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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

The role's baseline: Aircraft Plant immediately, transports and scouts for the team first, Advanced Metal Extractor and Fusion Reactor on a normal timeline, transitioning into Valiant fighter coverage over the game.

Usually transports first (72%)

#eco #team support #air · 633 distinct matches · 123 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 48% of 707 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:24

  1. Take 3 mex and open wind before committing to aircraft plant.
  2. Finish aircraft plant to start churning scouts and transports.
  3. Send Hercules, Finch and Hephaestus to allies as they ask.
  4. Get your advanced metal extractor up to fund fighter spam.
  5. Bring fusion online and shift into Valiant fighter coverage.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 633 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 ×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
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken

    Some games also: energy storage (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · 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 · 40 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    4. Wind
    5. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    6. Wind ×2
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. Wind
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    10. Wind
    11. Energy storage
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. Wind
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    15. Wind
    16. Mex
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Converter
    22. Wind
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Wind
    26. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    27. Wind
    28. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    29. Wind
    30. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    31. Wind
    32. Con turret
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiant ×2
    38. Converter
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (50%) · fusion (36%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 24 wind · 19 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 167 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. Wind
    3. Converter
    4. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. Wind
    8. Converter ×2
    9. Wind
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. HerculesLight transport
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:44 · typical 6:50
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    19. Wind
    20. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant ×2
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Con turret ×2
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant ×2
    34. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    35. Wind
    36. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:31 · typical 10:52
    37. Wind ×2
    38. Con turret
    39. Wind ×2
    40. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:40
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    43. ValiantValiant ×2
    44. Wind
    45. Con turret
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:21
    48. Con turret
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Con turret ×2
    51. Wind
    52. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    55. Con turret
    56. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    57. Construction BotCon bot
    58. Con turret
    59. Wind
    60. Construction BotCon bot
    61. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    62. Con turret
    63. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    64. Wind
    65. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    66. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    67. ValiantValiant ×5
    68. Wind
    69. Con turret
    70. ValiantValiant ×3
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant ×2
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant ×3
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant ×2
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind ×2
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiant ×2
    93. Wind ×2
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant ×2
    97. Wind
    98. Converter
    99. Wind ×2
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. Converter
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind
    105. Converter
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Converter
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind ×2
    112. Converter
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind
    115. Converter
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind ×3
    121. Converter
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Converter
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind ×3
    128. Converter
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind
    133. Converter
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind
    136. Converter
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Converter
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind ×2
    144. Converter
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind ×3
    147. ValiantValiant ×2
    148. Wind ×2
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind
    151. Fusion ReactorFusion
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Wind ×8
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    157. Wind ×6
    158. Con turret
    159. Wind ×3
    160. Con turret
    161. Wind
    162. Con turret
    163. T2 converter
    164. Wind ×8
    165. T2 converter
    166. Wind ×10
    167. T2 converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Optimusprimenutt's (41 OS, 06/10/2026); 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 Beach seafirst 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 1:38 · in 65% 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 95% 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

707 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002057051
5:00276873116
6:003751125167
7:005142190225
8:007010240292
9:009301263344
10:0011805340474
11:0014399440641
12:0017093607949
13:00199139491280
14:002269914671852
15:002558321432789
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard air sits below average team win rate at 48%, reflecting the role's support nature rather than kills.

  • + Aircraft plant lands fast at 1:24, enabling early transport and scout support.
  • − Own metal lost still reaches 2705 by 15:00 despite a support-first role.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Optimusprimenutt

41.4 OS · 06/10/2026

Open source match ↗

50 received units · includes a constructor
132 metal received · 129833 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=707
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:24–7:25 · n=681
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:53–12:08 · n=442

Played most by

DRM44games of this buildAdeus37games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildImmort29games of this buildNutzz29games of this build