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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Rysica's (36 OS, 24/09/2026); 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

Rysica

36.2 OS · 24/09/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
2495 metal received · 41169 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