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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4for Tech
    3. Energy storagefor Tech
    4. Windfor Tech
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:36 · 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 · 23 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Tech
    6. Con turretfor Tech
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Mex
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Con turretfor Tech
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Converterfor Tech
    13. Windfor Tech
    14. Converterfor Tech
    15. Windfor Tech
    16. Converterfor Tech
    17. Windfor Tech
    18. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    19. Converterfor Tech
    20. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    21. Wind ×9for Tech
    22. Converterfor Tech
    23. Windfor Tech
  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 · 166 steps
    1. Converterfor Tech
    2. Windfor Tech
    3. Converter
    4. Con turretfor Tech
    5. Windfor Tech
    6. Con turretfor Tech
    7. Wind ×2for Tech
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Techdone 6:15 · typical 6:50
    9. Wind ×3for Tech
    10. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Tech
    12. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Tech
    14. Windfor Tech
    15. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    16. Windfor Tech
    17. Con turretfor Tech
    18. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Tech
    20. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    21. Windfor Tech
    22. Converter ×2for Tech
    23. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:30
    24. Converterfor Tech
    25. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    26. Converterfor Tech
    27. Construction BotCon bot ×3for Tech
    28. Windfor Tech
    29. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    30. Wind ×2for Tech
    31. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    32. Wind ×2for Tech
    33. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    34. Windfor Tech
    35. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    36. Con turretfor Tech
    37. Wind ×2for Tech
    38. Construction BotCon bot ×2for Tech
    39. Wind ×3for Tech
    40. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    41. Wind ×2for Tech
    42. Fusion ReactorFusionfor Techdone 10:03 · typical 10:56
    43. Wind ×2for Tech
    44. Con turretfor Tech
    45. Wind ×4for Tech
    46. Con turretfor Tech
    47. Wind ×2for Tech
    48. Con turretfor Tech
    49. Wind ×7for Tech
    50. Converterfor Tech
    51. Wind ×10for Tech
    52. Converterfor Tech
    53. Wind ×3for Tech
    54. Converterfor Tech
    55. Wind ×3for Tech
    56. Converterfor Tech
    57. Windfor Tech
    58. T2 converterfor Tech
    59. Wind ×4for Tech
    60. Converterfor Tech
    61. Wind ×7for Tech
    62. Converterfor Tech
    63. Wind ×2for Tech
    64. Converterfor Tech
    65. Wind ×6for Tech
    66. Con turretfor Tech
    67. Wind ×2for Tech
    68. Con turretfor Tech
    69. Wind ×3for Tech
    70. Con turretfor Tech
    71. Wind ×2for Tech
    72. Con turretfor Tech
    73. Wind ×2for Tech
    74. Con turretfor Tech
    75. Windfor Tech
    76. Con turretfor Tech
    77. Wind ×3for Tech
    78. Con turretfor Tech
    79. Wind ×2for Tech
    80. Con turretfor Tech
    81. Wind ×2for Tech
    82. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantfor Techdone 11:06
    83. Wind ×8for Tech
    84. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantfor Techdone 11:21
    85. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    86. Wind ×8for Tech
    87. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    88. Converterfor Tech
    89. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    90. Windfor Tech
    91. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    92. Windfor Tech
    93. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    94. Wind ×2for Tech
    95. ValiantValiant ×3for Tech
    96. Windfor Tech
    97. Converterfor Tech
    98. Windfor Tech
    99. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    100. Wind ×2for Tech
    101. ValiantValiant ×4for Tech
    102. Wind ×2for Tech
    103. Converterfor Tech
    104. Windfor Tech
    105. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Windfor Tech
    108. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    109. FinchFinchfor Tech
    110. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    111. FinchFinchfor Tech
    112. Wind ×2for Tech
    113. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    114. Windfor Tech
    115. Converterfor Tech
    116. Windfor Tech
    117. FinchFinchfor Tech
    118. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    119. FinchFinchfor Tech
    120. Wind ×2for Tech
    121. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    122. Windfor Tech
    123. FinchFinchfor Tech
    124. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    125. Windfor Tech
    126. Converterfor Tech
    127. FinchFinchfor Tech
    128. Wind ×3for Tech
    129. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    130. Windfor Tech
    131. FinchFinchfor Tech
    132. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    133. Converterfor Tech
    134. Wind ×2for Tech
    135. FinchFinchfor Tech
    136. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    137. Wind ×2for Tech
    138. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    139. FinchFinchfor Tech
    140. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    141. Windfor Tech
    142. FinchFinchfor Tech
    143. Wind ×2for Tech
    144. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    145. Converterfor Tech
    146. Windfor Tech
    147. FinchFinchfor Tech
    148. Windfor Tech
    149. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    150. FinchFinchfor Tech
    151. Wind ×2for Tech
    152. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    153. Windfor Tech
    154. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    155. Converterfor Tech
    156. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    157. FinchFinchfor Tech
    158. Windfor Tech
    159. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    160. Wind ×2for Tech
    161. FinchFinchfor Tech
    162. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    163. Windfor Tech
    164. FinchFinchfor Tech
    165. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    166. Windfor Tech

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is MRX1's (38 OS, 15/08/2026); 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

MRX1

38.3 OS · 15/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
631 metal received · 76172 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