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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 (73%)

#eco #team support #air · 525 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 590 · 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 525 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 ~1:21, middle half 1:13–1:34

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    By 1:02 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:13 · typical 1:21
  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 (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 · 42 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Mex
    8. Wind ×2
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Con turret
    12. Con turret
    13. Wind
    14. ShurikenShuriken
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. Energy storage
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Wind
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant ×2
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. HerculesLight transport
    30. Converter
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Converter
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind
    35. Converter
    36. ValiantValiant ×2
    37. Converter
    38. Wind
    39. Wind
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. 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 (32%) · 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 · 121 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Wind
    5. Wind
    6. Wind ×2
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    8. Wind ×2
    9. Wind
    10. Wind ×3
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. Wind
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Wind
    21. Converter
    22. Wind
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind
    31. Wind ×3
    32. Wind
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:45 · typical 6:50
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    36. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:40
    37. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    40. Con turret ×2
    41. Converter
    42. Converter
    43. Con turret ×2
    44. Converter
    45. Converter
    46. Converter
    47. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:45 · typical 10:55
    48. Converter
    49. Converter
    50. Converter
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Converter
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Converter
    55. ValiantValiant ×2
    56. Converter
    57. ValiantValiant ×2
    58. Fusion ReactorFusion
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Converter ×3
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Converter
    63. Converter
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Con turret
    66. Converter
    67. Con turret
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Converter
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Con turret
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Converter
    74. ValiantValiant ×3
    75. Converter
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Fusion ReactorFusion
    78. ValiantValiant ×2
    79. Converter
    80. Converter
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Converter
    83. Con turret
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Con turret ×2
    86. Converter
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Converter
    89. Con turret ×2
    90. ValiantValiant ×2
    91. Con turret
    92. Converter
    93. ValiantValiant ×2
    94. Converter
    95. ValiantValiant ×6
    96. Converter
    97. ValiantValiant ×5
    98. Converter
    99. ValiantValiant ×7
    100. Converter
    101. ValiantValiant ×6
    102. Converter
    103. ValiantValiant ×4
    104. Converter
    105. ValiantValiant ×6
    106. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    107. Converter
    108. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    109. Converter
    110. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    111. Converter
    112. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    113. Converter
    114. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×4
    115. Converter
    116. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    117. Converter
    118. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    119. Converter
    120. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    121. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Adeus's (36 OS, 27/09/2026); 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 2:05 · 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 1:39 · in 66% 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 6:04 · 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

590 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145800
4:002050051
5:00276373102
6:003766125150
7:005129176219
8:007014219285
9:009298248341
10:0011788315470
11:0014397439639
12:0017105603950
13:00199438701236
14:002263713511806
15:002549320022670
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

Adeus

35.8 OS · 27/09/2026

Open source match ↗

22 received units · includes a constructor
641 metal received · 20842 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:21Middle 50%: 1:13–1:34 · n=590
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:22–7:27 · n=566
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=355

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus32games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildImmort25games of this buildNutzz25games of this build