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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 · 547 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 615 · 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 547 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:17 · 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 · 25 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transport
    3. Wind ×5
    4. ShurikenShuriken
    5. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    7. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    8. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    10. Mex
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    14. Con turret
    15. ValiantValiant ×2
    16. Wind
    17. Con turret
    18. HerculesLight transport
    19. Energy storage
    20. Wind
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. Energy storage
    24. Wind
    25. 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 · 170 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. Converter
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Converter
    8. HerculesLight transport
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. Wind ×2
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant ×2
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:15 · typical 6:50
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Wind ×3
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Con turret
    28. Wind ×3
    29. Con turret ×2
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Converter
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:15 · typical 10:56
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. Wind ×2
    38. Converter
    39. Wind
    40. Con turret ×2
    41. Wind ×3
    42. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:03
    43. Wind
    44. Con turret ×2
    45. Wind
    46. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind
    50. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    51. Converter
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    55. Wind
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Wind
    58. Converter
    59. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Converter
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Converter
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant ×2
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Con turret
    77. ValiantValiant ×2
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Converter
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Mex
    88. ValiantValiant ×2
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant ×3
    91. Converter
    92. ShurikenShuriken ×25
    93. ValiantValiant ×3
    94. Mex
    95. ValiantValiant ×3
    96. Converter
    97. ValiantValiant ×20
    98. Converter
    99. ValiantValiant ×2
    100. Con turret
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant ×2
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant ×3
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant ×3
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant ×3
    110. Wind
    111. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:39
    112. ValiantValiant ×2
    113. Con turret
    114. ValiantValiant ×2
    115. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind
    118. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Converter
    121. Wind
    122. Wind
    123. Con turret
    124. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind
    127. Con turret
    128. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind
    131. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. Con turret
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Con turret
    141. Wind
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind
    144. Con turret
    145. Converter
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind ×2
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind
    150. Converter
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Wind ×2
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind
    155. Converter
    156. ShurikenShuriken
    157. Wind ×2
    158. Wind
    159. ShurikenShuriken
    160. Wind
    161. ShurikenShuriken
    162. Wind ×3
    163. ShurikenShuriken
    164. Wind
    165. Wind
    166. ShurikenShuriken
    167. Wind ×2
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Converter
    170. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Spreukenindekeuken's (36 OS, 26/09/2026); 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 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · 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 84% 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

615 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145800
4:002052051
5:00276573109
6:003755125167
7:005136190219
8:007019220290
9:009335250341
10:0011795327471
11:0014399439641
12:0017100619962
13:00199489301269
14:002264113951807
15:002553020492701
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

Spreukenindekeuken

36.3 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
12 metal received · 18880 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=615
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=590
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:14 · n=375

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build