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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 · 583 distinct matches · 119 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 655 · 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 583 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 ~1:24, middle half 1:13–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (39%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Energy storagefor Geo sea
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:29 · typical 1:24
  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 · 23 steps
    1. Wind
    2. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    3. FinchFinch
    4. Wind
    5. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. FinchFinch
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. Con turret
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    14. Mex
    15. Con turret ×2
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    17. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    18. Converter
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Wind
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Converter
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 57% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken

    Some games also: con aircraft (35%) · fusion (34%) · 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 · 152 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Wind
    3. Wind
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. Wind
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:42 · typical 6:48
    8. Wind
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    11. Wind
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    13. Wind
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. Wind
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind
    21. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:31
    22. Wind
    23. Wind
    24. FinchFinch
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant ×2
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Con turret
    38. Wind
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant ×2
    43. Con turret
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind
    49. Wind
    50. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Con turret
    57. Wind
    58. Wind
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind
    64. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    65. Wind
    66. Wind
    67. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    68. Wind
    69. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    70. Wind
    71. Con turret
    72. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    73. Wind
    74. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    75. Wind
    76. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    77. Con turret
    78. Wind
    79. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    80. Wind
    81. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    82. Wind
    83. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    84. Wind
    85. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    86. Wind
    87. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    88. Wind
    89. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    90. Wind
    91. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    92. FinchFinch
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant ×3
    97. Wind
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant ×4
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant ×2
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant ×2
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant ×2
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind
    113. ValiantValiant ×3
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant ×2
    116. Wind
    117. ValiantValiant ×2
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant ×3
    120. Wind
    121. ValiantValiant ×3
    122. Wind
    123. ValiantValiant ×5
    124. Energy storage
    125. ValiantValiant ×4
    126. Wind
    127. Energy storage
    128. ValiantValiant ×2
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant ×2
    131. Wind
    132. ValiantValiant ×3
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant ×2
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant ×3
    139. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:04 · typical 10:55
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind ×9
    143. T2 converter
    144. Wind ×3
    145. T2 converter
    146. Wind ×2
    147. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00
    148. Wind
    149. T2 converter
    150. Con turret
    151. Wind
    152. Con turret ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is NFX_Scurvy's (36 OS, 02/10/2026); 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 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:39 · in 65% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:44 · in 49% 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

655 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002055051
5:00276673116
6:003769125167
7:005146190219
8:007021226290
9:009346260342
10:0011817328467
11:0014409438638
12:0017109605950
13:00199519421277
14:002267214281816
15:002558320892709
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

NFX_Scurvy

35.8 OS · 02/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
2982 metal received · 128117 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:24Middle 50%: 1:13–1:35 · n=655
Advanced Metal Extractor6:48Middle 50%: 6:21–7:25 · n=629
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 9:56–12:17 · n=401

Played most by

DRM38games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort27games of this build