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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:15 · 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 · 34 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. ShurikenShuriken
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. Wind
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. Wind
    8. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Wind ×2
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. Mex
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    17. Energy storage
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Con turret
    21. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind ×2
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Con turret
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind
  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 · 116 steps
    1. ValiantValiant ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Converter
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant ×2
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:46 · typical 6:50
    7. FinchFinch ×2
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    16. Wind
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Con turret
    21. Wind
    22. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:52
    23. Wind
    24. ShurikenShuriken
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    27. Converter
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Converter
    32. FinchFinch
    33. Wind
    34. FinchFinch
    35. Con turret
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind
    38. Converter
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. Converter
    45. ShurikenShuriken
    46. Wind
    47. Converter
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind
    52. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:28 · typical 10:52
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Con turret
    55. Wind
    56. ValiantValiant ×5
    57. Wind
    58. Converter
    59. ShurikenShuriken
    60. Wind
    61. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    62. Wind
    63. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    64. Wind
    65. ShurikenShuriken
    66. Con turret
    67. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant ×2
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant ×2
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant ×4
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant ×2
    79. Converter
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant ×2
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant ×2
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant ×2
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Con turret
    93. Fusion ReactorFusion
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    97. Metal storage
    98. Wind
    99. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    100. Wind
    101. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    102. Wind
    103. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    104. Wind
    105. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    106. Wind
    107. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant ×2
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant ×2
    112. Wind
    113. ValiantValiant ×2
    114. Wind
    115. Con turret
    116. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Grump]Matsuri's (37 OS, 06/10/2026); 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

[Grump]Matsuri

37.3 OS · 06/10/2026

Open source match ↗

37 received units · includes a constructor
1212 metal received · 30654 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