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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 ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:07 · 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 · 18 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    4. Wind ×4
    5. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    6. Wind ×2
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. ValiantValiant ×3
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind ×3
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Mex
    14. Wind ×8
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    16. Wind
    17. Energy storage ×2
    18. ShurikenShuriken
  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 · 80 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    2. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    3. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:33 · typical 6:48
    4. Con turret
    5. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    7. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Con turret
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    13. Con turret
    14. ValiantValiant ×5
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    18. Wind ×2
    19. ValiantValiant ×2
    20. Wind ×2
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind ×3
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. Con turret
    26. Wind
    27. Con turret
    28. Wind
    29. Con turret
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind ×2
    32. ShurikenShuriken
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind ×2
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind ×2
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind ×3
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind ×2
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind ×2
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind ×2
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind ×2
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind ×2
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind ×2
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant ×8
    54. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:55 · typical 10:55
    55. Con turret ×2
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Con turret
    59. Wind
    60. Con turret
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Con turret
    64. Wind
    65. Con turret
    66. Wind ×4
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind ×6
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind ×2
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind ×2
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind ×3
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind ×3
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is RAM_DarknessDArc's (35 OS, 02/10/2026); 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

RAM_DarknessDArc

35.5 OS · 02/10/2026

Open source match ↗

14 received units · includes a constructor
275 metal received · 40618 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