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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

The role's baseline: Aircraft Plant immediately, transports and scouts for the team first, Advanced Metal Extractor and Fusion Reactor on a normal timeline, transitioning into Valiant fighter coverage over the game.

Usually transports first (72%)

#eco #team support #air · 583 distinct matches · 119 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 655 · 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 583 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 ~1:24, middle half 1:13–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (39%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×5
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:41 · typical 1:24
  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 · 24 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    7. FinchFinch
    8. HerculesLight transport
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Mex
    11. ValiantValiant ×3
    12. Wind ×3
    13. FinchFinch
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind ×2
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind ×4
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Con turret
    20. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    21. ValiantValiant ×2
    22. Con turret
    23. Converter
    24. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
  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 57% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken

    Some games also: con aircraft (35%) · fusion (34%) · 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 · 299 steps
    1. Converter
    2. ValiantValiant ×2
    3. Converter
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Converter
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. HerculesLight transport
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant ×2
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Wind ×2
    16. Converter
    17. Wind ×3
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind ×6
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:18 · typical 6:48
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:06
    26. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    27. Wind
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind
    30. Construction BotCon bot
    31. Wind
    32. Construction BotCon bot
    33. Wind
    34. Con turret
    35. Wind
    36. Con turret
    37. Wind
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. Wind ×2
    40. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    41. Wind ×2
    42. Construction BotCon bot
    43. Wind
    44. Converter
    45. Construction BotCon bot
    46. Con turret
    47. Wind
    48. Con turret
    49. Wind
    50. Con turret ×3
    51. Wind
    52. Con turret
    53. Wind
    54. Con turret
    55. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:55
    56. Wind
    57. Con turret ×3
    58. FalconFighter
    59. Con turret
    60. Converter
    61. FalconFighter ×2
    62. Wind
    63. FalconFighter
    64. Wind ×3
    65. FalconFighter
    66. Wind ×3
    67. FalconFighter
    68. Wind
    69. FalconFighter
    70. Wind ×4
    71. FalconFighter
    72. Wind ×2
    73. Converter
    74. FalconFighter
    75. Wind
    76. Converter
    77. FalconFighter
    78. Wind
    79. Converter
    80. FalconFighter
    81. Wind ×2
    82. FalconFighter
    83. Wind ×2
    84. FalconFighter
    85. Wind
    86. FalconFighter
    87. Wind ×2
    88. FalconFighter
    89. Wind ×3
    90. FalconFighter
    91. Wind ×2
    92. FalconFighter
    93. Wind
    94. Converter
    95. Wind
    96. FalconFighter
    97. Converter ×2
    98. Wind ×2
    99. FalconFighter
    100. Wind ×3
    101. FalconFighter
    102. Wind ×3
    103. FalconFighter
    104. Wind ×4
    105. FalconFighter
    106. Wind ×3
    107. FalconFighter ×2
    108. Wind ×2
    109. Converter
    110. FalconFighter
    111. Wind ×2
    112. FalconFighter
    113. Wind
    114. Converter
    115. Wind
    116. FalconFighter
    117. Converter
    118. Wind ×2
    119. FalconFighter
    120. Wind ×4
    121. FalconFighter
    122. Wind ×3
    123. FalconFighter
    124. Wind ×4
    125. BlinkScout plane
    126. Wind ×2
    127. FalconFighter
    128. Converter
    129. StormbringerBomber
    130. Wind ×2
    131. StormbringerBomber
    132. Converter
    133. Wind ×2
    134. StormbringerBomber
    135. Wind ×3
    136. Converter
    137. StormbringerBomber
    138. Wind ×4
    139. StormbringerBomber
    140. Wind ×4
    141. StormbringerBomber
    142. Wind ×4
    143. StormbringerBomber
    144. Wind
    145. Converter
    146. Wind ×2
    147. StormbringerBomber
    148. Wind ×3
    149. Converter
    150. StormbringerBomber
    151. Converter
    152. Wind ×3
    153. StormbringerBomber
    154. Wind ×3
    155. StormbringerBomber
    156. Wind ×3
    157. StormbringerBomber
    158. Wind ×4
    159. StormbringerBomber
    160. Converter
    161. Wind ×3
    162. FalconFighter
    163. Converter
    164. Wind ×2
    165. FalconFighter
    166. Wind ×3
    167. FalconFighter
    168. Converter
    169. Wind ×2
    170. FalconFighter
    171. Wind ×4
    172. FalconFighter
    173. Wind ×2
    174. Converter
    175. FalconFighter
    176. Wind ×2
    177. Converter
    178. FalconFighter
    179. Converter
    180. Wind ×2
    181. FalconFighter
    182. Wind ×2
    183. FalconFighter
    184. Wind ×3
    185. FalconFighter
    186. Wind ×2
    187. Converter
    188. Wind
    189. FalconFighter
    190. Wind ×3
    191. FalconFighter
    192. Wind ×3
    193. FalconFighter
    194. Wind ×3
    195. FalconFighter
    196. Wind
    197. Converter
    198. Wind
    199. Converter
    200. FalconFighter
    201. Wind ×3
    202. FalconFighter
    203. BlinkScout plane
    204. Wind ×2
    205. Converter
    206. Wind
    207. FalconFighter
    208. Converter
    209. Wind ×2
    210. FalconFighter
    211. Converter
    212. Wind ×2
    213. FalconFighter
    214. Wind ×2
    215. FalconFighter
    216. Wind ×2
    217. FalconFighter
    218. Wind
    219. FalconFighter
    220. Wind
    221. FerretFerret
    222. Wind
    223. Converter
    224. Converter
    225. FalconFighter
    226. Wind ×4
    227. FalconFighter
    228. Wind
    229. ChainsawChainsaw
    230. Wind
    231. Converter
    232. Wind ×2
    233. BlinkScout plane
    234. Converter
    235. Wind
    236. Converter
    237. Wind
    238. Converter
    239. Wind
    240. FalconFighter
    241. Wind ×2
    242. Converter
    243. FalconFighter
    244. Wind ×2
    245. FalconFighter
    246. Wind ×3
    247. FalconFighter
    248. Wind
    249. Converter
    250. Wind
    251. FalconFighter
    252. Wind
    253. Converter
    254. FalconFighter
    255. Wind ×2
    256. FalconFighter
    257. Wind
    258. Converter
    259. Wind
    260. FalconFighter
    261. Wind ×2
    262. FalconFighter
    263. Converter
    264. Wind
    265. Converter
    266. FalconFighter
    267. Wind ×2
    268. FalconFighter
    269. Wind ×2
    270. FalconFighter
    271. Wind ×2
    272. FalconFighter
    273. Wind ×2
    274. Converter
    275. Converter
    276. FalconFighter
    277. Wind ×2
    278. FalconFighter
    279. Wind ×2
    280. Converter
    281. FalconFighter
    282. Wind ×2
    283. FalconFighter
    284. Wind
    285. FalconFighter
    286. Wind
    287. Converter
    288. Converter
    289. FalconFighter
    290. Wind ×2
    291. FalconFighter
    292. Wind ×3
    293. FalconFighter
    294. Wind
    295. FalconFighter
    296. Wind
    297. Converter
    298. Wind
    299. Construction AircraftCon aircraft

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Xad's (42 OS, 01/10/2026); 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 Beach seafirst 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 1:39 · in 65% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:44 · in 49% 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

655 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002055051
5:00276673116
6:003769125167
7:005146190219
8:007021226290
9:009346260342
10:0011817328467
11:0014409438638
12:0017109605950
13:00199519421277
14:002267214281816
15:002558320892709
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

Xad

41.7 OS · 01/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
142 metal received · 92885 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:24Middle 50%: 1:13–1:35 · n=655
Advanced Metal Extractor6:48Middle 50%: 6:21–7:25 · n=629
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 9:56–12:17 · n=401

Played most by

DRM38games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort27games of this build