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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 · 547 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 615 · 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 547 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 1:34 · 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
    • 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 · 18 steps
    1. Energy storage
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Wind ×3
    6. ValiantValiant ×2
    7. FinchFinch
    8. HerculesLight transport
    9. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    10. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    11. ValiantValiant ×3
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. Con turret
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    15. Mex
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    17. Converter ×2
    18. 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 · 117 steps
    1. Converter ×4
    2. Con turret
    3. Converter ×2
    4. Wind
    5. Converter ×4
    6. Wind
    7. Converter
    8. Solar
    9. Converter
    10. Solar
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Solar
    13. Converter
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Converter
    16. Con turret
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:59
    18. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    19. Con turret
    20. Converter
    21. Con turret
    22. ShurikenShuriken
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Solar
    25. ShurikenShuriken
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. ShurikenShuriken
    29. Wind
    30. Solar
    31. Converter
    32. ShurikenShuriken
    33. Solar
    34. Converter
    35. Wind ×2
    36. ShurikenShuriken
    37. Wind
    38. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    39. Wind
    40. ShurikenShuriken
    41. Wind
    42. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    43. Converter
    44. Wind
    45. Converter
    46. Wind ×2
    47. Converter
    48. Wind ×8
    49. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    50. Wind ×9
    51. Con turret
    52. Wind
    53. Con turret
    54. Wind
    55. Con turret ×2
    56. Wind ×7
    57. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:59
    58. Wind
    59. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:19
    60. Wind
    61. ShurikenShuriken
    62. Wind
    63. ShurikenShuriken
    64. Converter
    65. ShurikenShuriken
    66. Wind
    67. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    68. Converter
    69. ShurikenShuriken
    70. Wind
    71. ShurikenShuriken
    72. Converter
    73. Wind
    74. ShurikenShuriken
    75. Wind
    76. ShurikenShuriken
    77. Converter
    78. Wind
    79. Converter ×2
    80. Wind
    81. Converter ×2
    82. Wind ×2
    83. Converter ×2
    84. Wind
    85. Converter
    86. Wind ×2
    87. Converter
    88. Wind
    89. Converter
    90. Fusion ReactorFusion
    91. Converter
    92. Wind
    93. Converter ×2
    94. Wind
    95. Converter
    96. Wind
    97. Converter ×2
    98. Wind
    99. Converter
    100. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 14:08
    101. NighthawkNighthawk
    102. Wind
    103. Con turret
    104. NighthawkNighthawk
    105. Con turret ×3
    106. NighthawkNighthawk
    107. Con turret
    108. Wind
    109. Con turret ×2
    110. Wind
    111. Con turret
    112. Advanced Construction AircraftT2 con aircraft
    113. Wind ×2
    114. NighthawkNighthawk
    115. Wind
    116. NighthawkNighthawk
    117. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Rysica's (35 OS, 27/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · 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 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · in 65% 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 84% 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

615 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145800
4:002052051
5:00276573109
6:003755125167
7:005136190219
8:007019220290
9:009335250341
10:0011795327471
11:0014399439641
12:0017100619962
13:00199489301269
14:002264113951807
15:002553020492701
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

35.4 OS · 27/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
147 metal received · 46300 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=615
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=590
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:14 · n=375

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build