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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:10 · 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 · 35 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Wind ×5
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind ×3
    7. Energy storage
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. Con turret ×2
    10. Mex
    11. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    12. Converter ×3
    13. Con turret
    14. Wind
    15. Converter ×2
    16. Wind
    17. Wind
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. Wind ×3
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind
    34. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:37 · typical 6:50
    35. 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 · 161 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    4. Wind
    5. ShurikenShuriken
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    7. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    8. Wind
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    12. ValiantValiant ×3
    13. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:13
    14. Con turret
    15. ValiantValiant ×2
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind
    18. PawnPawn ×3
    19. ShurikenShuriken
    20. PawnPawn
    21. Wind
    22. ShurikenShuriken
    23. PawnPawn
    24. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    25. Wind
    26. ShurikenShuriken
    27. PawnPawn
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. LazarusLazarus
    30. ValiantValiant ×2
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    32. LazarusLazarus
    33. ValiantValiant ×2
    34. LazarusLazarus
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. LazarusLazarus
    38. ValiantValiant ×2
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. LazarusLazarus
    42. ValiantValiant ×2
    43. Wind
    44. ShurikenShuriken
    45. PawnPawn
    46. ShurikenShuriken
    47. ThistleThistle
    48. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    49. CrossbowCrossbow
    50. Wind
    51. ShurikenShuriken
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. CrossbowCrossbow
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. CrossbowCrossbow
    56. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    57. Wind
    58. CrossbowCrossbow ×2
    59. Wind
    60. CrossbowCrossbow
    61. Wind
    62. CrossbowCrossbow ×3
    63. Wind
    64. Mex
    65. CrossbowCrossbow
    66. Wind
    67. PawnPawn
    68. Wind
    69. PawnPawn
    70. Con turret
    71. Wind
    72. PawnPawn ×2
    73. Wind
    74. Con turret
    75. PawnPawn
    76. Energy storage
    77. PawnPawn
    78. Wind
    79. Con turret
    80. PawnPawn
    81. Con turret
    82. Wind
    83. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:05 · typical 10:56
    84. PawnPawn ×3
    85. RocketeerRocketeer
    86. PawnPawn
    87. Wind
    88. SprinterSprinter
    89. PawnPawn
    90. CenturionCenturion
    91. Wind
    92. BlitzBlitz
    93. ShurikenShuriken
    94. LazarusLazarus
    95. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    96. LazarusLazarus ×3
    97. PawnPawn ×3
    98. Wind
    99. PawnPawn ×6
    100. Con turret
    101. PawnPawn ×5
    102. Converter
    103. PawnPawn ×3
    104. Wind
    105. PawnPawn ×3
    106. Converter
    107. PawnPawn ×2
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. PawnPawn
    110. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    111. PawnPawn
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Converter
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. PawnPawn
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. PawnPawn
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. PawnPawn
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Converter
    124. PawnPawn
    125. ValiantValiant ×2
    126. PawnPawn
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. PawnPawn
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Converter
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. PawnPawn
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. PawnPawn
    136. ValiantValiant ×2
    137. PawnPawn
    138. Converter
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. PawnPawn
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Advanced Construction BotT2 con bot
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. PawnPawn
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. PawnPawn
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Converter
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. PawnPawn
    151. Wind
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. PawnPawn
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. PawnPawn
    156. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 12:58
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Converter
    159. PawnPawn
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. PawnPawn

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is tedsterr's (44 OS, 05/09/2026); 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 2:06 · 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

tedsterr

44.0 OS · 05/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
1337 metal received · 92289 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