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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 · 547 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 615 · 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 547 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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:38 · 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 · 19 steps
    1. Energy storage
    2. Wind
    3. ShurikenShuriken
    4. FinchFinch
    5. Wind
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. FinchFinch
    13. Con turret
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Mex
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    17. Wind
    18. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    19. 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 · 165 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Con turret ×2
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Con turret
    5. Wind
    6. Wind
    7. Wind
    8. Con turret
    9. Wind
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind
    12. Wind
    13. Wind
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Wind
    21. Converter
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:19
    26. Wind
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. Wind
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:26
    35. Converter
    36. Wind ×2
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind
    39. Converter
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind
    46. Converter
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    49. Wind
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. ValiantValiant ×2
    53. Wind
    54. ValiantValiant ×2
    55. Wind
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Wind
    58. FinchFinch
    59. Wind
    60. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    61. Wind
    62. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    63. Wind
    64. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    65. Wind ×2
    66. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    67. Wind
    68. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    69. Wind
    70. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    71. Wind
    72. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    73. Wind
    74. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    75. Wind
    76. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    77. Con turret
    78. Wind
    79. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    80. Wind
    81. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    82. Wind
    83. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    84. Wind
    85. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    86. ValiantValiant ×2
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant ×3
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant ×2
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant ×2
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind
    108. ValiantValiant ×2
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant ×3
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant ×3
    113. Wind
    114. ValiantValiant ×2
    115. Wind
    116. ValiantValiant ×4
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant ×2
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant ×2
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:17
    131. Wind ×3
    132. Converter
    133. Wind
    134. Converter
    135. Wind ×2
    136. Converter
    137. Wind
    138. Con turret
    139. Fusion ReactorFusion
    140. Converter
    141. Wind
    142. Con turret
    143. Converter
    144. Wind
    145. T2 converter
    146. Converter
    147. Wind
    148. Converter
    149. Wind
    150. Converter
    151. Wind
    152. Converter
    153. Wind
    154. Converter
    155. Wind
    156. Converter ×2
    157. Wind
    158. Converter
    159. Wind
    160. Converter
    161. Wind
    162. Converter
    163. Wind
    164. Converter
    165. Con turret

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is NFX_Scurvy's (37 OS, 29/09/2026); 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 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · in 65% 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 84% 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

615 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145800
4:002052051
5:00276573109
6:003755125167
7:005136190219
8:007019220290
9:009335250341
10:0011795327471
11:0014399439641
12:0017100619962
13:00199489301269
14:002264113951807
15:002553020492701
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

36.7 OS · 29/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
229 metal received · 37974 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=615
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=590
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:14 · n=375

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build