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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 1:09 · 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 · 44 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    5. Wind
    6. HerculesLight transport
    7. FinchFinch
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Wind
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Wind
    13. Con turret
    14. Mex
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind ×3
    18. ShurikenShuriken
    19. Wind ×4
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Converter
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind
    25. ShurikenShuriken
    26. Wind
    27. Energy storage
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Converter
    31. ShurikenShuriken
    32. Converter
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Converter
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. Converter
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Converter
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Converter
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Energy storage
    44. 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 · 181 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    4. Wind ×3
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind ×2
    7. ValiantValiant ×2
    8. Wind ×2
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×3
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind ×2
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind ×3
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind ×2
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind ×2
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    24. Wind
    25. Con turret
    26. Wind ×5
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. Converter
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Con turret
    40. Wind
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind ×2
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind ×2
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind ×2
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Converter
    51. Wind ×3
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Converter
    54. Wind ×3
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind ×2
    57. Converter
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    61. Wind ×2
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Converter
    64. Wind
    65. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    66. Converter
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Con turret
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind ×7
    73. Converter
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Converter
    77. Wind ×2
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Converter
    80. Wind ×2
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind ×2
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind ×2
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Con turret
    89. Wind ×2
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind ×3
    92. Converter
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind
    95. Converter
    96. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    97. Wind
    98. Converter
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind ×2
    102. Converter
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Converter
    105. Con turret
    106. Wind ×2
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Converter
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind ×2
    112. Converter
    113. Wind ×2
    114. Converter
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind ×3
    117. Converter
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind
    122. Converter
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant ×2
    125. Wind ×3
    126. Converter
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind
    129. Converter
    130. Wind ×3
    131. Converter
    132. Wind ×3
    133. Converter
    134. Wind ×6
    135. HerculesLight transport
    136. Converter
    137. Wind
    138. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    139. Wind ×3
    140. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    141. Wind ×2
    142. Converter
    143. Con turret
    144. Wind ×2
    145. Advanced solar
    146. Wind ×2
    147. Converter
    148. Wind ×2
    149. Con turret
    150. Wind
    151. Con turret
    152. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    153. Wind
    154. Converter
    155. Wind ×3
    156. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    157. Wind ×6
    158. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 13:39 · typical 6:50
    159. Wind ×4
    160. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    161. Wind
    162. Advanced solar
    163. Wind
    164. Converter
    165. Wind
    166. Converter ×4
    167. Wind
    168. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    169. Wind ×2
    170. Converter
    171. Con turret
    172. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    173. Wind
    174. Con turret
    175. Wind ×2
    176. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 10:56
    177. Wind ×4
    178. Converter ×2
    179. Wind ×2
    180. Converter
    181. T2 converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is KaptenKaki's (36 OS, 11/08/2026); 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

KaptenKaki

36.1 OS · 11/08/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
272 metal received · 70886 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