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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 ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:29 · 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 · 27 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. Wind
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Con turret
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Con turret
    12. Wind
    13. Mex
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Con turret
    21. Wind
    22. HerculesLight transport
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind
    25. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    26. ThistleThistle
    27. Wind
  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 · 132 steps
    1. Wind ×3
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. Wind
    8. Converter ×2
    9. Wind
    10. Converter
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:08
    13. Wind
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:52 · typical 6:50
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. ValiantValiant ×2
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Wind
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    27. Wind
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    29. Wind ×9
    30. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:19
    31. FalconFighter ×3
    32. Wind
    33. FalconFighter
    34. Wind
    35. FalconFighter
    36. Wind
    37. FalconFighter ×2
    38. Wind
    39. FalconFighter
    40. Solar
    41. FalconFighter ×2
    42. Solar
    43. FalconFighter ×2
    44. Wind ×2
    45. FalconFighter
    46. Wind
    47. FalconFighter
    48. Wind ×2
    49. FalconFighter ×2
    50. Wind ×2
    51. FalconFighter ×4
    52. Wind
    53. FalconFighter
    54. Wind
    55. FalconFighter
    56. Wind
    57. FalconFighter
    58. Wind
    59. FalconFighter
    60. Wind
    61. FalconFighter
    62. Wind
    63. FalconFighter
    64. Wind
    65. FalconFighter
    66. Wind
    67. FalconFighter ×4
    68. Wind
    69. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:04 · typical 10:56
    70. FalconFighter ×2
    71. Con turret
    72. FalconFighter ×2
    73. Con turret ×4
    74. FalconFighter
    75. Converter
    76. FalconFighter ×2
    77. Converter
    78. FalconFighter
    79. Converter
    80. FalconFighter
    81. Converter
    82. FalconFighter
    83. Converter
    84. FalconFighter ×2
    85. Converter
    86. FalconFighter ×3
    87. Converter
    88. FalconFighter ×4
    89. Converter
    90. FalconFighter ×5
    91. Converter
    92. FalconFighter ×4
    93. Converter
    94. FalconFighter ×4
    95. Converter
    96. FalconFighter ×2
    97. Con turret ×2
    98. FalconFighter
    99. Converter
    100. Con turret ×2
    101. FalconFighter
    102. Converter
    103. Con turret
    104. FalconFighter ×2
    105. Con turret ×2
    106. Fusion ReactorFusion
    107. Con turret
    108. FalconFighter
    109. Con turret ×2
    110. FalconFighter
    111. Converter
    112. FalconFighter ×2
    113. Converter
    114. FalconFighter ×4
    115. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:36
    116. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    117. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    118. Converter
    119. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    120. Converter
    121. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    122. Converter
    123. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    124. Converter
    125. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    126. Converter
    127. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    128. Converter
    129. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    130. Converter
    131. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    132. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Cookie]Baby_Evis's (40 OS, 02/09/2026); 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

[Cookie]Baby_Evis

40.2 OS · 02/09/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
1168 metal received · 175714 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