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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 · 547 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 615 · 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 547 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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×7
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:45 · 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. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    3. ValiantValiant ×4
    4. Wind ×3
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind
    7. Mex
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Wind
    11. HerculesLight transport ×2for Tech
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant ×3
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant ×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 · 170 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. ValiantValiant ×2
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant ×3
    6. Wind
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00 · typical 6:50
    8. ValiantValiant ×3
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant ×2
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant ×3
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    17. ValiantValiant ×2
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Converter
    25. Wind ×3
    26. Converter
    27. Wind ×2
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Converter
    30. ValiantValiant ×2
    31. Converter
    32. Con turret
    33. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:26 · typical 10:56
    34. Wind
    35. Wind ×2
    36. Wind
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind ×2
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind
    42. Wind
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind
    50. Con turret
    51. Wind
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Con turret
    54. Wind
    55. Con turret
    56. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:00
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind ×2
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. FalconFighter
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind
    66. Con turret
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Con turret
    69. Wind
    70. Con turret
    71. FalconFighter
    72. Wind
    73. FalconFighter
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. FalconFighter ×2
    76. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. FalconFighter ×2
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. FalconFighter ×2
    82. Wind
    83. FalconFighter
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. FalconFighter ×2
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. FalconFighter ×3
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. FalconFighter ×3
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind
    94. FalconFighter ×3
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. FalconFighter ×3
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. FalconFighter ×4
    101. Wind
    102. FalconFighter
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. FalconFighter
    105. ShurikenShuriken
    106. FalconFighter ×2
    107. Wind
    108. ShurikenShuriken
    109. FalconFighter ×2
    110. ShurikenShuriken
    111. FalconFighter
    112. Wind
    113. FalconFighter
    114. ShurikenShuriken
    115. FalconFighter
    116. ShurikenShuriken
    117. FalconFighter
    118. Wind
    119. FalconFighter
    120. ShurikenShuriken
    121. FalconFighter ×2
    122. ShurikenShuriken
    123. Wind
    124. FalconFighter
    125. ShurikenShuriken
    126. FalconFighter
    127. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    128. ShurikenShuriken
    129. Wind
    130. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    131. ShurikenShuriken
    132. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    133. ShurikenShuriken
    134. Wind
    135. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    136. ShurikenShuriken
    137. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    138. FalconFighter
    139. Wind
    140. ShurikenShuriken
    141. FalconFighter ×2
    142. ShurikenShuriken
    143. FalconFighter
    144. Wind
    145. ShurikenShuriken
    146. FalconFighter
    147. ShurikenShuriken
    148. FalconFighter
    149. ShurikenShuriken
    150. FalconFighter
    151. ShurikenShuriken
    152. Wind
    153. FalconFighter ×2
    154. ShurikenShuriken
    155. FalconFighter
    156. ShurikenShuriken
    157. Wind
    158. FalconFighter
    159. ShurikenShuriken
    160. FalconFighter
    161. Con turret
    162. ShurikenShuriken
    163. FalconFighter
    164. ShurikenShuriken
    165. FalconFighter
    166. Wind
    167. FalconFighter
    168. ShurikenShuriken
    169. FalconFighter
    170. ShurikenShuriken

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hummell's (46 OS, 28/09/2026); 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 2:06 · 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 1:40 · 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 84% 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

615 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145800
4:002052051
5:00276573109
6:003755125167
7:005136190219
8:007019220290
9:009335250341
10:0011795327471
11:0014399439641
12:0017100619962
13:00199489301269
14:002264113951807
15:002553020492701
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

Hummell

45.9 OS · 28/09/2026

Open source match ↗

15 received units · includes a constructor
1021 metal received · 41606 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=615
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=590
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:14 · n=375

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build