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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 7 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Mex
    4. Wind
    5. Energy storage
    6. Wind
    7. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:55 · 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 · 26 steps
    1. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    3. FinchFinch
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Wind ×2
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. Con turret
    10. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    11. Wind
    12. Con turret ×2
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind ×2
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind ×2
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Wind
    26. 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 · 267 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transport
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind
    7. Con turret
    8. Metal storage
    9. Converter ×4
    10. Wind ×20
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:39 · typical 6:50
    12. Wind
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    14. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:19
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    16. Construction BotCon bot ×7
    17. Wind
    18. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    19. Wind
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. Wind ×4
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. Wind ×3
    24. Construction BotCon bot
    25. Wind ×2
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. Wind ×4
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. Wind ×9
    32. Con turret
    33. Wind ×11
    34. Con turret
    35. Wind ×2
    36. Con turret
    37. Wind ×7
    38. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:03
    39. Wind ×3
    40. Converter
    41. Wind ×7
    42. ShurikenShuriken
    43. Wind ×3
    44. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    45. Wind ×3
    46. Converter
    47. Wind ×5
    48. Converter
    49. Wind ×3
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind ×3
    52. Converter
    53. Wind
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Wind ×5
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Converter
    58. Wind ×2
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind ×5
    61. Converter
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind ×3
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Converter
    66. Wind ×3
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind ×4
    69. Converter
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind ×4
    72. Converter
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. Converter
    77. Wind ×3
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. Converter
    81. Wind ×2
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind ×4
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Converter
    86. Wind ×2
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind ×3
    89. Converter
    90. Wind
    91. HephaestusHeavy transport
    92. Wind ×2
    93. Converter
    94. Wind ×7
    95. Converter
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Converter
    99. Wind ×5
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind ×2
    102. Converter
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind ×3
    105. Converter
    106. FinchFinch
    107. Wind ×2
    108. FinchFinch
    109. Wind
    110. Converter
    111. Wind
    112. FinchFinch
    113. Wind ×2
    114. Converter
    115. FinchFinch
    116. Wind ×2
    117. FinchFinch
    118. Wind
    119. Converter
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind ×2
    122. Converter
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind ×3
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Converter
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind ×2
    131. Converter
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. Con turret
    136. Wind ×2
    137. Con turret
    138. Converter
    139. Wind ×4
    140. Con turret
    141. Converter
    142. Wind ×3
    143. Converter
    144. Wind ×4
    145. Con turret
    146. Wind ×2
    147. Converter
    148. Wind ×5
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Converter
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Wind ×3
    153. Converter
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. NettleNettle
    157. Wind
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. NettleNettle
    160. Wind
    161. Converter
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind ×2
    164. Converter
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind ×2
    167. Converter
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. SAMSAM
    170. Wind ×3
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. Converter
    174. Wind ×5
    175. Converter
    176. Wind ×4
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Wind
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Wind ×3
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Wind
    185. RattlesnakeRattlesnakedone 14:16
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Wind
    188. Converter
    189. Wind ×6
    190. Converter
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Wind ×3
    193. Converter
    194. Wind ×2
    195. FinchFinch
    196. Wind ×2
    197. Converter
    198. FinchFinch
    199. Wind ×2
    200. FinchFinch
    201. Converter
    202. Wind
    203. FinchFinch
    204. Wind ×2
    205. Converter
    206. Wind
    207. FinchFinch
    208. Wind
    209. Converter
    210. FinchFinch
    211. Wind
    212. FinchFinch
    213. Wind ×3
    214. FinchFinch
    215. Con turret
    216. Converter
    217. FinchFinch
    218. Wind ×2
    219. Con turret
    220. Wind ×3
    221. Con turret
    222. Converter
    223. FinchFinch
    224. Wind
    225. Con turret
    226. Wind ×4
    227. FinchFinch
    228. Converter
    229. FinchFinch ×2
    230. Wind
    231. Converter
    232. FinchFinch
    233. Wind ×3
    234. FinchFinch
    235. Converter
    236. Wind
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Converter
    239. Wind
    240. ValiantValiant
    241. Converter
    242. Wind ×2
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Wind
    245. ValiantValiant
    246. Wind
    247. Converter
    248. ValiantValiant
    249. Wind
    250. Converter
    251. Wind
    252. Con turret
    253. Wind
    254. ValiantValiant
    255. Wind
    256. Con turret
    257. Converter
    258. Wind ×2
    259. ValiantValiant
    260. Wind
    261. HerculesLight transport
    262. Wind
    263. Con turret
    264. Wind ×2
    265. Con turret
    266. ValiantValiant
    267. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Crazydogg's (35 OS, 22/08/2026); 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

Crazydogg

35.4 OS · 22/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
1363 metal received · 72289 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