BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×5
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:21 · 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 · 33 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    4. Wind ×2
    5. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    6. Wind ×2
    7. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo
    8. Wind
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Mex
    11. Solar ×2
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Con turret
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    18. Wind
    19. Energy storage
    20. HerculesLight transport
    21. Wind
    22. Wind ×2
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Wind
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    30. Wind
    31. ShurikenShuriken
    32. Wind
    33. ShurikenShuriken ×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 · 172 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind
    3. Converter
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. ShurikenShuriken
    6. Wind
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. Converter
    9. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    10. Wind
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Con turret
    13. Wind
    14. Con turret
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. Advanced solar
    20. Wind
    21. Advanced solar
    22. Wind
    23. Advanced solar
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Con turret
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:39 · typical 6:50
    27. Wind
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    29. Wind
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. Wind
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    33. Advanced solar
    34. Wind ×2
    35. NettleNettle
    36. Advanced solar
    37. Con turret
    38. NettleNettle
    39. Con turret ×2
    40. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:29
    41. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    42. FinchFinch
    43. Converter
    44. ValiantValiant ×3
    45. Converter
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Converter
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Converter
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. FinchFinch
    52. Converter
    53. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    54. Converter
    55. ValiantValiant ×2
    56. Converter
    57. NettleNettle
    58. ValiantValiant ×4
    59. Converter
    60. ValiantValiant ×4
    61. Converter
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. ShurikenShuriken
    64. SentrySentry
    65. ShurikenShuriken
    66. Converter
    67. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    68. Wind
    69. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    70. Wind
    71. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    72. Wind
    73. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    74. Wind
    75. ShurikenShuriken
    76. Wind
    77. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    78. Wind
    79. Con turret
    80. ShurikenShuriken
    81. Con turret
    82. ShurikenShuriken
    83. Con turret ×3
    84. ShurikenShuriken
    85. SentrySentry
    86. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Con turret
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. FinchFinch
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind ×2
    106. ValiantValiant ×2
    107. Wind ×2
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind ×2
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind
    132. FinchFinch
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind ×2
    146. ValiantValiant ×2
    147. Wind ×2
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind
    150. ValiantValiant ×2
    151. Wind ×2
    152. FinchFinch
    153. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    154. Wind ×2
    155. ValiantValiant ×2
    156. Wind
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Converter
    159. Wind ×2
    160. ValiantValiant ×2
    161. Wind
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. Converter
    165. ValiantValiant ×2
    166. Wind
    167. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 10:56
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind
    170. Converter
    171. FinchFinch
    172. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is CentientWaffle's (35 OS, 29/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · 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

CentientWaffle

35.1 OS · 29/08/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
167 metal received · 10014 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