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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

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 · 555 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 624 · 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 555 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 ×3
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:25 · 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 · 35 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    4. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    5. Con turret
    6. ValiantValiant ×2
    7. Converter
    8. Wind
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×4
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Mex
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    19. Wind ×3
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind
    31. Wind
    32. Con turret
    33. Wind ×2
    34. Wind
    35. 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 · 180 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. Wind
    3. Wind ×4
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. Wind
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:39 · typical 6:50
    21. Converter
    22. Wind
    23. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Geo
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Wind
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind ×7
    31. Converter
    32. ShurikenShuriken
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    34. ShurikenShuriken
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    38. Wind
    39. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    40. Wind
    41. ValiantValiant ×2
    42. Wind
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:48 · typical 10:56
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Con turret
    48. Wind ×2
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind ×2
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind ×2
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind ×2
    61. Con turret
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind
    66. Con turret
    67. Wind
    68. Con turret
    69. ValiantValiant ×2
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Con turret
    75. Wind
    76. Converter ×2
    77. Wind
    78. Converter
    79. Wind
    80. Converter
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Converter
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Converter
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant ×2
    90. Converter
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Converter
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant ×2
    97. Wind
    98. Con turret
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Con turret
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind
    103. Con turret
    104. ValiantValiant ×2
    105. Con turret
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind
    108. Con turret
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Con turret
    111. Wind
    112. Con turret
    113. ValiantValiant ×2
    114. Wind
    115. Con turret
    116. ValiantValiant ×2
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant ×4
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant ×3
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant ×3
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant ×3
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant ×12
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant ×7
    129. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:32
    130. ValiantValiant ×2
    131. Con turret
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Con turret
    134. ValiantValiant ×2
    135. Con turret
    136. Wind
    137. ValiantValiant ×2
    138. Con turret
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Con turret
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant ×2
    146. Con turret
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Con turret
    151. Wind
    152. ValiantValiant ×2
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Con turret
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind
    158. Con turret
    159. ValiantValiant ×3
    160. Con turret
    161. Wind
    162. ValiantValiant ×2
    163. Wind
    164. Con turret
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind
    167. ValiantValiant ×2
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Fusion ReactorFusion
    171. Wind ×5
    172. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:38
    173. Wind ×2
    174. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:49
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind
    178. ValiantValiant ×5
    179. Wind
    180. ValiantValiant ×4

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is PixelPeeker's (43 OS, 05/09/2026); 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 2:26 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · in 64% 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 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

624 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002053051
5:00276573109
6:003759125167
7:005136190219
8:007017225290
9:009298258342
10:0011788328471
11:0014383440641
12:0017097606958
13:00199439331269
14:002265314171801
15:002554320602701
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

PixelPeeker

42.6 OS · 05/09/2026

Open source match ↗

68 received units · includes a constructor
36 metal received · 123357 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=624
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=599
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=383

Played most by

DRM37games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build