BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 · 547 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 615 · 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 547 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. Solar
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Energy storage
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:31 · 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 · 28 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    6. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. FinchFinch
    11. Con turret
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    14. Con turret
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Mex
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. FinchFinch
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. ShurikenShuriken
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. ShurikenShuriken
    24. Converter
    25. ShurikenShuriken
    26. Wind ×3
    27. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    28. Wind
  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 · 143 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Converter
    4. Con turret
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Converter
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Con turret
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:34 · typical 6:50
    11. Wind
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    13. Wind
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind ×4
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    17. Wind
    18. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:33
    19. Wind
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. Wind
    22. FinchFinch
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant ×2
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant ×2
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. FinchFinch
    31. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    32. Wind
    33. HerculesLight transport
    34. Wind
    35. FinchFinch
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiant ×2
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant ×2
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant ×2
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant ×3
    45. Wind
    46. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    47. Wind
    48. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    49. Wind
    50. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    51. Wind
    52. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    53. Wind
    54. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    55. Wind ×3
    56. FinchFinch
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Con turret
    63. Wind
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. Con turret
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Con turret
    72. Wind
    73. Con turret
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. Con turret
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant ×2
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant ×2
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    85. Wind
    86. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    87. Wind
    88. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    89. FinchFinch
    90. ValiantValiant ×2
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiant ×3
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant ×3
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant ×4
    97. Wind
    98. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:10 · typical 10:56
    99. Wind ×6
    100. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:29
    101. T2 converter
    102. Wind ×2
    103. FinchFinch
    104. ValiantValiant ×4
    105. Con turret
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind
    108. Con turret ×2
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant ×3
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant ×5
    113. Wind
    114. ValiantValiant ×4
    115. Wind
    116. ValiantValiant ×5
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant ×4
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant ×4
    121. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    122. Wind
    123. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    124. Wind
    125. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    126. Wind
    127. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    128. Wind
    129. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    130. Wind
    131. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    132. FinchFinch
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant ×4
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant ×4
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant ×4
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant ×4
    141. Wind
    142. ValiantValiant ×4
    143. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is NFX_Scurvy's (37 OS, 28/09/2026); 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 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · 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 84% 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

615 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145800
4:002052051
5:00276573109
6:003755125167
7:005136190219
8:007019220290
9:009335250341
10:0011795327471
11:0014399439641
12:0017100619962
13:00199489301269
14:002264113951807
15:002553020492701
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

NFX_Scurvy

37.4 OS · 28/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
1020 metal received · 66731 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=615
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=590
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:14 · n=375

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build