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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 · 583 distinct matches · 119 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 655 · 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 583 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 ~1:24, middle half 1:13–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (39%)

    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 1:12 · typical 1:24
  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 · 27 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    3. Wind
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. HephaestusHeavy transport
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Wind ×2
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Con turret
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Mex
    15. ValiantValiant ×6
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant ×2
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant ×2
    20. Con turret
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. ValiantValiant ×2
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 57% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Damsko's (40 OS, 02/10/2026); 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 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:39 · in 65% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:44 · in 49% 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

655 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002055051
5:00276673116
6:003769125167
7:005146190219
8:007021226290
9:009346260342
10:0011817328467
11:0014409438638
12:0017109605950
13:00199519421277
14:002267214281816
15:002558320892709
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

Damsko

39.9 OS · 02/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
1066 metal received · 20911 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:24Middle 50%: 1:13–1:35 · n=655
Advanced Metal Extractor6:48Middle 50%: 6:21–7:25 · n=629
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 9:56–12:17 · n=401

Played most by

DRM38games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort27games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas