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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is RamboO's (36 OS, 31/08/2026); 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

RamboO

36.3 OS · 31/08/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
241 metal received · 129200 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