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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind
    5. 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
    • 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 · 24 steps
    1. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    2. Solar
    3. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    4. FinchFinch
    5. HephaestusHeavy transport
    6. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. ValiantValiant ×3
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Pond
    10. Mex
    11. Con turret
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant
  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 · 96 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind
    4. Wind
    5. Con turret
    6. ValiantValiant ×2
    7. Wind
    8. ShurikenShuriken
    9. Wind
    10. ShurikenShuriken
    11. Wind
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. FinchFinch
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:37 · typical 6:50
    15. Wind
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    19. Wind
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. Wind
    22. Con turret
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Converter ×2
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Converter ×2
    31. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:26 · typical 10:56
    32. Con turret ×2
    33. Wind ×3
    34. Con turret ×3
    35. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:56
    36. Wind
    37. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    38. ShurikenShuriken
    39. Wind
    40. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    41. HerculesLight transport
    42. Wind
    43. FinchFinch ×4
    44. ValiantValiant ×4
    45. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant ×8
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant ×4
    50. Fusion ReactorFusion
    51. Wind
    52. Converter
    53. Wind
    54. Converter
    55. Con turret ×2
    56. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:02
    57. Converter
    58. Wind
    59. Converter
    60. Wind
    61. Converter ×2
    62. Wind
    63. Converter
    64. Wind
    65. Converter ×2
    66. Wind
    67. Converter ×3
    68. Wind ×2
    69. ValiantValiant ×2
    70. Con turret ×2
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Con turret ×2
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. Con turret ×2
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Con turret
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Con turret
    80. ValiantValiant ×3
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant ×5
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant ×4
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant ×2
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant ×3
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiant ×6
    93. Wind
    94. Advanced Fusion ReactorAdvanced Fusion Reactornot finished by 15:00
    95. Wind ×2
    96. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Grump]_Doni's (52 OS, 01/09/2026); 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 2:26 · 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

[Grump]_Doni

51.6 OS · 01/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
208 metal received · 38255 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