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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

The role's baseline: Aircraft Plant immediately, transports and scouts for the team first, Advanced Metal Extractor and Fusion Reactor on a normal timeline, transitioning into Valiant fighter coverage over the game.

Usually transports first (72%)

#eco #team support #air · 633 distinct matches · 123 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 48% of 707 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:24

  1. Take 3 mex and open wind before committing to aircraft plant.
  2. Finish aircraft plant to start churning scouts and transports.
  3. Send Hercules, Finch and Hephaestus to allies as they ask.
  4. Get your advanced metal extractor up to fund fighter spam.
  5. Bring fusion online and shift into Valiant fighter coverage.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 633 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 ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storagefor Geo
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:46 · 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 (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · 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 · 30 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×3for Geo
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. ShurikenShuriken
    4. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Geo
    5. Con turretfor Geo
    6. Windfor Geo
    7. Con turretfor Geo
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Windfor Geo
    10. ShurikenShuriken
    11. Windfor Geo
    12. Mex
    13. ShurikenShuriken
    14. Windfor Geo
    15. ShurikenShuriken ×7
    16. Windfor Geo
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind ×2for Geo
    19. HephaestusHeavy transport
    20. Windfor Geo
    21. Converterfor Geo
    22. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    23. Converterfor Geo
    24. Windfor Geo
    25. Converterfor Geo
    26. Windfor Geo
    27. Converterfor Geo
    28. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    29. Converterfor Geo
    30. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (50%) · fusion (36%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 24 wind · 19 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 101 steps
    1. Windfor Geo
    2. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Geo
    3. Windfor Geo
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Windfor Geo
    6. ValiantValiant ×3
    7. Converterfor Geo
    8. Windfor Geo
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×3for Geo
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Geodone 7:03 · typical 6:50
    12. Windfor Geo
    13. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    14. Wind ×2for Geo
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Geo
    16. Windfor Geo
    17. Con turretfor Geo
    18. Windfor Geo
    19. Con turretfor Geo
    20. Wind ×3for Geo
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Geo
    22. Wind ×3for Geo
    23. Fusion ReactorFusionfor Geodone 10:10 · typical 10:52
    24. Windfor Geo
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Geo
    26. Windfor Geo
    27. Con turretfor Geo
    28. Wind ×5for Geo
    29. Con turretfor Geo
    30. Windfor Geo
    31. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantfor Geodone 10:35
    32. Windfor Geo
    33. Converterfor Geo
    34. Windfor Geo
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Windfor Geo
    37. Converterfor Geo
    38. Windfor Geo
    39. ValiantValiant ×2
    40. Converterfor Geo
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Converterfor Geo
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Windfor Geo
    45. FinchFinch ×2
    46. Con turretfor Geo
    47. Converterfor Geo
    48. Windfor Geo
    49. Con turretfor Geo
    50. Converterfor Geo
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Con turretfor Geo
    53. Windfor Geo
    54. Con turretfor Geo
    55. Converterfor Geo
    56. Windfor Geo
    57. ValiantValiant ×2
    58. Converterfor Geo
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. FinchFinch
    61. Windfor Geo
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Converterfor Geo
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Windfor Geo
    66. ValiantValiant ×3
    67. Converterfor Geo
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Windfor Geo
    70. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    71. Windfor Geo
    72. ShurikenShuriken
    73. Converterfor Geo
    74. ShurikenShuriken
    75. Windfor Geo
    76. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    77. Converterfor Geo
    78. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    79. Windfor Geo
    80. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    81. Converterfor Geo
    82. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    83. Windfor Geo
    84. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    85. Converterfor Geo
    86. ShurikenShuriken
    87. Con turretfor Geo
    88. Windfor Geo
    89. Con turretfor Geo
    90. Converterfor Geo
    91. Con turretfor Geo
    92. ShurikenShuriken
    93. Windfor Geo
    94. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    95. Converterfor Geo
    96. ShurikenShuriken
    97. Windfor Geo
    98. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    99. Windfor Geo
    100. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    101. Windfor Geo

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is DRM's (43 OS, 04/10/2026); 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 Beach seafirst 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 1:38 · 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 85% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:03 · in 95% 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

707 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002057051
5:00276873116
6:003751125167
7:005142190225
8:007010240292
9:009301263344
10:0011805340474
11:0014399440641
12:0017093607949
13:00199139491280
14:002269914671852
15:002558321432789
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard air sits below average team win rate at 48%, reflecting the role's support nature rather than kills.

  • + Aircraft plant lands fast at 1:24, enabling early transport and scout support.
  • − Own metal lost still reaches 2705 by 15:00 despite a support-first role.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

DRM

43.5 OS · 04/10/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
10 metal received · 60031 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=707
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:24–7:25 · n=681
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:53–12:08 · n=442

Played most by

DRM44games of this buildAdeus37games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildImmort29games of this buildNutzz29games of this build