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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:14 · 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 · 30 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×2
    5. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    6. Wind
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. Energy storage
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. ShurikenShuriken
    11. ValiantValiant ×3
    12. Mex
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Con turret
    16. Energy storage
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind
    20. Con turret
    21. HerculesLight transport
    22. Wind
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind
    25. Con turret
    26. Wind
    27. Con turret
    28. Wind
    29. Con turret
    30. 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 · 69 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Converter
    4. Wind ×7
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. Converter
    8. Wind ×2
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. Wind ×7
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×4done 6:41 · typical 6:50
    14. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:44
    15. Construction BotCon bot ×6
    16. Wind
    17. Construction BotCon bot
    18. Wind ×2
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. Wind
    21. Construction BotCon bot
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Construction BotCon bot
    24. Wind
    25. Construction BotCon bot
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. Wind
    29. Construction BotCon bot
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Wind ×4
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. Wind
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Wind ×12
    37. Construction BotCon bot
    38. Wind ×2
    39. Construction BotCon bot
    40. Wind ×3
    41. Construction BotCon bot
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Construction BotCon bot
    44. Wind ×2
    45. Construction BotCon bot
    46. Wind ×3
    47. Construction BotCon bot
    48. Wind ×6
    49. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:37
    50. Wind ×7
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind ×3
    53. ShurikenShuriken
    54. Wind
    55. ShurikenShuriken
    56. Wind ×2
    57. ShurikenShuriken
    58. Wind ×2
    59. ShurikenShuriken
    60. Wind
    61. ShurikenShuriken
    62. Wind ×2
    63. ShurikenShuriken
    64. Wind
    65. ShurikenShuriken
    66. Wind
    67. ShurikenShuriken
    68. Wind ×2
    69. ShurikenShuriken

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is StoicMoose42's (37 OS, 23/09/2026); 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

StoicMoose42

36.5 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
1570 metal received · 38324 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