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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 · 514 distinct matches · 114 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 575 · 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 514 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 1:13–1:34

    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. Solar
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:20 · 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
    • Hercules3 Light transport for allies
    • Finch2 Finch for allies
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    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 · 30 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Wind
    6. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    7. HephaestusHeavy transport
    8. Wind
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. Wind
    14. FinchFinch
    15. Con turret
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    20. Wind
    21. HerculesLight transport
    22. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    23. Mex
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Con turret
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Wind
    29. Con turret
    30. Wind ×3
  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 · 209 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Wind
    3. Con turret ×2
    4. Wind
    5. Wind ×3
    6. Con turret
    7. Converter
    8. Wind ×2
    9. Wind
    10. Converter ×2
    11. Wind
    12. Converter ×2
    13. Wind
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. Wind
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Wind
    31. Converter
    32. Wind
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:46 · typical 6:50
    34. Wind
    35. Wind
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    37. Wind
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. Converter
    40. Wind
    41. Con turret
    42. Wind
    43. Wind
    44. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    45. Con turret
    46. Wind
    47. Wind
    48. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:07
    49. Converter
    50. Energy storage
    51. Wind
    52. Wind
    53. Converter
    54. Wind
    55. Converter
    56. FinchFinch
    57. Converter
    58. Wind
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind
    66. ShurikenShuriken
    67. Converter
    68. Wind
    69. ShurikenShuriken
    70. Wind
    71. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    72. Wind
    73. Wind
    74. Converter
    75. ShurikenShuriken
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Converter
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind
    87. Converter
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Converter
    95. ValiantValiant ×2
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Converter
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind
    105. ShurikenShuriken
    106. Wind
    107. ShurikenShuriken
    108. Wind ×2
    109. ShurikenShuriken
    110. Wind
    111. ShurikenShuriken
    112. Wind
    113. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    114. Wind
    115. Wind
    116. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    117. Wind
    118. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    119. Wind
    120. ShurikenShuriken
    121. Wind
    122. Wind
    123. ShurikenShuriken
    124. Wind
    125. Wind
    126. ShurikenShuriken
    127. Wind
    128. ShurikenShuriken
    129. Wind
    130. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    131. Wind
    132. ShurikenShuriken
    133. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:39 · typical 10:56
    134. Wind
    135. ShurikenShuriken
    136. Wind
    137. ShurikenShuriken
    138. Wind
    139. ShurikenShuriken
    140. Wind
    141. ShurikenShuriken
    142. Wind ×2
    143. ShurikenShuriken
    144. FinchFinch
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant ×3
    147. Wind
    148. ValiantValiant ×2
    149. Wind
    150. ValiantValiant ×3
    151. Wind
    152. ValiantValiant ×2
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind ×2
    156. T2 converter
    157. Wind ×2
    158. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 12:30
    159. Con turret
    160. Wind
    161. Converter
    162. Wind
    163. Converter ×2
    164. NighthawkNighthawk
    165. Wind
    166. Converter
    167. NighthawkNighthawk
    168. Wind
    169. Con turret
    170. Converter
    171. NighthawkNighthawk
    172. Wind
    173. Con turret ×2
    174. Converter
    175. NighthawkNighthawk
    176. Con turret
    177. T2 converter
    178. Con turret
    179. NighthawkNighthawk
    180. Converter
    181. NighthawkNighthawk
    182. Con turret ×3
    183. Converter
    184. NighthawkNighthawk
    185. Con turret
    186. Wind
    187. Con turret ×2
    188. Converter
    189. NighthawkNighthawk ×2
    190. Wind
    191. NighthawkNighthawk
    192. Converter
    193. CondorRadar plane
    194. Wind
    195. Fusion ReactorFusion
    196. Converter ×2
    197. Wind
    198. Converter ×3
    199. WaspWasp
    200. Converter
    201. Wind
    202. Converter
    203. WaspWasp
    204. Converter
    205. Wind
    206. WaspWasp
    207. Converter ×2
    208. WaspWasp
    209. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is NFX_Scurvy's (38 OS, 21/09/2026); 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 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 1:39 · in 66% 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 2:19 · in 85% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:04 · in 95% 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

575 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145800
4:002052051
5:00276573102
6:003776125147
7:005132176219
8:007036219281
9:009346249341
10:0011841314464
11:0014395439635
12:0017116607950
13:00199988991230
14:002266413641807
15:002550120102691
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

38.0 OS · 21/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
82 metal received · 86071 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:34 · n=575
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:22–7:27 · n=553
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:17 · n=345

Played most by

DRM35games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildAdeus29games of this buildhaaven25games of this buildNutzz25games of this build