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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:10 · 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 · 38 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×3
    6. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    7. Wind ×2
    8. HerculesLight transport ×3for Geo sea
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. Wind
    12. Mex
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    17. Wind ×3
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Converter
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant ×2
    25. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    26. Wind
    27. ShurikenShuriken
    28. Converter
    29. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Con turret
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Energy storage
    38. 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 · 70 steps
    1. ValiantValiant ×2
    2. Wind
    3. ValiantValiant ×2
    4. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    5. Wind
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Wind ×5
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:35 · typical 6:50
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    11. Wind
    12. NettleNettle
    13. Con turret
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. Wind ×3
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind
    18. FinchFinch
    19. Converter
    20. ValiantValiant ×2
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant ×2
    26. Converter
    27. HerculesLight transport
    28. Converter
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Wind
    31. HephaestusHeavy transport
    32. Wind
    33. Wind
    34. Advanced solar
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Solar ×3
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Solar
    39. ShurikenShuriken ×8
    40. Con turret ×3
    41. ShurikenShuriken ×7
    42. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:04 · typical 10:56
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Converter
    45. Con turret
    46. Converter ×5
    47. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:25
    48. FinchFinch
    49. ValiantValiant ×4
    50. Con turret
    51. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    52. Con turret ×2
    53. ValiantValiant ×4
    54. FinchFinch ×3
    55. Con turret
    56. FinchFinch ×2
    57. ValiantValiant ×12
    58. FinchFinch
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Con turret
    61. ValiantValiant ×19
    62. FinchFinch
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Fusion ReactorFusion
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. T2 converter
    67. Con turret ×2
    68. Fusion ReactorFusion
    69. T2 converter
    70. Con turret

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is CentientWaffle's (36 OS, 28/08/2026); 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

35.6 OS · 28/08/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
168 metal received · 47334 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