BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 (73%)

#eco #team support #air · 525 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 590 · 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 525 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 ~1:21, middle half 1:13–1:34

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    By 1:02 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 6 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. Wind ×5
    5. Energy storage
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:43 · typical 1:21
  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
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: energy storage (46%) · 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 · 20 steps
    1. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    2. Wind ×3
    3. FinchFinch
    4. HerculesLight transport ×2for Pond
    5. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. ValiantValiant ×2
    9. Con turret
    10. HerculesLight transport
    11. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    12. Con turret ×2
    13. Mex
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    15. Wind ×4
    16. Converter ×2
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. NettleNettle
  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 (32%) · 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 · 89 steps
    1. NettleNettle ×3
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 5:47
    7. Wind
    8. FalconFighter ×2
    9. Wind
    10. FalconFighter
    11. NettleNettle
    12. FalconFighter ×3
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00 · typical 6:50
    14. FalconFighter
    15. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    17. FalconFighter
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    19. Wind ×3
    20. NettleNettle
    21. Con turret
    22. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 8:56 · typical 10:55
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00
    25. Converter ×11
    26. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:28
    27. FalconFighter ×2for Tech
    28. FalconFighter
    29. StormbringerBomber ×4for Tech
    30. Con turret ×2
    31. StormbringerBomber ×3for Tech
    32. Con turret
    33. StormbringerBomberfor Tech
    34. Wind
    35. StormbringerBomberfor Tech
    36. Wind
    37. StormbringerBomberfor Tech
    38. Wind
    39. StormbringerBomberfor Tech
    40. Wind
    41. StormbringerBomberfor Tech
    42. Wind
    43. StormbringerBomber
    44. FalconFighter ×3for Tech
    45. Wind
    46. FalconFighterfor Tech
    47. Wind
    48. FalconFighter ×3for Tech
    49. Wind
    50. FalconFighterfor Tech
    51. Wind
    52. FalconFighterfor Tech
    53. Wind
    54. FalconFighter ×2for Tech
    55. Wind
    56. FalconFighterfor Tech
    57. Wind
    58. FalconFighter ×2for Tech
    59. Wind
    60. FalconFighterfor Tech
    61. Wind
    62. FalconFighterfor Tech
    63. Wind
    64. FalconFighterfor Tech
    65. Wind
    66. FalconFighter ×2for Tech
    67. Wind
    68. FalconFighterfor Tech
    69. Wind
    70. FalconFighter
    71. Wind
    72. FalconFighter ×2
    73. Wind
    74. FalconFighter ×2
    75. Wind
    76. FalconFighter
    77. Con turret
    78. FalconFighter
    79. Con turret ×3
    80. Fusion ReactorFusion
    81. FalconFighter
    82. Converter ×10
    83. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00
    84. Fusion ReactorFusion
    85. Con turret
    86. Converter ×7
    87. Fusion ReactorFusion
    88. Converter
    89. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Fruit_'s (41 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 2:05 · 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 66% 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 6:04 · 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

590 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145800
4:002050051
5:00276373102
6:003766125150
7:005129176219
8:007014219285
9:009298248341
10:0011788315470
11:0014397439639
12:0017105603950
13:00199438701236
14:002263713511806
15:002549320022670
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

Fruit_

41.0 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
394 metal received · 48107 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:21Middle 50%: 1:13–1:34 · n=590
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:22–7:27 · n=566
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=355

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus32games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildImmort25games of this buildNutzz25games of this build