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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 · 501 distinct matches · 111 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 559 · 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 501 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 1:13–1:33

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:10 · 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
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: energy storage (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · con turret (31%)

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is NFX_Scurvy's (37 OS, 25/09/2026); 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 98% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:26 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:38 · in 66% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:45 · in 48% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:19 · in 84% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:04 · 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

559 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145700
4:002052051
5:00276573102
6:003779124147
7:005128176219
8:007036220281
9:009352250341
10:0011841314464
11:0014395439635
12:0017109605955
13:00199329071256
14:002261913911819
15:002548920592748
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

37.4 OS · 25/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
206 metal received · 22052 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:33 · n=559
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:23–7:27 · n=536
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:02–12:19 · n=338

Played most by

DRM35games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildAdeus28games of this buildNutzz25games of this buildhaaven24games of this build