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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:30 · 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 · 36 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind ×2
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind ×4
    9. FinchFinch
    10. Wind
    11. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. Mex
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    20. Wind
    21. Wind
    22. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind
    25. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. Wind
    30. Wind
    31. Con turret
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. HerculesLight transport
    35. Wind
    36. 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 (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 · 317 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. Wind
    3. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    4. Wind
    5. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    6. Converter
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. Wind
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Wind
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant ×2
    14. Wind
    15. FinchFinch ×2
    16. Converter
    17. FinchFinch
    18. Wind ×3
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:05 · typical 6:50
    20. Wind
    21. Converter
    22. Wind
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind
    31. Converter
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. Wind
    36. ThistleThistle
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    38. Converter
    39. Wind
    40. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:20
    41. Wind
    42. Converter
    43. OspreyHeavy transport
    44. Wind
    45. Converter
    46. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    47. Wind
    48. Con turret
    49. Converter
    50. Wind
    51. Wind
    52. Converter
    53. Con turret
    54. Wind
    55. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    56. Wind
    57. Wind ×2
    58. Con turret
    59. Wind ×3
    60. Wind
    61. Wind
    62. Con turret
    63. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:13 · typical 10:56
    64. Converter
    65. Wind
    66. Converter
    67. Wind ×2
    68. Converter
    69. Wind
    70. Wind
    71. Converter
    72. Wind
    73. Wind
    74. Wind
    75. Converter
    76. Wind
    77. Wind
    78. Wind
    79. Wind
    80. Converter
    81. Wind
    82. Wind
    83. Wind
    84. Converter
    85. Wind
    86. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:38
    87. Wind
    88. Wind
    89. Con turret
    90. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    91. Wind
    92. Wind
    93. BlinkScout plane
    94. Wind
    95. Wind
    96. Converter
    97. BlinkScout plane ×2
    98. Wind
    99. Wind
    100. Converter
    101. BlinkScout plane
    102. Con turret
    103. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00
    104. BlinkScout plane
    105. Converter
    106. Converter
    107. BlinkScout plane
    108. Wind
    109. BlinkScout plane
    110. Wind
    111. Converter
    112. Converter
    113. Wind
    114. BlinkScout plane
    115. Wind
    116. BlinkScout plane
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. Converter
    120. Wind
    121. BlinkScout plane
    122. Wind
    123. Wind
    124. Converter
    125. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:33
    126. Converter
    127. Fusion ReactorFusion
    128. Wind
    129. Converter
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind
    132. Converter
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:55
    136. Converter
    137. Converter
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Converter
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind
    143. Con turret
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant ×2
    146. Wind
    147. Con turret
    148. Converter
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind
    151. Con turret
    152. Wind
    153. Con turret
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. Wind
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind
    159. Converter
    160. Converter
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind ×2
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Converter
    168. Wind
    169. Converter
    170. Wind
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Wind
    175. Converter
    176. Wind
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Converter
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Wind
    181. Wind
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Wind
    184. Converter
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Converter
    188. Wind
    189. ValiantValiant ×2
    190. Converter
    191. Wind ×2
    192. Wind
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Converter
    195. Wind
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:10
    198. Converter
    199. Wind
    200. ValiantValiant
    201. Wind ×2
    202. Converter
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Converter
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Converter
    207. ValiantValiant ×2
    208. Wind ×2
    209. ValiantValiant ×2
    210. Converter
    211. Wind ×2
    212. Converter
    213. ValiantValiant ×2
    214. Wind
    215. ValiantValiant
    216. Wind
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. Converter
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Wind
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Converter
    223. Wind
    224. ValiantValiant ×2
    225. Converter
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Wind ×2
    228. ValiantValiant ×2
    229. Converter
    230. Wind
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. Converter
    233. ValiantValiant
    234. Wind
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Wind
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Wind
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Converter
    241. ValiantValiant ×2
    242. Wind ×2
    243. Converter
    244. ValiantValiant ×2
    245. Wind
    246. Converter
    247. ValiantValiant ×2
    248. Wind
    249. ValiantValiant
    250. Wind
    251. ValiantValiant ×2
    252. Wind
    253. ValiantValiant
    254. Wind
    255. Converter
    256. ShurikenShuriken
    257. Converter
    258. Wind ×2
    259. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    260. Wind
    261. ShurikenShuriken
    262. Wind
    263. Converter
    264. Converter
    265. ShurikenShuriken
    266. Con turret
    267. Wind
    268. Con turret
    269. ShurikenShuriken
    270. Wind
    271. ShurikenShuriken
    272. Con turret
    273. Converter
    274. Con turret
    275. ShurikenShuriken
    276. Con turret
    277. ShurikenShuriken
    278. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:28
    279. Wind
    280. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    281. Wind
    282. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    283. Wind
    284. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    285. Wind
    286. Con turret
    287. ShurikenShuriken
    288. ValiantValiant
    289. ShurikenShuriken
    290. ValiantValiant
    291. ShurikenShuriken
    292. Wind
    293. ShurikenShuriken
    294. ValiantValiant
    295. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    296. Converter
    297. ValiantValiant
    298. ShurikenShuriken
    299. ValiantValiant
    300. ShurikenShuriken
    301. Converter
    302. ValiantValiant
    303. Converter
    304. ShurikenShuriken
    305. ValiantValiant
    306. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    307. Converter
    308. ValiantValiant
    309. ShurikenShuriken
    310. ValiantValiant
    311. ShurikenShuriken
    312. Converter
    313. ValiantValiant
    314. ShurikenShuriken
    315. ValiantValiant
    316. ShurikenShuriken
    317. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is UsurpeR's (43 OS, 23/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

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

UsurpeR

42.9 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

35 received units · includes a constructor
309 metal received · 29091 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