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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is UsurpeR's (44 OS, 01/10/2026); 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

UsurpeR

44.4 OS · 01/10/2026

Open source match ↗

14 received units · includes a constructor
202 metal received · 209671 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