · 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 555 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 ×8
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 2:06 · 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 (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 · 14 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×2
    5. FinchFinch
    6. Mex
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    9. Con turret ×2
    10. HerculesLight transport
    11. Con turret
    12. Converter ×4
    13. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 4:46
    14. ValiantValiant ×3
  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 · 138 steps
    1. ValiantValiant ×2
    2. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    3. ShurikenShuriken ×7
    4. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:11 · typical 6:50
    5. NettleNettle ×4
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    7. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantfor Beach seadone 6:56
    8. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    10. ValiantValiant ×3
    11. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Beach sea
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    14. Con turret ×3
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant ×3
    19. Wind
    20. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    21. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    22. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:42 · typical 10:56
    23. FinchFinch ×3
    24. ValiantValiant ×5
    25. Con turret
    26. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:08
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Con turret ×2
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Construction BotCon bot
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Construction BotCon bot
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Construction BotCon bot
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    40. Construction BotCon bot
    41. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    42. Construction BotCon bot
    43. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    44. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    45. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×9
    46. Converter
    47. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    48. Wind
    49. Converter
    50. Wind
    51. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    52. Converter
    53. Wind
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Converter
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant ×2
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind ×2
    103. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    104. Wind
    105. ShurikenShuriken
    106. Wind
    107. Fusion ReactorFusion
    108. ShurikenShuriken
    109. Con turret
    110. Wind
    111. ShurikenShuriken
    112. Wind
    113. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    114. Wind
    115. Con turret
    116. ShurikenShuriken
    117. Wind
    118. ShurikenShuriken
    119. Wind
    120. Con turret
    121. ShurikenShuriken
    122. Wind
    123. ShurikenShuriken
    124. Wind
    125. Con turret
    126. ShurikenShuriken
    127. Wind
    128. ShurikenShuriken
    129. Wind ×2
    130. ShurikenShuriken
    131. Wind
    132. ShurikenShuriken
    133. Wind ×2
    134. ShurikenShuriken
    135. Wind
    136. ShurikenShuriken
    137. FinchFinch
    138. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Nosohvost's (38 OS, 02/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst 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 1:40 · in 64% 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 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

624 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002053051
5:00276573109
6:003759125167
7:005136190219
8:007017225290
9:009298258342
10:0011788328471
11:0014383440641
12:0017097606958
13:00199439331269
14:002265314171801
15:002554320602701
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

Nosohvost

38.1 OS · 02/08/2026

Open source match ↗

10 received units · includes a constructor
247 metal received · 119718 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=624
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=599
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=383

Played most by

DRM37games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build