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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Mex
    4. Solar
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:37 · 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 · 13 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. Wind ×7
    3. HerculesLight transport
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo sea
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant ×3
    7. Energy storage
    8. ValiantValiant ×3
    9. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant ×2
  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 · 101 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ValiantValiant ×3
    3. Con turret
    4. ValiantValiant ×3
    5. ShurikenShuriken
    6. Wind
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. Wind
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Con turret ×2
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Con turret
    13. ShurikenShuriken
    14. Con turret ×2
    15. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    18. Wind ×2
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind ×2
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind ×2
    23. GuardGuard
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Converter
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Wind
    31. GuardGuard
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. Wind ×3
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    38. Wind
    39. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Converter
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. FinchFinch ×2
    48. Wind
    49. Converter
    50. FinchFinch ×2
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Converter
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. Converter
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Energy storage
    64. HerculesLight transport ×2
    65. ValiantValiant ×2
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00 · typical 6:50
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant ×2
    75. Wind
    76. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    81. Wind ×2
    82. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    83. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:36
    84. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    85. Con turret
    86. Construction BotCon bot
    87. Con turret
    88. Construction BotCon bot
    89. Con turret
    90. Construction BotCon bot
    91. NettleNettle ×5
    92. Construction BotCon bot
    93. ThistleThistle
    94. Construction BotCon bot
    95. Wind
    96. ThistleThistle
    97. Construction BotCon bot ×4
    98. Wind
    99. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    100. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:47
    101. ValiantValiant ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is NotReal's (41 OS, 07/09/2026); 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

NotReal

40.8 OS · 07/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
559 metal received · 71032 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