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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:09 · 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 · 29 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×3
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Energy storage
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    10. ValiantValiant ×3
    11. Mex
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind
    14. ShurikenShuriken
    15. Wind ×2
    16. ShurikenShuriken
    17. Wind
    18. FinchFinch
    19. Con turret
    20. FinchFinch
    21. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    22. HerculesLight transport
    23. Con turret
    24. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    25. Wind ×2
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    29. 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 · 229 steps
    1. Converter
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Converter
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Wind
    6. Con turret
    7. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    8. Converter
    9. Con turret
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2done 6:18 · typical 6:50
    11. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    12. Wind
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    14. Wind
    15. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:02
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    17. Construction BotCon bot
    18. Wind
    19. Con turret
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    22. Wind
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. Wind
    25. Construction BotCon bot
    26. Wind
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. Wind
    29. Construction BotCon bot
    30. Wind
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. Construction BotCon bot
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. Construction BotCon bot
    38. Wind
    39. Converter
    40. Wind
    41. Construction BotCon bot
    42. Converter
    43. Wind ×3
    44. Converter
    45. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:47
    46. Con turret
    47. Wind ×2
    48. Converter
    49. Wind ×6
    50. Converter
    51. Con turret
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Wind ×8
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Converter
    56. Wind ×6
    57. Con turret
    58. Wind ×3
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind ×5
    61. Converter
    62. Wind ×4
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. Advanced solar
    66. Wind ×4
    67. Converter
    68. Wind ×3
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind ×6
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Converter
    73. Wind ×4
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind ×2
    76. Advanced solar
    77. Wind ×2
    78. Converter
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind ×3
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. Advanced solar
    84. Wind ×3
    85. Converter
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind ×5
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind ×3
    90. Converter
    91. Wind ×2
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind ×2
    94. Advanced solar
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind ×2
    97. Converter
    98. Wind ×3
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind ×2
    101. Advanced solar
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind
    104. Converter
    105. Wind ×6
    106. Advanced solar
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind
    109. Converter
    110. TracerTracer
    111. Wind
    112. Con turret
    113. Wind ×4
    114. Converter
    115. Wind ×7
    116. Converter
    117. Wind
    118. Con turret
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind ×4
    121. Converter
    122. Wind ×6
    123. Converter
    124. Wind
    125. Con turret
    126. Wind ×4
    127. Converter
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. CitadelAnti-nukedone 13:42
    131. Wind ×3
    132. Converter
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind ×4
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Converter
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind ×4
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Converter
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind ×3
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind
    147. Converter
    148. Wind ×2
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind ×3
    151. Converter
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Wind ×3
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind ×3
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind ×2
    158. Converter
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    161. Wind ×2
    162. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    163. Wind ×2
    164. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    165. Wind ×3
    166. Converter
    167. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    168. Wind ×3
    169. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    170. Wind
    171. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    172. Wind
    173. Converter
    174. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    175. Wind ×3
    176. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    177. Wind ×2
    178. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    179. Converter
    180. Wind ×3
    181. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    182. Wind ×3
    183. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    184. Wind ×2
    185. Converter
    186. Wind
    187. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    188. Wind ×2
    189. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    190. Wind ×5
    191. Converter
    192. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    193. Wind ×4
    194. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    195. Wind ×3
    196. Converter
    197. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    198. Wind ×2
    199. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    200. Wind ×2
    201. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    202. Wind ×4
    203. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    204. Converter
    205. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    206. Wind ×2
    207. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    208. Wind ×4
    209. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo sea
    210. Wind ×2
    211. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    212. Converter
    213. Wind ×3
    214. ValiantValiant ×3for Geo sea
    215. Wind ×2
    216. ValiantValiant
    217. Wind ×2
    218. ValiantValiant ×2
    219. Converter
    220. ValiantValiant
    221. Wind ×2
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. Wind ×3
    224. ValiantValiant ×2
    225. Wind
    226. Converter
    227. Wind
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is RitualMurder's (38 OS, 05/09/2026); 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

RitualMurder

38.2 OS · 05/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
1051 metal received · 40841 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