BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4for Tech
    3. Energy storagefor Tech
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:29 · 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 · 37 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo sea
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Tech
    7. Con turretfor Tech
    8. Mex
    9. Con turretfor Tech
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Windfor Tech
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Converterfor Tech
    14. Windfor Tech
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Converterfor Tech
    17. Windfor Tech
    18. Converterfor Tech
    19. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    20. Wind ×2for Tech
    21. Converterfor Tech
    22. Wind ×2for Tech
    23. Converterfor Tech
    24. Wind ×2for Tech
    25. Converterfor Tech
    26. Wind ×2for Tech
    27. Converterfor Tech
    28. Wind ×2for Tech
    29. Con turretfor Tech
    30. Converterfor Tech
    31. Windfor Tech
    32. Converterfor Tech
    33. Wind ×3for Tech
    34. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    35. Converter
    36. Windfor Tech
    37. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Geo
  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 · 85 steps
    1. Wind ×5for Tech
    2. Con turretfor Tech
    3. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Techdone 6:08 · typical 6:50
    4. Windfor Tech
    5. Con turretfor Tech
    6. Windfor Tech
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2for Tech
    8. Windfor Tech
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Tech
    10. Windfor Tech
    11. Con turret ×2for Tech
    12. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:11
    13. Construction BotCon bot ×3for Tech
    14. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantfor Techdone 7:28
    15. Construction BotCon bot ×2for Tech
    16. ShurikenShuriken
    17. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    18. ShurikenShuriken
    19. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    20. Windfor Tech
    21. ShurikenShuriken
    22. Windfor Tech
    23. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    24. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    25. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    26. Windfor Tech
    27. ShurikenShuriken
    28. ShurikenShurikenfor Tech
    29. Wind ×2for Tech
    30. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    31. Windfor Tech
    32. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    33. Wind ×3for Tech
    34. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    35. Wind ×4for Tech
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Fusion ReactorFusionfor Techdone 10:31 · typical 10:56
    38. Windfor Tech
    39. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    40. Con turretfor Tech
    41. Wind ×5for Tech
    42. Con turretfor Tech
    43. Windfor Tech
    44. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    45. Wind ×4for Tech
    46. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    47. Wind ×2for Tech
    48. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    49. Wind ×2for Tech
    50. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    51. Wind ×2for Tech
    52. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    53. Windfor Tech
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Wind ×3for Tech
    56. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    57. Wind ×2for Tech
    58. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    59. Wind ×2for Tech
    60. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    61. Windfor Tech
    62. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    63. Windfor Tech
    64. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    65. Windfor Tech
    66. Con turretfor Tech
    67. Windfor Tech
    68. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    69. Wind ×28for Tech
    70. Con turretfor Tech
    71. Wind ×4for Tech
    72. ShurikenShurikenfor Tech
    73. Windfor Tech
    74. ShurikenShurikenfor Tech
    75. Converterfor Tech
    76. ShurikenShurikenfor Tech
    77. T2 converterfor Tech
    78. ShurikenShurikenfor Tech
    79. Wind ×3for Tech
    80. ShurikenShuriken ×2for Tech
    81. Windfor Tech
    82. ShurikenShuriken ×2for Tech
    83. Wind ×2for Tech
    84. ShurikenShurikenfor Tech
    85. Windfor Tech

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is MRX1's (39 OS, 02/08/2026); 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

MRX1

38.9 OS · 02/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
1720 metal received · 96671 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