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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 ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Mex
    4. Solar
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:38 · 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 · 12 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2
    2. Wind ×3
    3. HephaestusHeavy transport
    4. Wind ×3
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind ×2
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind ×4
    9. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    10. ValiantValiant ×2
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    12. Con turret ×3
  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 · 168 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. Wind ×6
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind ×7
    5. ShurikenShuriken
    6. Wind
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. Wind
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. ShurikenShuriken
    14. GuardGuard
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. ShurikenShuriken
    18. Converter
    19. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Converter
    22. ThistleThistle
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. ShurikenShuriken
    28. Wind
    29. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    30. ShurikenShuriken
    31. HephaestusHeavy transport
    32. Con turret
    33. Energy storage
    34. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    35. ValiantValiant ×3
    36. Wind ×3
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind ×4
    39. Mex
    40. Wind
    41. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    42. Wind
    43. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    44. Mex
    45. ValiantValiant ×3
    46. Mex ×2
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind ×3
    51. Mex
    52. Wind ×4
    53. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    54. Wind ×2
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind ×4
    59. Mex
    60. Wind ×2
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind ×3
    67. FinchFinch ×5
    68. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    69. FinchFinch
    70. Mex
    71. FinchFinch
    72. ValiantValiant ×3
    73. Mex
    74. Converter
    75. GuardGuard
    76. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    77. GuardGuard
    78. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    79. GuardGuard
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Converter
    82. ValiantValiant ×2
    83. GuardGuard
    84. Converter
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Converter
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Metal storage
    89. Solar
    90. Converter
    91. Advanced solar
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Advanced solar
    94. Converter
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Advanced solar
    97. Converter
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Converter
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    102. Con turret
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Converter
    105. Con turret
    106. Advanced Construction VehicleT2 con vehicle
    107. Converter
    108. HerculesLight transport
    109. Con turret ×2
    110. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    111. Converter
    112. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    113. Wind
    114. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    115. Wind
    116. Converter
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    120. Wind
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Converter
    123. Wind
    124. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Converter
    130. Wind
    131. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 14:05 · typical 6:50
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Advanced Construction VehicleT2 con vehicle
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. Converter
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind
    143. Converter
    144. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind
    147. Converter
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind
    150. Converter
    151. Wind
    152. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    153. Metal storage
    154. Converter
    155. Wind
    156. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    157. Metal storage
    158. Wind ×2
    159. Converter
    160. Wind ×2
    161. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    162. Converter
    163. Wind
    164. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:58
    165. Converter
    166. Wind
    167. Converter
    168. ShurikenShuriken

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is NotReal's (40 OS, 31/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · 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

NotReal

40.2 OS · 31/08/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
33 metal received · 4441 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