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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 ×2
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Mex
    4. Wind ×2
    5. 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
    • 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 · 21 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Solar
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind ×2
    8. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    10. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    11. Wind ×2
    12. ValiantValiant ×3
    13. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    15. Con turret
    16. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantfor Ponddone 4:42
    17. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    18. HerculesLight transport
    19. Mex
    20. Wind ×2
    21. ShurikenShuriken
  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 · 111 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. Wind
    4. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    5. Wind
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant ×2
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant ×2
    11. Wind
    12. Converter
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind ×3
    15. Converter
    16. Wind
    17. Converter
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:34
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. Converter
    24. Construction BotCon bot
    25. Wind
    26. Advanced Bot LabAdvanced Bot Labdone 9:45
    27. Converter
    28. Energy storage
    29. Con turret
    30. Converter
    31. Con turret
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. Wind
    36. Converter ×4
    37. Wind
    38. Advanced Construction BotT2 con bot
    39. Converter ×3
    40. Wind
    41. Converter ×2
    42. Metal storage
    43. Wind
    44. Converter
    45. Wind
    46. Converter
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:29
    48. Wind ×2
    49. Converter ×3
    50. Wind ×2
    51. Converter
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    53. Wind
    54. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    55. Wind ×11
    56. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    57. Wind ×3
    58. Con turret
    59. Wind
    60. Con turret ×2
    61. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:04
    62. Con turret ×2
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Con turret
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Con turret
    70. ValiantValiant ×2
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:36
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant ×2
    78. Wind
    79. Construction BotCon bot
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Construction BotCon bot
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Wind
    87. Construction BotCon bot
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Construction BotCon bot
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Construction BotCon bot
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Construction BotCon bot
    94. Wind
    95. Construction BotCon bot
    96. Wind
    97. Construction BotCon bot
    98. Wind
    99. Construction BotCon bot
    100. Wind
    101. Construction BotCon bot
    102. Wind ×5
    103. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    104. Wind
    105. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    106. Wind
    107. ShurikenShuriken
    108. Wind
    109. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    110. Wind
    111. ShurikenShuriken

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Rysica's (37 OS, 17/09/2026); 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

Rysica

37.2 OS · 17/09/2026

Open source match ↗

21 received units
20 metal received · 19095 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