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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

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 · 547 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 615 · 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 547 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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×9
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:58 · 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 · 8 steps
    1. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. ValiantValiant ×5
    5. HerculesLight transport ×2for Tech
    6. ValiantValiant ×2
    7. Mex
    8. ValiantValiant ×3
  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 · 77 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Energy storage
    3. Converter
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Con turret
    6. Converter
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:38 · typical 6:50
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant ×2
    13. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind ×4for Geo
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. Wind ×4for Geo
    19. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    20. Wind ×2for Geo
    21. Con turret
    22. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    23. Windfor Geo
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Windfor Geo
    26. Con turret
    27. Windfor Geo
    28. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    29. Windfor Geo
    30. Con turret
    31. Windfor Geo
    32. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    33. Windfor Geo
    34. Con turret
    35. Windfor Geo
    36. ValiantValiant ×3for Geo sea
    37. Windfor Geo
    38. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    39. Windfor Geo
    40. ValiantValiant ×3for Geo sea
    41. Windfor Geo
    42. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo sea
    43. Windfor Geo
    44. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo sea
    45. Windfor Geo
    46. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo sea
    47. Windfor Geo
    48. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo sea
    49. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:53 · typical 10:56
    50. Windfor Geo
    51. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo sea
    52. Wind ×2for Geo
    53. T2 converter
    54. ValiantValiant ×3
    55. T2 converter
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. ShurikenShuriken ×7
    58. ValiantValiant ×3
    59. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:08
    60. ValiantValiant ×3
    61. Con turret
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Con turret
    64. ValiantValiant ×6
    65. ChainsawChainsaw
    66. ValiantValiant ×20
    67. Fusion ReactorFusion
    68. Con turret
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Con turret
    71. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    72. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:00
    73. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    74. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 14:49
    75. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    76. StorkLight transport
    77. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×4

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hummell's (45 OS, 26/09/2026); 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 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · in 65% 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 84% 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

615 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145800
4:002052051
5:00276573109
6:003755125167
7:005136190219
8:007019220290
9:009335250341
10:0011795327471
11:0014399439641
12:0017100619962
13:00199489301269
14:002264113951807
15:002553020492701
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

Hummell

45.4 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
143 metal received · 91331 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=615
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=590
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:14 · n=375

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build