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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. Wind ×3
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:17 · 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 · 24 steps
    1. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    3. Solar
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    5. FinchFinch
    6. Wind ×3
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Geo
    8. Wind
    9. Con turret
    10. Mex
    11. Wind ×2
    12. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    13. Wind
    14. Energy storage
    15. HerculesLight transport ×3for Geo
    16. ValiantValiant ×4
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. 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 · 107 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Wind
    3. Wind
    4. Wind ×2
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind
    9. Wind
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:49 · typical 6:50
    14. Wind
    15. Con turret
    16. ValiantValiant ×2
    17. Wind ×3
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. Wind
    22. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:55
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant ×2
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. ValiantValiant ×2
    27. Windfor Geo
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Windfor Geo
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Windfor Geo
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Windfor Geo
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Windfor Geo
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Windfor Geo
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Windfor Geo
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Windfor Geo
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Windfor Geo
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Windfor Geo
    46. ValiantValiant ×2
    47. Con turret
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Con turret
    50. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:26 · typical 10:56
    51. Energy storage
    52. FinchFinch
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Con turret ×2
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Con turret
    57. ValiantValiant ×24
    58. Wind
    59. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant ×3
    62. Converter
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant ×2
    65. Converter
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. Con turret
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Converter
    71. Con turret
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Con turret
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Converter
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Con turret
    78. Converter
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant ×2
    82. Converter
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant ×3
    88. ThistleThistle
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant ×4
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiant ×3
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant ×2
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant ×2
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant ×2
    101. NettleNettle
    102. ValiantValiant ×2
    103. NettleNettle
    104. ValiantValiant ×3
    105. Mex
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Radar TowerRadar Tower

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is maccommander's (38 OS, 12/09/2026); 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 2:26 · 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

maccommander

38.3 OS · 12/09/2026

Open source match ↗

20 received units · includes a constructor
1715 metal received · 93699 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
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas