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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:31 · 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 · 20 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    5. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    6. HerculesLight transport
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    8. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    9. Wind
    10. ShurikenShuriken
    11. Mex
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. ValiantValiant ×4
    14. FinchFinch
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Con turret
    17. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    18. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Geo
    19. Con turret
    20. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
  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 · 184 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Con turret
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Converter
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. Converter
    8. ShurikenShuriken
    9. Wind
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. ShurikenShuriken
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. ShurikenShuriken
    19. Wind
    20. ShurikenShuriken
    21. Converter
    22. Wind
    23. Wind
    24. ShurikenShuriken
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. Wind ×2
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. Wind
    33. Converter
    34. Wind
    35. Wind
    36. Wind
    37. Converter
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind
    40. Wind
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:36 · typical 6:50
    42. Converter
    43. Wind ×2
    44. Converter
    45. Wind
    46. Wind
    47. Wind
    48. Wind
    49. Wind
    50. Wind
    51. Wind
    52. Con turret
    53. Wind
    54. Wind
    55. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    56. FinchFinch
    57. Wind
    58. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    59. Wind
    60. Wind
    61. FinchFinch
    62. Wind
    63. Wind
    64. Wind
    65. Wind
    66. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    67. Wind
    68. Wind ×2
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. Wind ×2
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind
    81. Wind
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. Wind
    86. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    87. Wind
    88. Wind
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Con turret
    92. Wind
    93. Wind
    94. Wind
    95. Con turret
    96. Wind
    97. Wind
    98. Con turret
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Con turret
    102. Wind
    103. Wind
    104. Con turret
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind
    108. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:06 · typical 10:56
    109. Wind
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind
    113. Wind
    114. Wind
    115. Wind
    116. Wind ×2
    117. Wind
    118. Wind
    119. T2 converter
    120. Wind ×2
    121. Wind
    122. Wind ×5
    123. TracerTracer
    124. Wind
    125. Wind
    126. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    127. CitadelAnti-nukedone 12:37
    128. ShurikenShuriken
    129. Wind
    130. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    131. Wind
    132. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    133. ValiantValiant ×4
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant ×3
    136. Con turret
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Con turret
    141. Wind
    142. Converter
    143. ValiantValiant ×2
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant ×3
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant ×3
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant ×3
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Converter
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind
    155. ValiantValiant ×2
    156. Wind
    157. ValiantValiant ×2
    158. Wind
    159. ValiantValiant ×5
    160. Converter
    161. FinchFinch ×2
    162. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    163. Wind
    164. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    165. Wind
    166. FinchFinch
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant ×3
    170. Converter
    171. Fusion ReactorFusion
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Converter
    175. Wind
    176. Converter ×2
    177. ValiantValiant ×2
    178. Wind
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Converter
    181. ValiantValiant ×6
    182. Converter
    183. ValiantValiant ×3
    184. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Gieds's (47 OS, 15/09/2026); 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

Gieds

47.2 OS · 15/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
1831 metal received · 42298 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