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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 · 633 distinct matches · 123 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 48% of 707 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:24

  1. Take 3 mex and open wind before committing to aircraft plant.
  2. Finish aircraft plant to start churning scouts and transports.
  3. Send Hercules, Finch and Hephaestus to allies as they ask.
  4. Get your advanced metal extractor up to fund fighter spam.
  5. Bring fusion online and shift into Valiant fighter coverage.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 633 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 ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:32 · 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 (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · 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 · 35 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Wind
    6. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×2
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. ShurikenShuriken
    14. Wind
    15. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    16. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    17. Mex
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Con turret
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    27. Con turret
    28. Wind
    29. Converter ×2
    30. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    31. Con turret
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo
    35. Con turret
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (50%) · fusion (36%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 24 wind · 19 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 171 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2not finished by 15:00 · typical 6:50
    3. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:08
    6. Wind
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. Wind
    9. Converter
    10. ShurikenShuriken
    11. Wind
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. Wind
    17. ShurikenShuriken
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant ×2
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Converter
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Wind
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    36. Converter
    37. Wind
    38. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind ×4
    46. ValiantValiant ×3
    47. Con turret
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Con turret
    50. Wind
    51. ShurikenShuriken
    52. Con turret
    53. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    54. Con turret
    55. Wind
    56. ShurikenShuriken
    57. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    58. ShurikenShuriken
    59. ValiantValiant ×2
    60. Wind
    61. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    62. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    63. Metal storage
    64. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    65. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:42 · typical 10:52
    66. Converter ×3
    67. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:49
    68. Converter
    69. Con turret
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Con turret ×2
    72. HerculesLight transport
    73. Converter
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Con turret
    76. Converter
    77. Con turret
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Con turret
    80. Converter
    81. ValiantValiant ×6
    82. Converter
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant ×2
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant ×2
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Converter
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Converter
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. Wind
    103. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    104. Converter
    105. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    106. Wind
    107. Wind
    108. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    109. Converter
    110. Wind
    111. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    112. Wind
    113. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    114. Wind
    115. Wind
    116. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. Wind
    120. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    121. Wind
    122. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    123. Wind
    124. Converter
    125. Wind
    126. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    127. Wind
    128. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    129. Converter
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant ×2
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. Converter
    136. ValiantValiant ×2
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant ×2
    141. Converter
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant ×3
    147. Wind
    148. Converter
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Wind
    153. ValiantValiant ×2
    154. Wind
    155. Wind
    156. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    157. Wind
    158. Converter
    159. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    160. Wind
    161. Converter
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant ×2
    167. Converter
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant ×3
    170. Wind
    171. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Lexosis's (39 OS, 05/10/2026); 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 2:26 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:38 · 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 85% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:03 · in 95% 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

707 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002057051
5:00276873116
6:003751125167
7:005142190225
8:007010240292
9:009301263344
10:0011805340474
11:0014399440641
12:0017093607949
13:00199139491280
14:002269914671852
15:002558321432789
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard air sits below average team win rate at 48%, reflecting the role's support nature rather than kills.

  • + Aircraft plant lands fast at 1:24, enabling early transport and scout support.
  • − Own metal lost still reaches 2705 by 15:00 despite a support-first role.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Lexosis

39.5 OS · 05/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
610 metal received · 84489 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=707
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:24–7:25 · n=681
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:53–12:08 · n=442

Played most by

DRM44games of this buildAdeus37games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildImmort29games of this buildNutzz29games of this build