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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 · 555 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 624 · 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 555 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×6
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:25 · 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
    • 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 · 20 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    5. Wind ×4
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind ×3
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind ×4
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant ×2
    13. Mex
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    18. Con turret
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind ×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 · 137 steps
    1. Wind ×3
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind ×2
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Wind
    6. Energy storage
    7. ValiantValiant ×4
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:37 · typical 6:50
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:49
    13. Wind
    14. ShurikenShuriken
    15. Wind
    16. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. Wind
    19. ShurikenShuriken
    20. Wind ×6
    21. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    22. Wind ×5
    23. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:34
    24. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:08 · typical 10:56
    25. Con turret
    26. Construction BotCon bot ×4
    27. Con turret
    28. Construction BotCon bot ×4
    29. HephaestusHeavy transport
    30. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    33. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    34. Wind
    35. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind ×2
    48. Fusion ReactorFusion
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind ×2
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind ×2
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind ×3
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind ×2
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. Con turret
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×3
    66. Con turret
    67. Wind ×2
    68. Con turret
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. Con turret
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. Converter
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind ×2
    80. ValiantValiant ×2
    81. Wind ×2
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Converter
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind ×2
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Converter
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind ×2
    95. FinchFinch ×2
    96. Converter
    97. FinchFinch
    98. Wind
    99. FinchFinch
    100. Wind
    101. FinchFinch
    102. Converter
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Converter
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind ×2
    114. Converter
    115. ValiantValiant ×2
    116. Wind ×2
    117. ValiantValiant ×2
    118. Converter
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind ×3
    121. ValiantValiant ×2
    122. Converter
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind ×2
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind
    127. Converter
    128. ValiantValiant ×2
    129. Wind ×2
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Converter
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. FinchFinch
    135. Wind ×2
    136. FinchFinch
    137. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is luxa_'s (35 OS, 10/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · 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 2:26 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · in 64% 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

624 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002053051
5:00276573109
6:003759125167
7:005136190219
8:007017225290
9:009298258342
10:0011788328471
11:0014383440641
12:0017097606958
13:00199439331269
14:002265314171801
15:002554320602701
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

luxa_

35.5 OS · 10/09/2026

Open source match ↗

22 received units · includes a constructor
297 metal received · 23992 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=624
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=599
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=383

Played most by

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