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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. Wind
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:02 · 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 · 21 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. HerculesLight transport ×2for Beach sea
    3. FinchFinch
    4. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    5. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Con turret
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. Mex
    11. Wind ×6
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    13. Wind
    14. Con turret
    15. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind ×3
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind ×2
    20. ShurikenShuriken
    21. 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 · 110 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. Energy storage
    3. Wind ×4
    4. ValiantValiant ×2for Pond
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant ×2for Pond
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant ×2
    11. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    12. Wind
    13. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:18 · typical 6:50
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. Wind ×3
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. Wind ×4
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Energy storage
    22. Con turret
    23. Wind
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Converter
    26. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:46
    27. Wind
    28. Converter ×2
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Converter
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Converter
    35. ValiantValiant ×2for Pond
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. ThistleThistle
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant ×2for Pond
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. Advanced solar
    48. Wind ×3
    49. ValiantValiant ×2for Pond
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. ThistleThistle
    53. Wind ×2
    54. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:51 · typical 10:56
    55. GuardGuard
    56. Wind ×6
    57. Converter
    58. Con turret
    59. Wind
    60. Converter
    61. Con turret
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind
    66. Converter
    67. Con turret
    68. Wind
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Converter
    71. Con turret
    72. Wind
    73. Con turret
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Converter
    76. Con turret ×2
    77. Wind
    78. Converter
    79. ValiantValiant ×3
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Converter
    83. ValiantValiant ×3
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Converter
    87. ValiantValiant ×3
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant ×2
    90. Converter
    91. ValiantValiant ×2
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant ×3
    94. Converter
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant ×4
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Converter
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. ShurikenShuriken ×7
    102. Converter
    103. ShurikenShuriken ×8
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. ShurikenShuriken
    106. ValiantValiant ×28
    107. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    108. ValiantValiant ×3
    109. Fusion ReactorFusion
    110. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is RAM_Achillesmsg's (40 OS, 17/09/2026); 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 2:26 · 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

RAM_Achillesmsg

39.7 OS · 17/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
604 metal received · 81910 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