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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 · 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:20 · 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 ×2for Beach sea
    2. Wind ×2
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    6. FinchFinch
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    8. Con turret
    9. Mex
    10. Wind ×2
    11. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    12. ValiantValiant ×2
    13. ShurikenShuriken
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Front
    15. Wind ×2
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    17. Wind
    18. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
  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 · 213 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:32 · typical 6:50
    3. Wind
    4. Converter
    5. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. HerculesLight transport
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Solar
    13. Con turret
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    15. Energy storage
    16. Con turret
    17. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:08
    18. Construction BotCon bot ×4
    19. Wind
    20. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    21. Wind ×3
    22. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:46
    23. Wind ×4
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Wind ×2
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Con turret
    30. Wind
    31. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    32. Wind ×4
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind ×3
    35. ValiantValiant ×4
    36. Wind ×2
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind ×2
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. Converter
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant ×2
    46. Converter
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind ×3
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind ×3
    51. Con turret
    52. Wind ×2
    53. Converter
    54. Wind ×3
    55. Converter
    56. Wind ×2
    57. Con turret
    58. Converter
    59. Wind ×6
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. Con turret
    63. Wind ×2
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×2
    66. Converter
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind ×2
    70. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    71. Converter
    72. Wind ×4
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. Converter
    76. Con turret
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind ×5
    79. FinchFinchfor Front
    80. Wind ×2
    81. FinchFinchfor Front
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind ×3
    85. Converter
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Converter
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind ×3
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind
    94. Converter
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind ×3
    97. Con turret
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind ×3
    100. Converter
    101. Converter
    102. Wind
    103. Con turret
    104. Wind ×2
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind ×3
    107. Converter
    108. Con turret
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind ×3
    111. Converter
    112. Con turret
    113. Wind
    114. Converter
    115. Wind ×4
    116. Converter
    117. Con turret
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind ×3
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Converter
    122. Wind ×2
    123. Converter
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind ×3
    128. Converter
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Converter
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind
    133. Converter
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Con turret
    137. Wind
    138. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:14 · typical 10:56
    139. Wind ×2
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind
    142. Converter ×2
    143. Wind ×2
    144. Converter
    145. Wind
    146. Converter
    147. Wind ×4
    148. Converter
    149. Wind ×3
    150. Converter
    151. Wind ×4
    152. Converter
    153. Wind ×6
    154. Converter ×2
    155. Wind ×2
    156. Converter
    157. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 13:59
    158. Wind ×3
    159. Converter
    160. Wind
    161. Converter
    162. Wind
    163. Converter
    164. Wind ×3
    165. Converter
    166. Converter
    167. Wind ×4
    168. Converter
    169. Wind
    170. Converter
    171. Converter
    172. Wind
    173. Converter
    174. Wind ×4
    175. Converter
    176. Converter
    177. Wind ×2
    178. HailstormHailstorm
    179. Wind
    180. Converter
    181. Wind ×2
    182. Converter
    183. Wind ×3
    184. Converter
    185. Con turret
    186. Wind ×5
    187. Converter
    188. Converter
    189. HailstormHailstorm
    190. Wind
    191. Converter
    192. Wind ×3
    193. Converter
    194. Wind ×4
    195. Converter
    196. Wind ×3
    197. HailstormHailstorm
    198. Converter
    199. Wind ×5
    200. Converter
    201. Converter
    202. Wind ×5
    203. Converter
    204. HailstormHailstorm
    205. Wind ×2
    206. Converter
    207. Wind ×2
    208. Converter
    209. Wind ×2
    210. Converter
    211. Con turret
    212. Wind ×4
    213. Con turret

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Pitacupateu's (36 OS, 23/08/2026); 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

Pitacupateu

36.4 OS · 23/08/2026

Open source match ↗

3 received units · includes a constructor
328 metal received · 45363 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