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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 ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:12 · 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 · 31 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. Wind ×4
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×6
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    6. Wind
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    8. Wind
    9. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    10. FinchFinch
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. Mex
    14. Wind ×2
    15. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    16. Wind ×3
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. Con turret ×2
    20. Wind
    21. Con turret
    22. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Energy storage ×2
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Wind ×2
  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 · 293 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind
    3. Converter
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Converter
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Converter
    8. Wind
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. Converter
    16. Wind
    17. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:08
    18. Wind
    19. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo sea
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Con turret
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. Con turret
    29. Converter ×2
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Converter
    32. Con turret
    33. Converter
    34. Con turret ×2
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. Converter ×4
    38. Wind
    39. Converter
    40. Wind ×3
    41. Advanced solar
    42. Converter
    43. Energy storage
    44. Wind
    45. Converter
    46. Wind ×3
    47. Converter
    48. Wind
    49. Converter
    50. Con turret
    51. Wind
    52. Converter
    53. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:33 · typical 6:50
    54. Wind
    55. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    56. Wind ×3
    57. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:23
    58. Wind
    59. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. FinchFinch
    62. ValiantValiant ×2
    63. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:59
    64. ValiantValiant ×9
    65. Construction BotCon bot
    66. ValiantValiant ×2
    67. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Construction BotCon bot
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Construction BotCon bot
    78. Wind
    79. Construction BotCon bot
    80. Wind
    81. Construction BotCon bot
    82. Wind ×2
    83. Construction BotCon bot
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind
    86. Construction BotCon bot
    87. Wind ×2
    88. Construction BotCon bot
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind
    92. Construction BotCon bot
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind ×2
    96. Converter
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind ×2
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Converter
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind
    104. Converter
    105. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind ×3
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant ×2
    112. Converter
    113. Wind ×2
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Con turret
    116. Wind ×2
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind ×2
    121. Converter
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind ×3
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Converter
    126. Wind ×2
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind ×2
    129. Converter
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind
    132. Converter
    133. Wind ×2
    134. Converter
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. Converter
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind ×3
    142. Converter
    143. Converter
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind
    146. Converter
    147. Wind ×3
    148. Converter
    149. Converter
    150. Converter
    151. Wind ×8
    152. Converter
    153. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:39
    154. Wind ×4
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Converter
    157. Wind
    158. ValiantValiant ×2
    159. Wind ×2
    160. Converter
    161. Wind
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. Converter
    165. Con turret ×2
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind ×4
    168. Con turret
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Converter
    171. Converter
    172. Wind
    173. Con turret
    174. Wind ×3
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind
    177. Converter
    178. FinchFinch
    179. Converter
    180. Wind ×3
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Converter
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Wind
    185. Converter
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Wind ×2
    188. Converter
    189. Wind
    190. ValiantValiant
    191. Converter
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind ×3
    194. Converter
    195. ValiantValiant
    196. Wind
    197. ValiantValiant
    198. Wind
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Converter
    201. Converter
    202. ValiantValiant
    203. Wind ×3
    204. ValiantValiant ×2
    205. Wind
    206. FinchFinch
    207. Converter
    208. ValiantValiant
    209. Wind ×3
    210. ValiantValiant
    211. Converter
    212. Wind
    213. Converter
    214. ValiantValiant
    215. Wind ×2
    216. Converter
    217. Wind
    218. ValiantValiant
    219. Wind
    220. Converter
    221. Converter
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. Converter
    224. ValiantValiant
    225. Wind
    226. Converter
    227. Wind ×2
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. ShurikenShuriken
    232. Converter
    233. ShurikenShuriken
    234. Wind
    235. Converter
    236. Wind
    237. ShurikenShuriken
    238. Wind ×2
    239. Converter
    240. ShurikenShuriken
    241. Converter
    242. ShurikenShuriken
    243. Wind
    244. ShurikenShuriken
    245. Wind ×2
    246. Converter
    247. ShurikenShuriken
    248. Wind
    249. Converter
    250. ShurikenShuriken
    251. Wind ×3
    252. ShurikenShuriken
    253. Wind
    254. Converter
    255. ShurikenShuriken
    256. Converter
    257. Wind
    258. ShurikenShuriken
    259. Wind ×2
    260. Converter
    261. Wind
    262. ShurikenShuriken
    263. Converter
    264. Converter
    265. ShurikenShuriken
    266. Wind ×3
    267. Converter
    268. Wind
    269. ShurikenShuriken
    270. Converter
    271. ValiantValiant
    272. Wind
    273. Converter
    274. Wind ×3
    275. Converter
    276. ValiantValiant
    277. Converter
    278. Wind ×3
    279. ValiantValiant
    280. Wind
    281. FinchFinch
    282. Wind
    283. ValiantValiant
    284. Wind ×2
    285. Converter
    286. ValiantValiant
    287. Wind
    288. Converter
    289. ValiantValiant
    290. Wind
    291. ValiantValiant
    292. Wind ×2
    293. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Kuchy's (43 OS, 09/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · 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

Kuchy

42.9 OS · 09/08/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
107 metal received · 53200 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