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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:27 · 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 · 36 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    3. Wind ×3
    4. FinchFinch
    5. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    6. Mex
    7. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    9. HerculesLight transport
    10. ShurikenShuriken
    11. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    12. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    13. Con turret
    14. ValiantValiant ×3
    15. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    16. Con turret
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    18. Wind
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    20. Wind
    21. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Con turret
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Converter
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Converter
    33. Wind ×3
    34. HerculesLight transport
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
  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 · 192 steps
    1. HerculesLight transport
    2. Wind
    3. Converter
    4. Wind ×3
    5. Converter
    6. Wind ×4
    7. Converter
    8. Wind ×4
    9. Converter
    10. Wind ×4
    11. Con turret
    12. Converter
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:36 · typical 6:48
    17. Wind ×8
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    19. Wind
    20. Converter ×2
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Con turret
    23. Converter
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Wind
    26. Converter ×2
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Con turret
    31. Converter
    32. Con turret
    33. Advanced solar
    34. Converter ×2
    35. Advanced solar
    36. Converter
    37. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:21 · typical 10:55
    38. Converter ×4
    39. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:36
    40. Converter
    41. Decoy Fusion ReactorDecoy Fusion Reactor
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Converter
    44. ValiantValiant ×2
    45. Converter
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind
    48. Converter
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. Decoy Fusion ReactorDecoy Fusion Reactor
    52. Converter
    53. Wind
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Wind
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Converter
    58. Con turret ×2
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Con turret ×2
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind
    64. Converter
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind
    69. Converter
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. Converter
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Converter
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Con turret ×2
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Con turret
    83. Wind
    84. Converter
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Wind
    87. Converter
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind
    92. Converter
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Converter
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Converter
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant ×3
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Converter
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant ×2
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Converter
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind
    118. Converter
    119. ValiantValiant ×2
    120. Wind
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. ShurikenShuriken
    123. Wind
    124. Converter
    125. Wind
    126. HerculesLight transport
    127. Wind
    128. HerculesLight transport
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Con turret
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. Converter
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Converter
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind
    144. Converter
    145. ValiantValiant ×2
    146. Wind
    147. Converter
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Con turret
    150. Converter
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Converter
    153. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    154. Converter
    155. Wind
    156. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    157. Wind
    158. Converter
    159. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    160. Wind
    161. ShurikenShuriken
    162. Converter
    163. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    164. Wind
    165. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    166. Wind
    167. Converter
    168. ShurikenShuriken
    169. Wind
    170. ShurikenShuriken
    171. Wind
    172. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    173. Wind
    174. Converter
    175. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    176. Wind
    177. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    178. Converter
    179. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Converter
    182. ValiantValiant ×2
    183. Converter
    184. ValiantValiant
    185. Converter
    186. ValiantValiant ×2
    187. Converter
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Con turret
    190. ValiantValiant
    191. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 13:31
    192. ValiantValiant ×6

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Fakepilot's (36 OS, 02/10/2026); 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

Fakepilot

35.8 OS · 02/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
3258 metal received · 68209 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
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas