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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×8
    3. Converter
    4. 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
    • 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 · 20 steps
    1. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    2. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Converter
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Energy storage
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. FinchFinch
    11. ValiantValiant ×2
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. FinchFinch
    16. HerculesLight transport ×2for Tech
    17. HerculesLight transport
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Con turret
    20. Mex
  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 · 132 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    3. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    4. Con turret
    5. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    6. Wind
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. Wind
    9. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    10. Wind
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. FinchFinch
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. FinchFinch
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. Converter
    33. Wind ×4
    34. FinchFinch
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. Converter
    38. ShurikenShuriken
    39. Wind
    40. ShurikenShuriken
    41. Converter
    42. Wind ×3
    43. ShurikenShuriken
    44. Converter
    45. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    46. Converter
    47. Wind
    48. ShurikenShuriken
    49. Wind
    50. ShurikenShuriken
    51. Converter
    52. Wind ×3
    53. ShurikenShuriken
    54. Converter
    55. Wind
    56. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    57. Wind
    58. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    59. Wind ×4
    60. ShurikenShuriken
    61. Wind
    62. ShurikenShuriken
    63. Wind ×8
    64. ShurikenShuriken
    65. Wind ×4
    66. ShurikenShuriken
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind ×2
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind ×5
    72. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    73. Wind ×3
    74. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:32
    75. Wind
    76. Con turret
    77. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    78. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:03
    79. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    80. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    81. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    82. Converter ×4
    83. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    84. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    85. ShurikenShuriken
    86. Converter
    87. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    88. Converter
    89. ShurikenShuriken
    90. Converter
    91. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    92. Converter ×2
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Converter
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Con turret ×2
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Converter
    99. Con turret ×2
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Converter
    102. Con turret ×2
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Con turret
    105. Converter
    106. Con turret
    107. ValiantValiant ×5
    108. Con turret
    109. ShurikenShuriken
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. ShurikenShuriken
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. ShurikenShuriken
    114. Converter
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. ShurikenShuriken
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. ShurikenShuriken
    119. Converter
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Con turret
    122. ShurikenShuriken
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. ShurikenShuriken
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. ShurikenShuriken
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Converter
    129. ShurikenShuriken
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. ShurikenShuriken
    132. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is EXZoPrimer3's (37 OS, 24/09/2026); 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

EXZoPrimer3

37.4 OS · 24/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
672 metal received · 81322 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