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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 · 583 distinct matches · 119 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 655 · 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 583 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 ~1:24, middle half 1:13–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (39%)

    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 1:17 · typical 1:24
  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 · 24 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. Wind ×2
    5. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Energy storage
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×2
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    13. HerculesLight transport
    14. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Mex
    17. ValiantValiant ×4
    18. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    19. Wind
    20. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    21. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    22. Wind
    23. Con turret
    24. ValiantValiant
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 57% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken

    Some games also: con aircraft (35%) · fusion (34%) · 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 · 190 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. ValiantValiant ×2
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Converter
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind
    9. HerculesLight transport
    10. Converter
    11. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. ShurikenShuriken
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Converter
    17. Con turret
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. ValiantValiant ×2
    22. Converter
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. Converter ×2
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:35 · typical 6:48
    27. Wind
    28. Converter ×2
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    32. Converter
    33. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:14
    34. Wind
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    36. HerculesLight transport
    37. Wind
    38. Converter
    39. Wind
    40. ShurikenShuriken
    41. Wind
    42. ShurikenShuriken
    43. Wind ×4
    44. Converter ×2
    45. Wind
    46. Converter
    47. Wind
    48. Converter
    49. Wind
    50. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    51. Converter
    52. Wind
    53. Con turret
    54. Wind
    55. Con turret
    56. Wind
    57. Converter
    58. Wind
    59. Con turret ×2
    60. Wind
    61. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:25
    62. Con turret ×2
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Converter
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Con turret ×2
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Con turret
    73. Wind
    74. Con turret
    75. ValiantValiant ×2
    76. Converter
    77. ValiantValiant ×2
    78. Wind
    79. Converter
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind
    84. Converter
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Wind
    87. Converter
    88. ValiantValiant ×2
    89. Converter
    90. ValiantValiant ×2
    91. Converter
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant ×2
    99. Wind
    100. ValiantValiant ×5
    101. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:15
    102. ValiantValiant ×2
    103. Construction BotCon bot
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Construction BotCon bot
    107. Wind
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Construction BotCon bot
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind
    116. Construction BotCon bot
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Construction BotCon bot
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Construction BotCon bot
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. Construction BotCon bot
    127. ValiantValiant ×2
    128. Construction BotCon bot
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind ×2
    132. Construction BotCon bot
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind ×2
    137. Construction BotCon bot
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind ×2
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind ×2
    142. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    143. Wind ×2
    144. Construction BotCon bot
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind ×3
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Construction BotCon bot
    149. Wind
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Wind ×3
    154. ValiantValiant ×2
    155. Wind
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind ×2
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Wind
    162. Con turret
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant ×2
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind ×2
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind ×2
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Wind ×2
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Wind ×2
    174. ValiantValiant
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind
    178. CitadelAnti-nukenot finished by 15:00
    179. ValiantValiant ×2
    180. Wind ×4
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind ×8
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Wind
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind ×2
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. Wind
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Rysica's (36 OS, 01/10/2026); 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 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:39 · in 65% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:44 · in 49% 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

655 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002055051
5:00276673116
6:003769125167
7:005146190219
8:007021226290
9:009346260342
10:0011817328467
11:0014409438638
12:0017109605950
13:00199519421277
14:002267214281816
15:002558320892709
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

Rysica

36.1 OS · 01/10/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
1208 metal received · 47560 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:24Middle 50%: 1:13–1:35 · n=655
Advanced Metal Extractor6:48Middle 50%: 6:21–7:25 · n=629
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 9:56–12:17 · n=401

Played most by

DRM38games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort27games of this build