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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 · 583 distinct matches · 119 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 655 · 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 583 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:10 · 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 · 28 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Wind
    6. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    10. ValiantValiant ×2
    11. Mex
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    15. Con turret
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. Wind ×2
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind ×3
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind ×3
    23. Energy storage
    24. Wind ×2
    25. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    26. Wind ×2
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
  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 57% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken

    Some games also: con aircraft (35%) · fusion (34%) · 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 · 105 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind ×8
    3. Con turret
    4. Converter
    5. Con turret
    6. Converter
    7. Wind
    8. Converter
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. ShurikenShuriken
    19. Wind
    20. ShurikenShuriken
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. ShurikenShuriken
    24. Wind
    25. ShurikenShuriken
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. ShurikenShuriken
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. ShurikenShuriken
    32. Wind
    33. ShurikenShuriken
    34. Wind
    35. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    36. Converter
    37. Wind
    38. ShurikenShuriken
    39. Wind
    40. Converter
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind ×2
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Converter
    45. Wind ×2
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind ×2
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:13 · typical 6:48
    53. Wind
    54. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    55. Wind ×4
    56. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    57. Wind ×4
    58. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    59. Wind ×2
    60. Con turret
    61. Wind
    62. Con turret ×2
    63. Wind
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind ×2
    66. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:27 · typical 10:55
    67. Wind ×3
    68. T2 converter ×2
    69. Con turret ×3
    70. Wind
    71. Con turret
    72. Fusion ReactorFusion
    73. Con turret
    74. Wind ×2
    75. T2 converter ×2
    76. Wind ×3
    77. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant ×2done 12:38
    78. Wind
    79. Con turret
    80. ValiantValiant ×2
    81. Con turret
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant ×4
    84. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant ×5
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant ×2
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant ×20
    91. Wind
    92. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    93. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    94. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    95. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    96. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant ×2
    99. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    100. Wind
    101. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    102. Bot LabBot Labdone 14:47
    103. TracerTracer
    104. Wind
    105. GruntGrunt ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is SkyFireEX's (38 OS, 01/10/2026); 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 75% 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

655 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002055051
5:00276673116
6:003769125167
7:005146190219
8:007021226290
9:009346260342
10:0011817328467
11:0014409438638
12:0017109605950
13:00199519421277
14:002267214281816
15:002558320892709
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

SkyFireEX

37.5 OS · 01/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
179 metal received · 48705 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=655
Advanced Metal Extractor6:48Middle 50%: 6:21–7:25 · n=629
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 9:56–12:17 · n=401

Played most by

DRM38games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort27games of this build