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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4for Tech
    3. Energy storagefor Tech
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:28 · 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 · 31 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Tech
    8. Con turret ×2for Tech
    9. Mex
    10. Converterfor Tech
    11. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    12. Wind ×2for Tech
    13. Converterfor Tech
    14. Windfor Tech
    15. Converterfor Tech
    16. Windfor Tech
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Converterfor Tech
    19. Windfor Tech
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Converterfor Tech
    22. Windfor Tech
    23. Converterfor Tech
    24. Wind ×2for Tech
    25. Converterfor Tech
    26. Wind ×2for Tech
    27. Converterfor Tech
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind ×2for Tech
    30. Converterfor Tech
    31. Wind ×2for 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 · 104 steps
    1. Windfor Tech
    2. Converterfor Tech
    3. Wind ×2for Tech
    4. Converterfor Tech
    5. Wind ×3for Tech
    6. Converterfor Tech
    7. Windfor Tech
    8. HerculesLight transport
    9. Windfor Tech
    10. Converterfor Tech
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Con turretfor Tech
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Converterfor Tech
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Windfor Tech
    17. Converterfor Tech
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Techdone 6:59 · typical 6:50
    20. Windfor Tech
    21. Con turretfor Tech
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Tech
    23. Windfor Tech
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Tech
    25. Windfor Tech
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Tech
    27. Wind ×3for Tech
    28. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00
    29. Con turretfor Tech
    30. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:01
    31. Con turretfor Tech
    32. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    33. Con turretfor Tech
    34. Construction BotCon bot ×4for Tech
    35. Windfor Tech
    36. Construction BotCon bot ×4for Tech
    37. Windfor Tech
    38. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    39. Wind ×2for Tech
    40. Construction BotCon botfor Tech
    41. Wind ×7for Tech
    42. Fusion ReactorFusionfor Techdone 10:40 · typical 10:56
    43. Windfor Tech
    44. Con turretfor Tech
    45. Windfor Tech
    46. Con turretfor Tech
    47. Wind ×2for Tech
    48. Con turretfor Tech
    49. Wind ×22for Tech
    50. Converterfor Tech
    51. Wind ×4for Tech
    52. T2 converterfor Tech
    53. Wind ×19for Tech
    54. Converterfor Tech
    55. Windfor Tech
    56. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantfor Techdone 11:05
    57. Wind ×4for Tech
    58. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantfor Techdone 12:19
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind ×2for Tech
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Windfor Tech
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Windfor Tech
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Windfor Tech
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind ×2for Tech
    69. ValiantValiant ×2
    70. Wind ×2for Tech
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind ×2for Tech
    73. ValiantValiant ×2
    74. Wind ×2for Tech
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind ×2for Tech
    77. ValiantValiant ×2
    78. Wind ×2for Tech
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind ×2for Tech
    81. ValiantValiant ×2
    82. Windfor Tech
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind ×3for Tech
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Windfor Tech
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Windfor Tech
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind ×2for Tech
    91. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    92. Wind ×2for Tech
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind ×2for Tech
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    97. Windfor Tech
    98. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    99. Wind ×3for Tech
    100. ValiantValiant ×4for Tech
    101. Windfor Tech
    102. Con turretfor Tech
    103. Wind ×3for Tech
    104. ValiantValiantfor Tech

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is MRX1's (39 OS, 14/08/2026); 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

39.0 OS · 14/08/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
304 metal received · 76973 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