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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 · 501 distinct matches · 111 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 559 · 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 501 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 1:13–1:33

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:07 · 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
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: energy storage (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · con turret (31%)

    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 · 34 steps
    1. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Con turret
    4. Wind
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    6. Wind ×2
    7. FinchFinch
    8. Mex
    9. Wind ×6
    10. ValiantValiant ×2
    11. Con turret
    12. Wind ×3
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind ×3
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. Energy storage
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    30. Converter ×4
    31. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    32. Converter ×2
    33. Con turret
    34. 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 · 220 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×4done 5:30 · typical 6:50
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:42
    5. Wind
    6. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    7. Wind ×10
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:42
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant ×2
    29. Converter
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Construction BotCon bot
    33. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    34. Construction BotCon bot
    35. Con turret
    36. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    37. Construction BotCon bot
    38. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    39. Construction BotCon bot
    40. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    41. Converter ×12
    42. Wind
    43. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Suicide front
    44. Wind ×2
    45. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:46 · typical 10:56
    46. Wind ×8
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind ×3
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind ×2
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind ×3
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind ×2
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind ×2
    57. ValiantValiant ×2
    58. Wind ×3
    59. ValiantValiant ×2
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind ×2
    67. ValiantValiant ×2
    68. Wind ×3
    69. ValiantValiant ×2
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind ×2
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Con turret
    75. Wind ×2
    76. Con turret
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. Con turret
    80. Wind ×2
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Con turret
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Construction BotCon bot
    85. Wind ×3
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:05
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind ×2
    95. ValiantValiant ×3
    96. Wind ×2
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant ×2
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind ×2
    103. ValiantValiant ×2
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant ×2
    106. Wind ×2
    107. ValiantValiant ×3
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant ×2
    110. Wind ×2
    111. Construction BotCon bot
    112. ValiantValiant ×2
    113. Wind
    114. Construction BotCon bot
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind ×2
    117. ValiantValiant ×2
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind
    121. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant ×3
    127. Wind ×3
    128. ValiantValiant ×4
    129. Wind ×2
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind
    132. ValiantValiant ×2
    133. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    141. ValiantValiant ×2
    142. Wind ×2
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Construction BotCon bot
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind
    147. T2 converter
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind
    150. Construction BotCon bot
    151. Wind
    152. ValiantValiant ×2
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. Construction BotCon bot
    157. Con turret
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind ×3
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    162. Con turret
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Wind ×2
    165. Con turret
    166. Wind
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind
    171. Con turret
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Wind ×2
    174. Con turret
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind
    177. Con turret
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind ×2
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Con turret
    182. Wind
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Wind
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind
    187. ValiantValiant ×2
    188. Wind
    189. GuardGuard
    190. ValiantValiant ×2
    191. Wind ×2
    192. ValiantValiant ×2
    193. Wind
    194. ValiantValiant ×2
    195. Wind ×2
    196. GuardGuard
    197. ValiantValiant ×2
    198. Wind ×2
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Wind
    201. ValiantValiant ×2
    202. Wind
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. GuardGuard
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind
    207. ValiantValiant ×2
    208. Wind ×2
    209. ValiantValiant ×2
    210. Wind
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. Wind
    213. ValiantValiant ×2
    214. Wind ×2
    215. ValiantValiant ×2
    216. Wind
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. Wind
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Radar TowerRadar Tower

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is kuraga__prime's (42 OS, 23/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst at 2:05 · in 98% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:26 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:38 · in 66% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:45 · in 48% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:19 · in 84% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:04 · 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

559 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145700
4:002052051
5:00276573102
6:003779124147
7:005128176219
8:007036220281
9:009352250341
10:0011841314464
11:0014395439635
12:0017109605955
13:00199329071256
14:002261913911819
15:002548920592748
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

kuraga__prime

42.1 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
40 metal received · 87756 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:33 · n=559
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:23–7:27 · n=536
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:02–12:19 · n=338

Played most by

DRM35games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildAdeus28games of this buildNutzz25games of this buildhaaven24games of this build