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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 1:17 · 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 · 23 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    3. Wind
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind ×2
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. Con turret
    12. Energy storage
    13. Mex
    14. FinchFinch
    15. Con turret
    16. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    17. HerculesLight transport ×2for Beach sea
    18. ValiantValiant ×2
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant ×2
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. 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 · 183 steps
    1. HerculesLight transport
    2. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo sea
    3. Wind ×8
    4. ShurikenShuriken
    5. Wind
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:10 · typical 6:50
    7. Wind
    8. ShurikenShuriken
    9. Wind
    10. ShurikenShuriken
    11. Wind
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. Wind
    14. ShurikenShuriken
    15. Wind
    16. ShurikenShuriken
    17. Wind
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    19. Wind
    20. ShurikenShuriken
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind ×3
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Wind
    31. Con turret
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind ×2
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind
    46. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    47. Wind ×2
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Con turret
    50. Wind
    51. Con turret
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. JellyfishJellyfish
    54. Con turret ×2
    55. Wind
    56. JellyfishJellyfish
    57. Con turret
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant ×5
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant ×4
    64. Con turret
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    69. ValiantValiant ×2
    70. Wind
    71. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:51 · typical 10:56
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. JellyfishJellyfish
    74. Wind ×2
    75. Con turret
    76. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:07
    77. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    78. Con turret
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant ×7
    81. Wind
    82. Converter
    83. ValiantValiant ×2
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Converter
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Converter
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant ×3
    95. Converter
    96. Con turret
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Con turret
    100. GuardGuard
    101. Converter
    102. Con turret
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind
    105. Con turret
    106. GuardGuard
    107. Con turret
    108. Converter
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. Con turret
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Converter
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind
    116. GuardGuard
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. Con turret
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Converter
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant ×3
    129. Converter
    130. ValiantValiant ×2
    131. Wind
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind
    136. Converter
    137. ValiantValiant ×2
    138. Wind
    139. FinchFinch
    140. ValiantValiant ×3
    141. Converter
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind
    144. ValiantValiant ×2
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Converter
    148. ValiantValiant ×2
    149. Wind
    150. ValiantValiant ×2
    151. Converter
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant ×2
    155. FinchFinch ×2
    156. Converter
    157. ValiantValiant ×2
    158. Wind
    159. ValiantValiant ×3
    160. Wind
    161. Converter
    162. ValiantValiant ×2
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant ×3
    165. Converter
    166. ValiantValiant ×2
    167. Wind
    168. ValiantValiant ×2
    169. Wind
    170. ValiantValiant ×2
    171. Wind
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Converter
    174. Fusion ReactorFusion
    175. Wind ×2
    176. Converter
    177. Wind
    178. Converter
    179. Wind ×3
    180. Converter
    181. Wind
    182. Converter
    183. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is DRM's (42 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

DRM

42.3 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

17 received units · includes a constructor
1367 metal received · 23876 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