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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 552 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 621 · 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 552 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:14 · 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. Wind
    2. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    3. Wind ×3
    4. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    6. Wind
    7. FinchFinch ×2
    8. Wind ×3
    9. Mex
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. HerculesLight transport ×2for Tech
    12. Energy storage
    13. Con turret
    14. HerculesLight transport
    15. Con turret
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind ×7
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind ×3
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • 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 · 152 steps
    1. Wind ×9
    2. Converter
    3. ThistleThistle
    4. NettleNettle
    5. ThistleThistle
    6. Con turret
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. Converter
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:48 · typical 6:50
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. Converter
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    17. Converter ×2
    18. Wind ×3
    19. Converter ×2
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. Converter
    22. Wind ×6
    23. Con turret ×2
    24. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:28
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant ×2
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant ×2
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. ValiantValiant ×3
    53. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    54. ValiantValiant ×3
    55. ShurikenShuriken
    56. FinchFinch
    57. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    58. ValiantValiant ×2
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Converter
    83. Wind
    84. Con turret
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Con turret
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Converter
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant ×3
    92. Wind
    93. Converter
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    96. ValiantValiant ×3
    97. Converter
    98. ValiantValiant ×4
    99. Converter
    100. ValiantValiant ×4
    101. Converter
    102. ValiantValiant ×2
    103. Wind
    104. Con turret
    105. Converter
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:09 · typical 10:56
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind
    114. Con turret
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Wind
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Converter
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. ShurikenShuriken
    128. Wind
    129. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    130. Converter
    131. ShurikenShuriken ×7
    132. Converter
    133. ShurikenShuriken
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Con turret ×2
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Con turret
    138. Converter
    139. ShurikenShuriken
    140. Con turret
    141. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    142. Converter
    143. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    144. Converter ×2
    145. ValiantValiant ×4
    146. Converter
    147. ValiantValiant ×4
    148. Converter
    149. ValiantValiant ×6
    150. Converter
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. ShurikenShuriken ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is MischievousDragonGF's (43 OS, 30/09/2026); 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 2:06 · 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 1:40 · in 65% 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

621 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145800
4:002053051
5:00276573109
6:003763125167
7:005136190219
8:007019223290
9:009335256341
10:0011795327471
11:0014399440641
12:0017100607960
13:00199489321269
14:002266414091805
15:002555520592701
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

MischievousDragonGF

43.2 OS · 30/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
158 metal received · 17873 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=621
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=596
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:17 · n=381

Played most by

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