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Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

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 · 555 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 624 · 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 555 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 · 7 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. Wind
    5. Mex
    6. Wind
    7. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:09 · 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 · 20 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. HerculesLight transport
    3. FinchFinch
    4. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    5. Wind ×2
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    8. ValiantValiant ×4
    9. Wind ×3
    10. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Mex
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind ×2
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Con turret
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    20. ValiantValiant
  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 · 114 steps
    1. ValiantValiant ×2
    2. Con turret
    3. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    4. Wind ×2
    5. ShurikenShuriken
    6. Wind ×2
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. Wind
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:22 · typical 6:50
    10. Wind
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Wind ×2
    13. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    14. Wind ×7
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    16. Wind
    17. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    18. Wind ×3
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Wind ×3
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind ×4
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. Con turret ×2
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiant ×4for Tech
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    43. Wind
    44. Con turret
    45. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    46. Energy storage
    47. Wind
    48. Con turret
    49. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    50. Energy storage
    51. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant ×3for Tech
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant ×3for Tech
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    68. Wind
    69. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    72. Wind
    73. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    74. Wind
    75. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    76. Wind
    77. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    78. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:40 · typical 10:56
    79. ShurikenShuriken
    80. Wind
    81. ShurikenShuriken
    82. Con turret
    83. Wind
    84. Con turret
    85. Wind
    86. GuardGuard
    87. Con turret
    88. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    89. Con turret
    90. GuardGuard
    91. Con turret
    92. GuardGuard ×2
    93. ThistleThistle ×2
    94. Converter
    95. ThistleThistle
    96. Converter ×2
    97. T2 converter
    98. Converter
    99. T2 converter
    100. Converter ×2
    101. Con turret ×2
    102. Converter
    103. Con turret ×2
    104. Converter
    105. Con turret ×2
    106. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:39
    107. Converter
    108. ValiantValiant ×4
    109. Converter
    110. ValiantValiant ×3
    111. Converter
    112. ValiantValiant ×3
    113. Converter
    114. ValiantValiant ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is RAM_Achillesmsg's (40 OS, 18/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · 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 2:26 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · in 64% 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 85% 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

624 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002053051
5:00276573109
6:003759125167
7:005136190219
8:007017225290
9:009298258342
10:0011788328471
11:0014383440641
12:0017097606958
13:00199439331269
14:002265314171801
15:002554320602701
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

RAM_Achillesmsg

40.4 OS · 18/08/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
58 metal received · 61955 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=624
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=599
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=383

Played most by

DRM37games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build