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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. Solar
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:02 · 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 · 30 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. Mex
    3. HerculesLight transport ×2for Beach sea
    4. FinchFinch
    5. Wind
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. Wind ×2
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind ×3
    10. Con turret ×2
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    15. Converter ×2
    16. Wind
    17. Converter ×2
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant ×2
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind ×3
    27. Con turret
    28. Wind
    29. Wind
    30. Energy storage
  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 · 222 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transport
    3. Wind
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind
    9. Con turret
    10. Converter
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:28 · typical 6:50
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. Converter
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind
    34. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiant ×2
    38. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    39. Converter
    40. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:43
    41. Converter
    42. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Construction BotCon bot
    45. Converter
    46. ValiantValiant ×2
    47. Converter
    48. Construction BotCon bot
    49. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    50. Converter
    51. Construction BotCon bot
    52. Converter
    53. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    54. Converter
    55. Construction BotCon bot
    56. Wind
    57. Construction BotCon bot
    58. Con turret
    59. Converter
    60. Wind
    61. Con turret
    62. Wind
    63. Converter
    64. Wind ×4
    65. Con turret
    66. Construction BotCon bot
    67. Wind ×2
    68. Converter
    69. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    70. Wind ×2
    71. Con turret
    72. Wind ×2
    73. Converter
    74. Con turret
    75. Wind ×3
    76. Con turret
    77. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:11 · typical 10:52
    78. Wind ×4
    79. Converter
    80. Wind ×5
    81. Converter
    82. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:21
    83. Wind ×5
    84. Converter
    85. Wind ×5
    86. Converter
    87. Wind ×4
    88. Converter
    89. Wind ×7
    90. Converter
    91. Wind ×3
    92. Converter
    93. Wind ×10
    94. Converter
    95. Wind ×2
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind ×3
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Converter
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind ×3
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind ×2
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Converter
    109. Wind ×3
    110. Con turret
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind
    114. Con turret
    115. Wind ×2
    116. Con turret
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. Wind
    120. Con turret
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Wind ×2
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Converter
    127. Wind ×5
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. Converter
    131. Wind
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind ×2
    134. Converter
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind
    137. Converter
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind ×2
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind
    143. Converter
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind ×3
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind
    150. Converter
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Wind
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind ×3
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Converter
    157. Wind
    158. ValiantValiant ×2
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Wind ×2
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Converter
    166. Wind
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind ×2
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant ×2
    174. Wind ×3
    175. Converter
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Con turret
    178. Wind ×2
    179. Con turret
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind ×2
    182. Con turret
    183. Wind
    184. Converter
    185. Wind
    186. Con turret
    187. Wind ×2
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Wind ×2
    190. ValiantValiant
    191. Wind
    192. Converter
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Wind ×2
    195. ValiantValiant
    196. Wind
    197. ValiantValiant
    198. Wind
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Wind
    201. ValiantValiant ×2
    202. Wind ×2
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Converter
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind ×2
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. Wind
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. Wind
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. Wind ×2
    213. ValiantValiant ×2
    214. Wind ×2
    215. ValiantValiant ×2
    216. Wind ×2
    217. ValiantValiant ×2
    218. Wind
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Wind
    221. ValiantValiant ×3
    222. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is El_Turco's (38 OS, 07/10/2026); 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

El_Turco

37.8 OS · 07/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
569 metal received · 145567 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
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas