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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 · 555 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 624 · 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 555 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 · 7 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. Wind
    5. Mex
    6. Wind
    7. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:11 · 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 · 17 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    3. Wind ×3
    4. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    5. FinchFinch
    6. ValiantValiant ×2
    7. Wind ×3
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Con turretfor Beach sea
    10. Energy storage
    11. Mex
    12. ValiantValiant ×3
    13. Con turret
    14. ValiantValiant ×2
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    16. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    17. 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 (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 · 101 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind
    3. Converter
    4. Con turret
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind
    7. Converter
    8. Wind
    9. Con turret
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind ×3
    19. Converter
    20. Wind
    21. Converter
    22. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    23. Wind
    24. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. HerculesLight transport
    31. Converter
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Con turret
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Converter
    41. Wind
    42. Converter
    43. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:58 · typical 6:50
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    48. Wind ×2
    49. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:02
    50. Wind
    51. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    53. Wind ×3
    54. Con turret
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Con turret ×2
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Con turret
    59. GuardGuard
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant ×2
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant ×3
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant ×2
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Energy storage
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind ×2
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant ×2
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant ×2
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant ×4
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    91. Wind
    92. HephaestusHeavy transport
    93. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:45 · typical 10:56
    94. Wind ×4
    95. T2 converter
    96. Con turret ×3
    97. CitadelAnti-nukedone 14:14
    98. ThistleThistle
    99. ValiantValiant ×6
    100. Con turret
    101. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is RAM_Achillesmsg's (40 OS, 17/08/2026); 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 64% 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

624 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002053051
5:00276573109
6:003759125167
7:005136190219
8:007017225290
9:009298258342
10:0011788328471
11:0014383440641
12:0017097606958
13:00199439331269
14:002265314171801
15:002554320602701
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

RAM_Achillesmsg

40.1 OS · 17/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
36 metal received · 65883 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=624
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=599
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