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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is thermite's (35 OS, 13/09/2026); 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

thermite

35.5 OS · 13/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
574 metal received · 86571 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