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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:30 · 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 · 16 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    3. Wind ×3
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×3
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. ValiantValiant ×2
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Mex
    11. ValiantValiant ×2
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. HerculesLight transport ×2for Tech
    14. Con turret
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Suicide front
    16. ValiantValiant ×3
  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 · 84 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. Wind
    3. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:56 · typical 6:50
    4. Wind ×7
    5. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    6. Wind ×4
    7. Con turret
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Con turret
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    12. Con turret
    13. Converter ×3
    14. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:04 · typical 10:56
    15. Converter ×3
    16. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:16
    17. Converter ×2
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Converter
    20. ValiantValiant ×6
    21. Con turret
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Con turret
    24. ValiantValiant ×2
    25. Con turret
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Con turret
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. T2 converter
    30. ValiantValiant ×3
    31. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    32. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:38
    33. ValiantValiant ×2
    34. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    35. ValiantValiant ×2
    36. T2 converter
    37. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 11:29
    38. LicheLichedone 12:11
    39. Wind ×8
    40. HighwindHighwind
    41. Wind ×2
    42. HighwindHighwind
    43. Wind
    44. HighwindHighwind
    45. Wind ×2
    46. HighwindHighwind
    47. Wind
    48. HighwindHighwind
    49. Wind
    50. HighwindHighwind
    51. Wind ×2
    52. HighwindHighwind
    53. Wind
    54. HighwindHighwind ×6
    55. Con turret ×3
    56. HighwindHighwind
    57. Wind
    58. Con turret ×2
    59. Wind
    60. HighwindHighwind
    61. Con turret ×3
    62. HighwindHighwind
    63. Wind
    64. Con turret ×3
    65. HighwindHighwind
    66. Wind
    67. Con turret
    68. Wind
    69. HighwindHighwind
    70. Wind
    71. HighwindHighwind
    72. Wind
    73. HighwindHighwind ×2
    74. Wind
    75. HighwindHighwind
    76. Wind
    77. HighwindHighwind
    78. Wind
    79. HighwindHighwind
    80. Wind
    81. HighwindHighwind
    82. Wind ×2
    83. LicheLiche
    84. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Deathkebab's (36 OS, 20/09/2026); 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

Deathkebab

36.2 OS · 20/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
146 metal received · 131409 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