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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is _Hawkey_'s (61 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

_Hawkey_

61.0 OS · 28/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
1085 metal received · 359309 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