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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:15 · 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 · 22 steps
    1. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    2. Wind ×4
    3. FinchFinch
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. FinchFinch
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. Wind ×4
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Energy storage
    11. Mex
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    13. Con turret
    14. ValiantValiant ×3
    15. Wind
    16. Con turret
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Wind
    21. HerculesLight transport
    22. Wind ×2
  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 · 146 steps
    1. Wind ×3
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. Wind
    4. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    5. Wind ×8
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind ×3
    16. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    17. Wind
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind
    20. Con turret
    21. Wind ×2
    22. Con turret
    23. Wind ×8
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:49 · typical 6:50
    25. Wind ×2
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. Wind
    32. Con turret
    33. Wind
    34. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. Wind ×2
    38. Mexfor Beach sea
    39. Converter
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    41. Wind
    42. Converter
    43. Wind
    44. Converter
    45. Wind ×2
    46. Converter
    47. Wind
    48. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:22
    49. Mexfor Beach sea
    50. Wind
    51. Converter
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Wind
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Converter
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. Con turretfor Beach sea
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Converter
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant ×2
    65. Converter
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. Con turret
    69. Converter
    70. Con turret
    71. Wind
    72. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:47 · typical 10:56
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Con turret
    75. Wind
    76. Con turret
    77. Converter
    78. Wind
    79. Con turret
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Converter
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind
    84. Con turret
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Converter
    87. Con turret
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. FinchFinch
    91. Converter
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Converter
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Con turretfor Beach sea
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Converter
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Converter
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Converter
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Converter
    111. ValiantValiant ×2
    112. ShurikenShuriken
    113. Wind
    114. NettleNettlefor Beach sea
    115. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    116. Converter
    117. ShurikenShuriken
    118. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    119. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    120. Wind
    121. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    122. Converter
    123. ShurikenShuriken
    124. Wind
    125. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    126. Converter
    127. ShurikenShuriken
    128. ValiantValiant ×4
    129. Converter
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. NettleNettlefor Beach sea
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant ×2
    135. Converter
    136. ValiantValiant ×4
    137. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platformfor Beach seadone 14:08
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Fusion ReactorFusion
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind
    142. ValiantValiant ×4
    143. Converter
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is DRM's (44 OS, 27/09/2026); 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

DRM

44.3 OS · 27/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
1066 metal received · 74132 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