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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 6 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Mex
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Energy storage
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:57 · 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 · 18 steps
    1. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    2. Solar
    3. ShurikenShuriken
    4. FinchFinch
    5. ShurikenShuriken
    6. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    8. Wind ×2
    9. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    10. ValiantValiant ×2
    11. Mex
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    15. Mex
    16. Con turret
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    18. Con turret ×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 · 323 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Wind
    6. Wind
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Con turret
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00 · typical 6:50
    10. Wind
    11. Con turret
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    13. Con turret
    14. Wind
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    16. Wind ×6
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:35
    19. Construction BotCon bot ×6
    20. Wind
    21. Construction BotCon bot
    22. Wind
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Construction BotCon bot
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Construction BotCon bot
    30. Wind ×3
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Wind ×5
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. Wind ×8
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Wind ×4
    37. Construction BotCon bot
    38. Wind ×11
    39. Con turret
    40. Wind ×21
    41. Con turret
    42. Wind ×6
    43. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:39
    44. Wind ×2
    45. Converter
    46. Wind ×4
    47. Converter
    48. Wind ×3
    49. Converter
    50. Wind ×3
    51. Converter
    52. Wind ×4
    53. Converter
    54. Wind ×2
    55. Converter
    56. Wind ×3
    57. Converter
    58. Wind ×3
    59. Converter
    60. Wind ×4
    61. Converter
    62. Wind ×2
    63. Converter
    64. Wind ×2
    65. Converter
    66. Wind ×3
    67. Converter
    68. Wind ×2
    69. Converter
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind ×2
    73. Converter
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind
    77. Converter
    78. Wind ×3
    79. Converter
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind ×2
    82. Converter
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Converter
    86. Wind ×3
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. Converter
    90. Wind ×3
    91. Converter
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind ×2
    95. Converter
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind ×4
    99. Converter
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind ×3
    102. Converter
    103. Wind ×2
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Converter
    106. Con turret
    107. Wind
    108. Converter
    109. Wind ×3
    110. Converter
    111. Wind
    112. Con turret
    113. Wind ×2
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind
    116. Converter
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. Wind ×2
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind
    122. Converter
    123. Wind ×2
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. Converter
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind ×3
    129. Converter
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind
    132. Converter
    133. Wind ×2
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind ×2
    136. Converter
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. Converter
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind ×2
    143. Con turret
    144. Wind
    145. Converter
    146. Wind ×2
    147. Con turret
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Converter
    151. Wind ×3
    152. Converter
    153. Wind ×3
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind ×2
    156. Converter
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind ×2
    159. Converter
    160. Wind
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind ×2
    163. Converter
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind ×2
    166. FinchFinch
    167. Wind
    168. FinchFinch
    169. Wind
    170. Converter
    171. FinchFinch
    172. Wind
    173. Converter
    174. FinchFinch
    175. Wind
    176. Converter
    177. Wind
    178. FinchFinch
    179. Converter
    180. Wind
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind ×2
    183. Converter
    184. ValiantValiant
    185. Wind
    186. Converter
    187. Wind
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Converter
    190. Wind
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Wind ×2
    193. Converter
    194. ShurikenShuriken
    195. Converter
    196. Wind
    197. ShurikenShuriken
    198. Converter
    199. Wind
    200. ShurikenShuriken
    201. Wind
    202. ShurikenShuriken
    203. Wind
    204. ShurikenShuriken
    205. Converter
    206. ShurikenShuriken
    207. Wind
    208. Converter
    209. ShurikenShuriken
    210. Wind ×2
    211. Converter
    212. ShurikenShuriken
    213. Wind
    214. ShurikenShuriken
    215. Converter
    216. ShurikenShuriken
    217. Wind ×3
    218. ShurikenShuriken
    219. Wind
    220. ShurikenShuriken
    221. Wind
    222. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    223. Wind
    224. ShurikenShuriken
    225. Wind ×2
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Con turret
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind ×3
    230. Con turret
    231. Wind ×2
    232. Converter
    233. Con turret
    234. ValiantValiant
    235. Wind
    236. Converter
    237. Wind ×2
    238. Con turret
    239. Wind ×2
    240. Converter
    241. HerculesLight transport
    242. Wind
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Wind
    245. ValiantValiant
    246. Converter
    247. Wind
    248. ValiantValiant ×2
    249. Wind ×2
    250. Converter
    251. Wind
    252. ValiantValiant
    253. Wind ×2
    254. ValiantValiant
    255. Converter
    256. ValiantValiant
    257. Con turret
    258. Wind
    259. Con turret
    260. Wind
    261. Converter
    262. Wind ×2
    263. ValiantValiant
    264. Wind
    265. Con turret
    266. Converter
    267. ValiantValiant
    268. Converter
    269. Wind ×3
    270. ValiantValiant
    271. Wind
    272. ValiantValiant ×2
    273. Wind
    274. Converter
    275. ValiantValiant
    276. Wind ×4
    277. ValiantValiant
    278. Converter
    279. ValiantValiant ×2
    280. Converter
    281. ValiantValiant
    282. Wind ×4
    283. ValiantValiant
    284. Wind
    285. Converter
    286. ValiantValiant
    287. Converter
    288. ValiantValiant
    289. Wind ×2
    290. ValiantValiant
    291. Wind ×2
    292. ValiantValiant
    293. Converter
    294. ValiantValiant
    295. Wind ×2
    296. Converter
    297. Wind
    298. ValiantValiant
    299. Wind ×2
    300. ValiantValiant
    301. Converter
    302. ValiantValiant
    303. Wind ×2
    304. Converter
    305. ValiantValiant
    306. Wind ×3
    307. ValiantValiant
    308. Converter
    309. ValiantValiant ×2
    310. Wind ×2
    311. ValiantValiant
    312. Wind ×2
    313. ValiantValiant ×2
    314. Wind
    315. Converter
    316. ValiantValiant
    317. Wind
    318. ValiantValiant
    319. Wind
    320. ValiantValiant
    321. Wind ×2
    322. Converter
    323. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Crazydogg's (35 OS, 22/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · 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

Crazydogg

35.2 OS · 22/08/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
232 metal received · 40460 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