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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 ×8
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:53 · 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 · 15 steps
    1. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    5. ValiantValiant ×7
    6. Mex
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. ShurikenShuriken ×3for Geo sea
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant ×3
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant ×3
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant ×2
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
  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 · 106 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:18 · typical 6:50
    6. ValiantValiant ×2
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    10. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Con turret
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. Wind ×2
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind ×3
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Con turret
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Con turret
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. CitadelAnti-nukenot finished by 15:00
    25. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:38 · typical 10:56
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Solar ×4
    28. Con turret
    29. T2 converter
    30. Con turret
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind
    34. Con turret
    35. Wind
    36. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:25
    37. Wind ×2
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind ×2
    40. FalconFighter
    41. Con turret ×2
    42. Wind
    43. Con turret
    44. T2 converter
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. FalconFighter
    47. Wind
    48. Con turret ×2
    49. FalconFighter
    50. Wind
    51. FalconFighter
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. FalconFighter ×6
    56. Wind
    57. FalconFighter ×3
    58. Wind
    59. FalconFighter
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. FalconFighter ×2
    62. Wind
    63. FalconFighter ×4
    64. ShurikenShuriken
    65. FalconFighter ×2
    66. Wind
    67. FalconFighter ×5
    68. ShurikenShuriken
    69. FalconFighter ×7
    70. ShurikenShuriken
    71. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:06
    72. FalconFighter ×3
    73. ShurikenShuriken
    74. FalconFighter
    75. ShurikenShuriken
    76. FalconFighter ×2
    77. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    78. FalconFighter ×2
    79. ShurikenShuriken
    80. FalconFighter ×2
    81. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    82. FalconFighter ×2
    83. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    84. FalconFighter ×2
    85. ShurikenShuriken
    86. FalconFighter
    87. ShurikenShuriken
    88. FalconFighter
    89. ShurikenShuriken
    90. FalconFighter ×2
    91. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    92. FalconFighter ×2
    93. ShurikenShuriken
    94. FalconFighter
    95. ShurikenShuriken
    96. FalconFighter
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. FalconFighter
    99. ShurikenShuriken
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. FalconFighter ×2
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. ShurikenShuriken
    104. FalconFighter ×2
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. FalconFighter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hummell's (45 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

Hummell

45.4 OS · 28/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
171 metal received · 78041 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