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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Solar
    4. 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
    • 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 · 20 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. Wind
    3. Solar
    4. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    5. Solar
    6. Wind
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. Wind ×2
    9. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant ×3
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Mex
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    18. Con turret
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    20. ValiantValiant ×4
  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 · 232 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    4. Wind
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    6. Energy storage
    7. Wind
    8. Con turret
    9. Con turret
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    12. Converter
    13. Energy storage
    14. Wind
    15. Con turret
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:56 · typical 6:50
    17. Wind
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    19. Wind
    20. Converter ×2
    21. Wind
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    27. Con turret
    28. Wind
    29. Con turret
    30. Wind
    31. Con turret ×2
    32. Wind
    33. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:44
    34. Wind
    35. Converter
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Converter
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind
    41. ValiantValiant ×3
    42. Converter
    43. Wind ×4
    44. Converter
    45. Wind ×2
    46. FinchFinch
    47. Wind
    48. Converter
    49. FinchFinch
    50. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:51 · typical 10:52
    51. Wind ×2
    52. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    53. Converter
    54. Wind
    55. Converter
    56. Wind
    57. Converter
    58. Wind ×2
    59. Converter ×3
    60. Wind
    61. Converter
    62. Wind ×3
    63. Con turret ×2
    64. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:07
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Converter
    69. ValiantValiant ×2
    70. Converter
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. Converter
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind
    77. Converter
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Converter
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Con turret
    83. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    84. Converter
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind
    87. Converter
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Converter
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Converter
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind ×2
    99. ShurikenShuriken
    100. Converter
    101. ShurikenShuriken
    102. Wind
    103. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    104. Wind
    105. ShurikenShuriken
    106. Converter
    107. ShurikenShuriken
    108. Wind
    109. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    110. Wind
    111. ShurikenShuriken
    112. Converter
    113. ShurikenShuriken
    114. Wind
    115. ShurikenShuriken
    116. Wind
    117. Converter
    118. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Converter
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind
    124. Converter
    125. ValiantValiant ×2
    126. Wind
    127. Converter
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind
    132. Converter
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind
    137. Converter
    138. FinchFinch ×2
    139. Converter
    140. Wind
    141. FinchFinch
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Converter
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant ×2
    148. Wind
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiant ×2
    151. Wind
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Converter
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Converter
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Converter
    162. ValiantValiant ×2
    163. Converter
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Con turret
    166. Converter
    167. ValiantValiant ×3
    168. Converter
    169. ValiantValiant ×2
    170. Converter
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant ×2
    174. Converter
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant ×2
    177. Wind
    178. Converter
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Wind
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Converter
    183. ValiantValiant ×2
    184. Converter
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant ×2
    187. Wind
    188. Converter
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Converter
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Wind
    195. ValiantValiant
    196. Wind
    197. ValiantValiant
    198. Converter
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Wind
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Converter
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Wind
    205. Converter
    206. ValiantValiant
    207. Wind
    208. Converter
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. Wind
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. Converter
    213. ValiantValiant
    214. Wind
    215. ValiantValiant ×2
    216. ThistleThistle
    217. Wind
    218. ValiantValiant
    219. Converter
    220. ValiantValiant
    221. Wind
    222. Converter
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Converter
    225. ValiantValiant
    226. Wind
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Converter
    229. Wind
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Converter
    232. ValiantValiant ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is zeus_on_god's (38 OS, 05/10/2026); 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

zeus_on_god

37.6 OS · 05/10/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
64 metal received · 27385 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