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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 · 552 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 621 · 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 552 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 · 108 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. Solar ×2
    5. Energy storage
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantfor Beach seadone 2:13 · typical 1:22
    7. FinchFinch
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    9. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    10. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    11. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    12. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    13. Energy storage
    14. Con turret ×2
    15. Wind ×4
    16. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Wind
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. Wind ×2
    26. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. Con turret
    30. Wind
    31. ShurikenShuriken
    32. Wind
    33. ShurikenShuriken
    34. Wind
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiant ×2
    39. Wind
    40. Wind
    41. Converter ×4
    42. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:23 · typical 6:50
    43. Converter
    44. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    45. Converter ×4
    46. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    47. Wind ×3
    48. HerculesLight transport
    49. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    50. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:30
    51. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    52. Wind ×2
    53. Wind
    54. Construction BotCon bot
    55. Wind
    56. Wind
    57. Wind
    58. Construction BotCon bot
    59. Wind
    60. Converter
    61. Wind
    62. Wind
    63. Con turret
    64. Wind ×3
    65. Construction BotCon bot
    66. Wind
    67. Wind
    68. Wind
    69. Construction BotCon bot
    70. Wind
    71. Construction BotCon bot
    72. Wind
    73. Converter
    74. Wind
    75. Construction BotCon bot
    76. Wind
    77. Wind
    78. Wind
    79. Con turretfor Beach sea
    80. Wind ×2
    81. Wind
    82. Con turret
    83. Wind
    84. Wind
    85. Wind
    86. Wind ×2
    87. Con turret
    88. Wind
    89. Wind ×2
    90. Wind
    91. Converter
    92. Con turret
    93. Wind
    94. Wind ×4
    95. Con turret ×2
    96. Wind
    97. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:09 · typical 10:56
    98. Wind
    99. Wind ×2
    100. Wind
    101. Wind ×2
    102. Converter
    103. Wind
    104. Wind
    105. Wind
    106. Wind ×8
    107. Wind
    108. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:07
  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

  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 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 · 157 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. FerretFerret
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. FerretFerret ×4
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    7. Converter
    8. T2 converter
    9. Wind
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Converter
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind ×2
    19. Converter
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Converter
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Con turret
    26. Wind ×3
    27. Converter
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind ×3
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Con turret
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. Con turret
    35. Converter
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Con turret
    38. Wind ×3
    39. Con turret
    40. Con turret
    41. Converter
    42. Converter
    43. Con turret
    44. Wind ×2
    45. Con turret
    46. Converter
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Converter
    50. Wind ×3
    51. ValiantValiant ×2
    52. Converter
    53. Wind ×3
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Converter
    56. ValiantValiant ×2
    57. Fusion ReactorFusion
    58. Wind ×2
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind ×2
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Converter
    63. Wind
    64. Converter
    65. Wind
    66. Converter
    67. Wind
    68. Converter
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. Converter
    72. Wind ×3
    73. Converter
    74. Converter
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind ×3
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Converter
    79. Wind ×2
    80. Wind
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant ×2
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind
    86. Converter
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Fusion ReactorFusion
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Converter
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind
    101. Wind ×2
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind
    104. Wind
    105. Converter
    106. Con turret
    107. Wind ×2
    108. Con turretfor Beach sea
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Converter
    111. Wind
    112. Converter
    113. Wind ×3
    114. Con turret
    115. HerculesLight transport
    116. Converter
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. Wind
    120. Con turret
    121. Wind ×3
    122. Converter
    123. Converter
    124. Wind ×2
    125. HerculesLight transport
    126. Wind
    127. HerculesLight transport
    128. Converter
    129. Wind ×2
    130. HerculesLight transport
    131. Converter
    132. HerculesLight transport
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant ×2
    139. Converter
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Fusion ReactorFusion
    143. Wind
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind
    146. Converter
    147. Wind ×3
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Converter
    154. Converter
    155. Wind
    156. Wind
    157. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is El_Turco's (35 OS, 06/08/2026); 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 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · in 65% 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

621 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145800
4:002053051
5:00276573109
6:003763125167
7:005136190219
8:007019223290
9:009335256341
10:0011795327471
11:0014399440641
12:0017100607960
13:00199489321269
14:002266414091805
15:002555520592701
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

El_Turco

35.2 OS · 06/08/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
1706 metal received · 25023 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=621
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=596
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:17 · n=381

Played most by

DRM37games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build