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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

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 · 547 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 615 · 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 547 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 1:27 · 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
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    3. ValiantValiant ×2
    4. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    5. Mex
    6. Con turret
    7. ValiantValiant ×3
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. Con turret
    14. FinchFinch
    15. Wind ×2
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. Wind ×3
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. Wind
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. ShurikenShuriken
    31. Wind
  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 · 129 steps
    1. Converter
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. Wind
    4. ShurikenShuriken
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Wind
    19. Wind ×3
    20. Wind
    21. Wind
    22. Wind ×4
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind ×5
    31. Wind
    32. Wind
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:30 · typical 6:50
    34. Wind
    35. Wind
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    38. Wind ×2
    39. Wind
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    41. Wind
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:39
    44. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    45. Wind
    46. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    47. Wind ×2
    48. Converter
    49. ValiantValiant ×2
    50. ShurikenShuriken ×7
    51. Con turret
    52. ShurikenShuriken
    53. Converter
    54. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    55. Con turret ×2
    56. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:16 · typical 10:56
    57. HerculesLight transport
    58. Converter
    59. Converter
    60. ValiantValiant ×6
    61. Converter
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Fusion ReactorFusion
    64. Converter
    65. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    66. Converter
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Converter
    69. Converter
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Converter
    72. Converter
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Con turret
    75. Converter
    76. Con turret
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Converter
    79. Con turret
    80. Converter
    81. Con turret
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Con turret ×2
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Converter
    86. ShurikenShuriken
    87. Con turret
    88. Converter
    89. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    90. Converter
    91. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    92. Converter
    93. ShurikenShuriken
    94. ValiantValiant ×3
    95. Converter
    96. ValiantValiant ×2
    97. ShurikenShuriken
    98. ValiantValiant ×2
    99. Converter
    100. ValiantValiant ×2
    101. Con turret ×2
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Converter
    104. Con turret ×2
    105. ShurikenShuriken
    106. Con turret
    107. ValiantValiant ×3
    108. Converter
    109. Converter
    110. ValiantValiant ×2
    111. ShurikenShuriken
    112. ValiantValiant ×5
    113. ShurikenShuriken
    114. ValiantValiant ×2
    115. Converter
    116. ValiantValiant ×2
    117. Converter
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. ShurikenShuriken
    120. ValiantValiant ×5
    121. Converter
    122. ShurikenShuriken
    123. ValiantValiant ×3
    124. Fusion ReactorFusion
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Converter
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Converter
    129. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Adeus's (35 OS, 28/09/2026); 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 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · 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 84% 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

615 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145800
4:002052051
5:00276573109
6:003755125167
7:005136190219
8:007019220290
9:009335250341
10:0011795327471
11:0014399439641
12:0017100619962
13:00199489301269
14:002264113951807
15:002553020492701
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

Adeus

35.3 OS · 28/09/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
60 metal received · 73517 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=615
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=590
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:14 · n=375

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build