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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 ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:13 · 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 · 26 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×5
    4. HerculesLight transport
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    7. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Mex
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. Con turret
    14. Wind ×2
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Con turret
    18. Energy storage
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind ×3
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    25. Converter
    26. 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 · 108 steps
    1. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. Con turret
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. Converter
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Converter
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Converter
    13. ShurikenShuriken
    14. Wind
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. Converter
    17. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    18. Converter
    19. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    20. ShurikenShuriken
    21. Converter
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind ×2
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind ×2
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind ×3
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind ×3
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind ×2
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind ×5
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind ×3
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind ×4
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Converter
    46. Wind
    47. ShurikenShuriken
    48. Wind ×3
    49. ShurikenShuriken
    50. Wind
    51. Converter
    52. Wind ×2
    53. ShurikenShuriken
    54. Wind ×3
    55. ShurikenShuriken
    56. Wind ×2
    57. ShurikenShuriken
    58. Wind ×5
    59. Converter
    60. Wind
    61. ShurikenShuriken
    62. Wind ×3
    63. Converter
    64. Wind ×2
    65. ShurikenShuriken
    66. Wind ×4
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind ×4
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind ×6
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind ×2
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind ×2
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant ×2
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant ×3
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant ×2
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant ×3
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant ×3
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant ×3
    92. Wind
    93. ShurikenShuriken
    94. Wind
    95. ShurikenShuriken
    96. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    97. Wind
    98. Con turret
    99. Wind ×2
    100. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 13:31
    101. Wind ×5
    102. Con turret
    103. WaspWasp ×2
    104. Wind ×2
    105. Advanced Construction AircraftT2 con aircraft
    106. Wind ×2
    107. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00
    108. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Gieds's (47 OS, 18/09/2026); 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

Gieds

46.8 OS · 18/09/2026

Open source match ↗

0 received units
0 metal received · 214 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