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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 · 554 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 623 · 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 554 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 ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:31 · 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 · 29 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    4. Wind
    5. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind ×3
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. FinchFinch
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. Wind
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    15. Con turret
    16. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    17. Mex
    18. ShurikenShuriken
    19. HerculesLight transport
    20. ValiantValiant ×4
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. FinchFinch
    26. Con turret
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
  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 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 · 153 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind ×2
    3. ShurikenShuriken
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. Wind
    8. Converter
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Wind
    11. Converter ×2
    12. Con turret
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Con turret
    16. Converter
    17. Wind ×3
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind ×4
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:03 · typical 6:50
    23. Wind ×3
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Con turret
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    27. Con turret
    28. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:32 · typical 10:56
    29. ShipyardShipyarddone 9:27
    30. Construction ShipCon ship
    31. Converter ×3
    32. Naval Construction Turret
    33. Converter ×3
    34. Con turret
    35. Converter ×2
    36. Naval Construction Turret
    37. Converter
    38. Naval Construction Turret
    39. Converter
    40. Seaplane PlatformSeaplane Platformdone 10:26
    41. Converter ×2
    42. Naval Construction Turret
    43. Converter
    44. Naval Construction Turret
    45. Converter
    46. Wind
    47. Naval Construction Turret ×2
    48. Wind
    49. Converter
    50. Naval Construction Turret
    51. Wind
    52. Converter
    53. Wind ×2
    54. Converter
    55. Wind
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. SabreSabre
    59. Wind
    60. SabreSabre
    61. Wind
    62. Converter
    63. SabreSabre
    64. Wind ×2
    65. SabreSabre
    66. Wind
    67. SabreSabre
    68. Wind
    69. SabreSabre
    70. Wind
    71. SabreSabre
    72. Wind
    73. SabreSabre
    74. Wind
    75. SabreSabre
    76. Wind
    77. SabreSabre
    78. Wind
    79. SabreSabre
    80. Wind
    81. TsunamiTsunami
    82. Wind
    83. CycloneCyclone
    84. Wind
    85. CycloneCyclone
    86. Converter
    87. CycloneCyclone
    88. Wind
    89. CycloneCyclone
    90. Wind
    91. CycloneCyclone ×2
    92. Wind
    93. Converter
    94. CycloneCyclone
    95. Wind
    96. CycloneCyclone
    97. Wind
    98. CycloneCyclone ×2
    99. Wind
    100. Converter
    101. CycloneCyclone
    102. Wind
    103. CycloneCyclone ×2
    104. Wind
    105. CycloneCyclone
    106. Converter
    107. Wind
    108. CycloneCyclone
    109. Wind
    110. CycloneCyclone ×2
    111. Wind
    112. Converter
    113. CycloneCyclone
    114. Wind
    115. CycloneCyclone
    116. Wind
    117. CycloneCyclone ×2
    118. Wind
    119. CycloneCyclone
    120. Wind
    121. CycloneCyclone
    122. Wind
    123. CycloneCyclone
    124. Wind
    125. CycloneCyclone
    126. Wind
    127. CycloneCyclone
    128. Wind
    129. CycloneCyclone
    130. Wind
    131. CycloneCyclone
    132. Wind
    133. CycloneCyclone ×2
    134. Wind
    135. CycloneCyclone
    136. Wind ×2
    137. CycloneCyclone ×2
    138. Wind
    139. CycloneCyclone
    140. Wind
    141. CycloneCyclone
    142. TsunamiTsunami ×2
    143. Wind
    144. TsunamiTsunami ×8
    145. Wind
    146. TsunamiTsunami ×2
    147. HorizonHorizon
    148. Wind
    149. HorizonHorizon
    150. Wind ×2
    151. CycloneCyclone
    152. Wind
    153. CycloneCyclone

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is krtf's (45 OS, 01/10/2026); 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 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 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 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

623 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
8:007015223290
9:009301256341
10:0011781327471
11:0014395439640
12:0017100605956
13:00199489321269
14:002266414091801
15:002555520592701
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

krtf

44.6 OS · 01/10/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
2118 metal received · 74634 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=623
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=598
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
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas