BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×4
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:36 · 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 · 27 steps
    1. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. Wind ×3
    5. FinchFinch
    6. Energy storage
    7. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    8. Wind
    9. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    10. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. Wind ×3
    13. HerculesLight transport
    14. HephaestusHeavy transport
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    16. Con turret
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. Con turret
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. Con turret
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. 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 · 297 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. Wind ×3
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. Converter
    8. Wind
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:59 · typical 6:50
    13. Wind
    14. Converter ×2
    15. Wind ×2
    16. Converter
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    18. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    20. Vehicle PlantVehicle Plantdone 7:27
    21. Construction VehicleCon vehicle ×4
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    25. Wind
    26. Converter ×2
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    30. Wind
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    33. Converter
    34. Wind
    35. Wind ×3
    36. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    37. Wind
    38. Converter
    39. Wind
    40. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    41. Wind
    42. Converter
    43. Wind
    44. Wind ×2
    45. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    46. Wind
    47. Converter
    48. Wind ×2
    49. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    50. Wind ×3
    51. Converter
    52. Wind ×5
    53. Construction VehicleCon vehicle
    54. Wind ×2
    55. Wind
    56. Converter
    57. Wind ×5
    58. Converter
    59. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:11
    60. Wind ×7
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Converter
    63. Wind ×3
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×3
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. Converter
    69. Wind ×2
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. Converter
    75. Wind ×2
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind ×3
    78. Converter
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind ×4
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Converter
    83. Con turret
    84. Wind ×6
    85. Con turret
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Converter
    88. Wind ×5
    89. Con turret
    90. Wind
    91. Converter
    92. Con turret
    93. Wind ×2
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. Con turret
    97. Wind ×2
    98. Converter
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Con turret
    102. Wind ×3
    103. Con turret
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind ×2
    106. Con turret
    107. Converter
    108. Wind ×2
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. Con turret
    112. Wind
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind ×2
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Converter
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind
    122. Wind ×2
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Converter
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Converter
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant ×2
    136. Wind ×2
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Converter
    143. Wind
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Converter
    151. Wind ×3
    152. ShurikenShuriken
    153. Wind
    154. Wind
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. ShurikenShuriken
    157. Converter
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind ×3
    160. ShurikenShuriken
    161. Wind
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Converter
    164. ShurikenShuriken
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind
    168. ShurikenShuriken
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind
    171. Converter
    172. ShurikenShuriken
    173. Wind ×2
    174. ValiantValiant
    175. Wind ×2
    176. ShurikenShuriken
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Converter
    179. Wind ×2
    180. ShurikenShuriken
    181. Wind ×2
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Converter
    184. Wind
    185. ShurikenShuriken
    186. Wind ×2
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. Converter
    189. Wind
    190. ShurikenShuriken
    191. Wind
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind ×2
    194. ShurikenShuriken
    195. ValiantValiant
    196. Wind
    197. ShurikenShuriken
    198. Converter
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Wind ×2
    201. ShurikenShuriken
    202. Wind
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Wind ×2
    205. ShurikenShuriken
    206. Wind
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. ShurikenShuriken
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. Wind
    211. Converter
    212. ShurikenShuriken
    213. Wind ×2
    214. ValiantValiant
    215. ShurikenShuriken
    216. Wind
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. Wind
    219. Converter
    220. Wind
    221. ShurikenShuriken
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. Wind
    224. ShurikenShuriken
    225. Wind ×2
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. ShurikenShuriken
    228. Converter
    229. ValiantValiant
    230. Wind ×2
    231. ShurikenShuriken
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Wind
    234. Converter
    235. Wind
    236. ShurikenShuriken
    237. Wind
    238. ValiantValiant
    239. Wind
    240. ShurikenShuriken
    241. ValiantValiant
    242. Wind ×2
    243. ShurikenShuriken
    244. Converter
    245. Wind
    246. ValiantValiant
    247. Wind ×2
    248. ShurikenShuriken
    249. ValiantValiant
    250. Wind
    251. ValiantValiant
    252. Converter
    253. Wind
    254. ValiantValiant
    255. Wind
    256. ValiantValiant
    257. Wind
    258. ValiantValiant
    259. Wind ×3
    260. Converter
    261. CitadelAnti-nukedone 13:46
    262. ValiantValiant
    263. Wind ×2
    264. ValiantValiant
    265. Wind ×4
    266. Converter
    267. ShurikenShuriken
    268. Wind
    269. ValiantValiant
    270. Wind ×5
    271. Converter
    272. Wind
    273. ShurikenShuriken
    274. Wind
    275. ValiantValiant
    276. Wind ×4
    277. Converter
    278. Wind
    279. ShurikenShuriken
    280. Wind ×4
    281. ValiantValiant
    282. Wind ×2
    283. Converter
    284. Wind
    285. ShurikenShuriken
    286. Wind ×3
    287. ValiantValiant
    288. Wind
    289. Converter
    290. Wind ×3
    291. ShurikenShuriken
    292. Wind
    293. ValiantValiant
    294. Converter
    295. Wind ×2
    296. ShurikenShuriken
    297. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is _X_'s (47 OS, 21/09/2026); 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

_X_

46.9 OS · 21/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
82 metal received · 63302 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