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

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

Lexosis

36.8 OS · 28/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
445 metal received · 97024 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