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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

The role's baseline: Aircraft Plant immediately, transports and scouts for the team first, Advanced Metal Extractor and Fusion Reactor on a normal timeline, transitioning into Valiant fighter coverage over the game.

Usually transports first (72%)

#eco #team support #air · 598 distinct matches · 119 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 671 · 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 598 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 ~1:24, middle half 1:13–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (39%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×5
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:41 · typical 1:24
  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 · 29 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×2
    5. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo sea
    6. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. Mex
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind
    12. Converter
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Converter
    15. Con turret
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Converter
    18. Con turret
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Converter
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo sea
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
  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 (35%) · fusion (35%) · 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 · 224 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. Wind
    8. Wind
    9. Converter
    10. ShurikenShuriken
    11. Wind
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. ShurikenShuriken
    17. Converter
    18. Wind
    19. ShurikenShuriken
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. Wind
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:47 · typical 6:48
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Wind
    36. Wind
    37. Wind
    38. Wind
    39. Wind ×2
    40. Wind ×3
    41. Wind
    42. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    43. Wind
    44. Wind
    45. Wind
    46. Wind
    47. Wind
    48. Wind
    49. Wind
    50. Wind ×2
    51. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    52. Wind
    53. Wind
    54. Wind
    55. Wind
    56. Con turret
    57. Wind
    58. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    59. Con turret
    60. Wind
    61. Con turret
    62. Wind
    63. Con turret
    64. Wind
    65. Wind
    66. Con turret
    67. Wind
    68. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:40 · typical 10:55
    69. Wind
    70. Wind
    71. Wind ×2
    72. Wind
    73. Con turret ×2
    74. Wind
    75. Wind
    76. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:02
    77. Wind
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant ×2
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant ×3
    84. Wind
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Converter
    88. ValiantValiant ×2
    89. Wind
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant ×2
    92. Wind
    93. Converter
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant ×3
    97. Wind
    98. Converter
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant ×3
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Converter
    104. ValiantValiant ×2
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind
    108. FinchFinch
    109. Converter
    110. FinchFinch ×2
    111. Wind
    112. Wind
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    115. Converter
    116. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    117. Wind
    118. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    119. Wind
    120. ShurikenShuriken
    121. Converter
    122. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    123. Wind
    124. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Converter
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant ×2
    131. Converter
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant ×3
    136. Wind
    137. Converter
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant ×3
    140. Wind
    141. Wind
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Converter
    144. Fusion ReactorFusion
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind
    148. Converter
    149. Wind
    150. Converter
    151. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    152. Wind
    153. Converter
    154. Wind
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. FinchFinch
    157. Wind
    158. FinchFinch
    159. Con turret
    160. Converter
    161. Con turret
    162. Wind
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Con turret
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Converter
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind
    170. ValiantValiant ×2
    171. Converter
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Con turret
    175. Wind
    176. Fusion ReactorFusion
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Converter
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Wind
    181. ValiantValiant ×2
    182. Converter
    183. ValiantValiant ×3
    184. Con turret
    185. Converter
    186. ValiantValiant ×2
    187. Wind
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Wind
    190. ValiantValiant
    191. Con turret
    192. Converter
    193. ValiantValiant ×2
    194. Con turret
    195. ValiantValiant
    196. Converter
    197. ValiantValiant
    198. Wind
    199. Con turret
    200. Converter
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Converter
    203. Wind
    204. Con turret
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. Converter
    209. ValiantValiant ×6
    210. Converter
    211. ValiantValiant ×5
    212. Wind
    213. ValiantValiant
    214. Converter
    215. ValiantValiant
    216. Wind
    217. ValiantValiant ×5
    218. Converter
    219. Wind
    220. ValiantValiant ×5
    221. Converter
    222. ValiantValiant ×7
    223. Con turret ×2
    224. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Gieds's (46 OS, 03/10/2026); 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 Beach seafirst at 2:06 · in 99% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:25 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:39 · in 65% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:44 · in 49% 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

671 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002054051
5:00276673116
6:003772125167
7:005147190224
8:007026240292
9:009354263343
10:0011850338467
11:0014411439631
12:0017116585949
13:00199489191276
14:002269914241819
15:002558820892709
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

Gieds

45.8 OS · 03/10/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
476 metal received · 153783 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:24Middle 50%: 1:13–1:35 · n=671
Advanced Metal Extractor6:48Middle 50%: 6:22–7:25 · n=645
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 9:53–12:11 · n=413

Played most by

DRM39games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildImmort28games of this buildNutzz28games of this build