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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:07 · 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 · 36 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    3. Wind ×3
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×3
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. Wind ×2
    9. ShurikenShuriken
    10. Converter
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    13. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. Con turret
    17. Mex
    18. ShurikenShuriken
    19. Con turret
    20. ShurikenShuriken
    21. Con turret
    22. ShurikenShuriken
    23. Wind
    24. ShurikenShuriken
    25. Wind
    26. HerculesLight transport
    27. Wind
    28. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    29. Wind
    30. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind ×2
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant
  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 · 143 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Wind
    9. Energy storage
    10. Wind
    11. Wind
    12. Wind
    13. Wind
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Converter ×2
    23. Wind
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:06 · typical 6:50
    25. Converter
    26. Wind
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. Converter ×2
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    30. ThistleThistle ×2
    31. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:01
    32. OspreyHeavy transportfor Suicide front
    33. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    34. BlinkScout plane
    35. OspreyHeavy transportfor Suicide front
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    37. BlinkScout plane ×2
    38. Con turret
    39. Wind
    40. BansheeBanshee
    41. Con turret
    42. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:09 · typical 10:56
    43. Wind
    44. Con turret
    45. Wind ×3
    46. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:56
    47. Wind
    48. ShurikenShuriken
    49. Wind ×2
    50. ShurikenShuriken
    51. Converter
    52. ShurikenShuriken
    53. Wind ×2
    54. ShurikenShuriken
    55. Wind
    56. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    57. Converter
    58. Wind
    59. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    60. Wind
    61. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    62. Wind
    63. Converter
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind
    66. ValiantValiant ×3
    67. Converter
    68. ValiantValiant ×3
    69. Converter
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant ×3
    73. Converter
    74. ValiantValiant ×3
    75. Converter
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant ×2
    79. Converter
    80. Wind
    81. Con turret
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Con turret ×2
    84. Converter
    85. Con turret ×2
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Con turret
    88. Wind
    89. Converter
    90. ValiantValiant ×4
    91. Wind
    92. Converter
    93. ValiantValiant ×2
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant ×2
    96. Converter
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Fusion ReactorFusion
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind
    101. Converter ×2
    102. Wind
    103. Converter ×2
    104. Fusion ReactorFusion
    105. Wind
    106. Converter
    107. Wind
    108. T2 converter
    109. Wind
    110. Converter ×2
    111. Wind
    112. Converter ×2
    113. Wind
    114. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:10
    115. FinchFinch ×3
    116. Converter
    117. FinchFinch
    118. ValiantValiant ×4
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Converter
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Converter
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind ×2
    134. ValiantValiant ×2
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant ×2
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Converter
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant ×2
    142. Wind ×2
    143. ValiantValiant ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is RamboO's (36 OS, 01/09/2026); 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

RamboO

36.3 OS · 01/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
222 metal received · 51728 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