BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 1:17 · 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 · 30 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. HephaestusHeavy transport
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. Wind
    8. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    9. Wind ×4
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Energy storage
    13. Mex
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Converter ×2
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    19. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    20. Wind
    21. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    22. Con turret
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind ×2
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Converter
    27. ValiantValiant ×2
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant
  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 · 237 steps
    1. Converter
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Converter
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:00 · typical 6:48
    9. Converter
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Con turret
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    16. Wind
    17. Converter
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Con turret ×2
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:02 · typical 10:55
    28. Wind ×3
    29. Con turret
    30. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:12
    31. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:16
    32. Converter
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiant ×2
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Construction BotCon bot
    41. ValiantValiant ×2
    42. ShurikenShuriken
    43. Converter
    44. ShurikenShuriken
    45. Con turret
    46. Wind
    47. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    48. Wind
    49. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    50. Wind
    51. Converter
    52. ShurikenShuriken
    53. Wind
    54. Converter
    55. Con turret
    56. ShurikenShuriken
    57. Wind ×3
    58. Converter
    59. ShurikenShuriken
    60. Wind
    61. ShurikenShuriken
    62. Wind
    63. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×2
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind ×3
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind ×3
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Con turret
    72. Wind ×3
    73. Con turret
    74. Wind ×3
    75. Con turret
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind ×2
    79. Con turret
    80. Wind
    81. Con turret
    82. Wind ×3
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Con turret
    85. Wind ×3
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Converter
    90. Wind ×2
    91. ValiantValiant ×2
    92. Wind ×2
    93. ValiantValiant ×2
    94. Converter
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind ×3
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Converter
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind
    104. Converter
    105. Wind ×2
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind
    110. Converter
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind
    114. Converter
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind ×2
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind ×2
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Converter
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Wind ×2
    123. ValiantValiant ×2
    124. Converter
    125. Wind ×2
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind ×2
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Converter
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind ×2
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Converter
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind ×4
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Converter
    138. FinchFinch
    139. Wind ×2
    140. FinchFinch
    141. Converter
    142. FinchFinch ×2
    143. Wind ×2
    144. FinchFinch
    145. Converter
    146. Wind
    147. FinchFinch
    148. Wind
    149. FinchFinch ×3
    150. Wind ×2
    151. FinchFinch
    152. Wind
    153. ValiantValiant ×2
    154. Converter
    155. Wind
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind ×2
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Converter
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Wind ×2
    162. ValiantValiant ×2
    163. Wind ×2
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind ×2
    166. ValiantValiant ×2
    167. Converter
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind ×2
    171. ValiantValiant ×2
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Wind
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind ×2
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Wind
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Wind
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind
    183. Converter
    184. ValiantValiant ×2
    185. Wind ×2
    186. ValiantValiant ×2
    187. Wind
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Wind ×2
    190. ValiantValiant ×2
    191. Wind ×2
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind ×2
    194. ValiantValiant ×2
    195. Wind ×2
    196. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    197. Wind
    198. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    199. Wind ×2
    200. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    201. Wind ×2
    202. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    203. Wind ×2
    204. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    205. Wind ×3
    206. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    207. Wind
    208. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    209. Wind
    210. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    211. Wind ×2
    212. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    213. Wind ×2
    214. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    215. Wind ×2
    216. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    217. Wind
    218. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    219. Converter
    220. Wind
    221. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    222. Wind ×2
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Wind ×2
    225. ValiantValiant ×2
    226. Wind ×2
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Wind
    229. ValiantValiant
    230. Wind
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. Wind
    233. ValiantValiant
    234. Wind
    235. Fusion ReactorFusion
    236. ValiantValiant
    237. Wind ×7

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Optimusprimenutt's (41 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

Optimusprimenutt

40.7 OS · 02/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
42 metal received · 34310 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