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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×4
    2. Wind
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 2:00 · 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 · 35 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    4. Energy storage
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Geo
    7. Con turretfor Geo
    8. Con turret
    9. Wind ×3
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. ShurikenShuriken
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. ShurikenShuriken
    20. Wind
    21. Wind
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Wind
    30. Wind
    31. Converter
    32. Con turret
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. Wind
  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 · 271 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    4. Converter ×5
    5. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3done 5:57 · typical 6:50
    6. ShurikenShurikenfor Geo
    7. Wind
    8. ShurikenShurikenfor Geo
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    11. Wind
    12. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    13. ShurikenShuriken ×6for Geo
    14. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    15. Wind
    16. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo
    17. Wind
    18. Con turret
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    20. Con turret
    21. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    22. Con turret
    23. HerculesLight transport ×3for Geo
    24. ValiantValiant ×3
    25. Con turretfor Geo
    26. ValiantValiant ×3
    27. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    28. Con turretfor Geo
    29. Advanced Geothermal PowerplantAdvanced Geothermal Powerplantfor Geodone 10:05
    30. Con turret
    31. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    32. Con turretfor Geo
    33. Con turret ×2
    34. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    35. Con turret
    36. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    37. Con turret
    38. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind ×2
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind ×2
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind ×2
    53. ValiantValiant ×2
    54. Wind ×2
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Con turret ×2
    57. Wind ×2
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind ×3
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind ×2
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×2
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind ×3
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind ×3
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    77. Wind ×2
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind ×2
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant ×2
    82. Wind ×3
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. Con turret ×2
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. Con turret
    90. Converter
    91. Wind
    92. Con turret
    93. Wind ×2
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. Con turret
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant ×2
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Converter
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind ×3
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind
    116. Wind ×2
    117. ValiantValiant ×2
    118. Wind
    119. Converter
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind ×3
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. Converter
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind ×2
    129. Converter
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind
    133. Wind
    134. Converter
    135. Wind
    136. HerculesLight transport
    137. Wind
    138. HerculesLight transport
    139. Wind
    140. Converter
    141. Wind ×2
    142. HerculesLight transport
    143. Wind
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Converter
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind ×2
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind
    152. Converter
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind ×2
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Converter
    158. Wind
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Wind ×3
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Wind
    165. Converter
    166. Wind ×2
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. Wind
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Wind ×2
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Wind ×3
    174. Converter
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind ×2
    177. ShurikenShuriken
    178. Wind ×3
    179. ShurikenShuriken
    180. Wind
    181. ShurikenShuriken
    182. Wind ×3
    183. ShurikenShuriken
    184. Wind
    185. Converter
    186. ShurikenShuriken
    187. Wind
    188. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    189. Wind
    190. ShurikenShuriken
    191. Wind ×2
    192. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    193. Converter
    194. Wind
    195. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    196. Wind
    197. ShurikenShuriken
    198. Wind
    199. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    200. Wind
    201. Converter
    202. Wind
    203. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    204. Wind
    205. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    206. Wind
    207. ShurikenShuriken
    208. Wind
    209. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    210. Wind
    211. ShurikenShuriken
    212. ValiantValiant ×2
    213. Wind
    214. ValiantValiant ×2
    215. Wind
    216. ValiantValiant
    217. Converter
    218. ValiantValiant ×2
    219. Wind ×2
    220. Converter
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Wind
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Wind
    225. ValiantValiant ×2
    226. Wind ×2
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Wind
    229. Converter
    230. ValiantValiant ×2
    231. Wind
    232. ValiantValiant ×2
    233. Wind ×2
    234. ValiantValiant ×2
    235. Wind
    236. Converter
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Wind ×2
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Wind ×2
    241. ValiantValiant ×3
    242. Wind
    243. Wind
    244. ValiantValiant ×2
    245. Wind ×2
    246. ValiantValiant
    247. HerculesLight transport
    248. Wind
    249. ValiantValiant
    250. Wind
    251. ValiantValiant ×2
    252. Wind
    253. Wind
    254. ValiantValiant
    255. Wind
    256. ValiantValiant
    257. Wind ×2
    258. ValiantValiant
    259. Wind
    260. ValiantValiant
    261. Wind
    262. Wind
    263. ValiantValiant
    264. Wind
    265. ValiantValiant ×2
    266. Converter
    267. ValiantValiant
    268. Wind
    269. Wind ×2
    270. ValiantValiant
    271. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is El_Turco's (37 OS, 06/08/2026); 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 2:25 · 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

El_Turco

37.4 OS · 06/08/2026

Open source match ↗

26 received units · includes a constructor
1424 metal received · 165532 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