BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 (73%)

#eco #team support #air · 525 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 590 · 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 525 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 ~1:21, middle half 1:13–1:34

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    By 1:02 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:11 · typical 1:21
  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 (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 · 43 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. Wind
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    9. Wind
    10. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo
    11. Mex
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. FinchFinchfor Geo
    14. Con turret
    15. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Wind
    21. Converter
    22. Con turret
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Converter ×2
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind
    31. Wind
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. Wind
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. Wind
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:14 · typical 6:50
    39. Converter
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. Wind
    43. Wind ×2
  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 (32%) · 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 · 166 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. Wind ×2
    4. ShurikenShuriken
    5. Wind
    6. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    7. Wind
    8. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    9. Wind ×2
    10. ShurikenShuriken
    11. Wind
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. Wind ×2
    14. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. ShurikenShuriken
    18. Wind
    19. ShurikenShuriken
    20. Wind
    21. ShurikenShuriken
    22. Wind
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. Wind
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind
    41. ValiantValiant ×2
    42. Wind ×2
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind ×2
    50. Wind
    51. Wind ×3
    52. Wind
    53. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    54. Wind ×4
    55. Wind
    56. Wind ×3
    57. Wind
    58. Wind
    59. Wind
    60. Wind ×2
    61. Wind
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    64. Wind
    65. Wind
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    68. Wind
    69. Con turret
    70. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    71. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    72. Wind
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    75. Con turret
    76. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Con turret
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Con turret
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. Con turret
    90. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:38 · typical 10:55
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Con turret
    94. Wind
    95. Con turret
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. Con turret
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind
    101. ShurikenShuriken
    102. Con turret
    103. Wind
    104. Con turret
    105. ShurikenShuriken
    106. Con turret
    107. ShurikenShuriken
    108. Wind
    109. Con turret
    110. Wind
    111. Wind
    112. ShurikenShuriken
    113. Wind
    114. Wind
    115. ShurikenShuriken
    116. Wind
    117. Wind
    118. Wind
    119. ShurikenShuriken
    120. Wind ×2
    121. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    122. Wind
    123. ShurikenShuriken
    124. T2 converter
    125. Wind
    126. ShurikenShuriken
    127. Wind
    128. ShurikenShuriken
    129. T2 converter
    130. ShurikenShuriken
    131. Wind
    132. ShurikenShuriken
    133. Wind
    134. HephaestusHeavy transport
    135. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    136. Wind
    137. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    138. Wind
    139. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    140. Wind
    141. ShurikenShuriken ×14
    142. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    143. Wind
    144. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind
    147. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Gieds's (46 OS, 12/09/2026); 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 2:05 · 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 1:39 · in 66% 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 6:04 · 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

590 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145800
4:002050051
5:00276373102
6:003766125150
7:005129176219
8:007014219285
9:009298248341
10:0011788315470
11:0014397439639
12:0017105603950
13:00199438701236
14:002263713511806
15:002549320022670
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

Gieds

46.3 OS · 12/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
1039 metal received · 7410 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:21Middle 50%: 1:13–1:34 · n=590
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:22–7:27 · n=566
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=355

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus32games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildImmort25games of this buildNutzz25games of this build