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Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

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 · 555 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 624 · 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 555 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 1:16 · 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. FinchFinch
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Wind ×8
    4. FinchFinch
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. Mex
    10. Con turret
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. Wind
    13. Energy storage
    14. Wind ×2
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    16. Wind
    17. Converter
    18. Wind
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    20. Wind ×4
    21. Converter
    22. Wind
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind ×3
    25. HerculesLight transport
  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 · 116 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind
    3. Converter ×2
    4. Wind ×3
    5. Con turret ×2
    6. Wind
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. ThistleThistle
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. Converter
    16. Wind
    17. Converter
    18. Wind ×4
    19. Converter ×2
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Converter
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:53 · typical 6:50
    23. Wind
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Wind
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    27. Wind
    28. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:47
    29. Wind
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. ShurikenShuriken ×10
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    34. Wind ×5
    35. Mex ×2for Beach sea
    36. ShurikenShuriken
    37. Wind
    38. ShurikenShuriken
    39. Wind
    40. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    41. Mexfor Beach sea
    42. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    43. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    44. Wind ×2
    45. ValiantValiant ×2
    46. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Con turret
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Con turret
    51. ThistleThistle
    52. Con turret
    53. FinchFinch
    54. Wind
    55. Con turret
    56. Wind
    57. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:16 · typical 10:56
    58. FinchFinch
    59. Con turret ×2
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Con turret ×3
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind
    64. SlingshotSlingshot
    65. Wind
    66. Con turret
    67. SlingshotSlingshot
    68. ValiantValiant ×5
    69. Mexfor Beach sea
    70. ValiantValiant ×2
    71. T2 converter
    72. ValiantValiant ×2
    73. Fusion ReactorFusion
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. FinchFinch ×2
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    78. Mexfor Beach sea
    79. ShurikenShuriken ×7
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. FinchFinch
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. SlingshotSlingshot
    84. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    85. T2 converter
    86. Con turret ×3
    87. ShurikenShuriken
    88. Con turret
    89. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    90. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    91. ShurikenShuriken
    92. Con turret
    93. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. UrchinUrchin
    96. ValiantValiant ×4
    97. Con turret
    98. T2 converter
    99. ValiantValiant ×2
    100. Con turret
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Con turret
    103. ValiantValiant ×2
    104. Con turret
    105. ValiantValiant ×2
    106. Con turret
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Con turret
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. ShurikenShuriken
    111. Con turret
    112. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    113. Con turret
    114. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    115. ValiantValiant ×7
    116. T2 converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Zippo9's (38 OS, 07/08/2026); 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 2:26 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · in 64% 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 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

624 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002053051
5:00276573109
6:003759125167
7:005136190219
8:007017225290
9:009298258342
10:0011788328471
11:0014383440641
12:0017097606958
13:00199439331269
14:002265314171801
15:002554320602701
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

Zippo9

37.5 OS · 07/08/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
49 metal received · 37089 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=624
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=599
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=383

Played most by

DRM37games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build