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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

The role's baseline: Aircraft Plant immediately, transports and scouts for the team first, Advanced Metal Extractor and Fusion Reactor on a normal timeline, transitioning into Valiant fighter coverage over the game.

Usually transports first (72%)

#eco #team support #air · 633 distinct matches · 123 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 48% of 707 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:24

  1. Take 3 mex and open wind before committing to aircraft plant.
  2. Finish aircraft plant to start churning scouts and transports.
  3. Send Hercules, Finch and Hephaestus to allies as they ask.
  4. Get your advanced metal extractor up to fund fighter spam.
  5. Bring fusion online and shift into Valiant fighter coverage.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 633 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 ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:15 · 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 (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · 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 · 17 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×3for Tech
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×4
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    6. Energy storagefor Tech
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Con turretfor Tech
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Con turretfor Tech
    11. Mex
    12. ValiantValiant ×3
    13. HerculesLight transport ×2for Tech
    14. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    15. Windfor Tech
    16. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    17. Windfor Tech
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (50%) · fusion (36%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 24 wind · 19 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 59 steps
    1. Windfor Tech
    2. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    3. Windfor Tech
    4. FinchFinch ×2
    5. Windfor Tech
    6. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    7. Con turretfor Tech
    8. Windfor Tech
    9. Con turretfor Tech
    10. Wind ×18for Tech
    11. Con turretfor Tech
    12. Windfor Tech
    13. Con turretfor Tech
    14. Wind ×5for Tech
    15. Converterfor Tech
    16. Windfor Tech
    17. Converterfor Tech
    18. Wind ×2for Tech
    19. Converterfor Tech
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Techdone 7:59 · typical 6:50
    21. Wind ×2for Tech
    22. Converterfor Tech
    23. Windfor Tech
    24. Converter ×2for Tech
    25. Windfor Tech
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Tech
    27. Wind ×2for Tech
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Tech
    29. Windfor Tech
    30. Fusion ReactorFusionfor Techdone 10:22 · typical 10:52
    31. Windfor Tech
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Tech
    33. Wind ×3for Tech
    34. Con turretfor Tech
    35. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantfor Techdone 10:38
    36. Wind ×2for Tech
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Windfor Tech
    39. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×5
    40. Windfor Tech
    41. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×6
    42. Windfor Tech
    43. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×5
    44. Windfor Tech
    45. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    46. Converterfor Tech
    47. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    48. Windfor Tech
    49. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    50. Windfor Tech
    51. ValiantValiant ×3
    52. Converterfor Tech
    53. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    54. Windfor Tech
    55. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    56. Converterfor Tech
    57. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    58. Windfor Tech
    59. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is DRM's (43 OS, 08/10/2026); 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 Beach seafirst 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 1:38 · 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 85% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:03 · in 95% 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

707 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002057051
5:00276873116
6:003751125167
7:005142190225
8:007010240292
9:009301263344
10:0011805340474
11:0014399440641
12:0017093607949
13:00199139491280
14:002269914671852
15:002558321432789
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard air sits below average team win rate at 48%, reflecting the role's support nature rather than kills.

  • + Aircraft plant lands fast at 1:24, enabling early transport and scout support.
  • − Own metal lost still reaches 2705 by 15:00 despite a support-first role.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

DRM

42.5 OS · 08/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
180 metal received · 70445 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=707
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:24–7:25 · n=681
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:53–12:08 · n=442

Played most by

DRM44games of this buildAdeus37games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildImmort29games of this buildNutzz29games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas