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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 · 552 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 621 · 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 552 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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:44 · 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 · 17 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    4. FinchFinch
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. ValiantValiant ×3
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. Con turret ×2
    10. Mex
    11. HerculesLight transport ×3for Tech
    12. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    13. ShurikenShurikenfor Pond
    14. Wind
    15. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    16. Wind
    17. ShurikenShuriken
  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 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 · 157 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. ValiantValiant ×2
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. ShurikenShurikenfor Pond
    9. Wind
    10. ShurikenShurikenfor Pond
    11. Wind
    12. ShurikenShuriken ×2for Pond
    13. Wind
    14. ShurikenShuriken
    15. Wind ×2
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind ×2
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind ×2
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. FinchFinch
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Wind ×3
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind ×2
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    36. Wind
    37. Con turret
    38. Wind ×3
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:47 · typical 6:50
    40. Wind
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    44. Wind ×2
    45. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:00 · typical 10:56
    46. Wind
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    48. Converter ×2
    49. Wind ×2
    50. Converter
    51. Wind
    52. Converter ×2
    53. Wind
    54. Wind
    55. Converter
    56. Wind ×2
    57. Wind
    58. Converter
    59. Wind
    60. Wind
    61. Wind
    62. Con turret
    63. Wind
    64. Converter
    65. Con turret ×2
    66. Wind
    67. Wind
    68. Converter
    69. Wind
    70. Wind
    71. Wind ×2
    72. Converter
    73. Con turret
    74. Wind
    75. Wind
    76. Wind
    77. Converter
    78. Wind
    79. Wind
    80. Fusion ReactorFusion
    81. Wind
    82. Converter
    83. Con turret
    84. Wind
    85. Wind
    86. Wind
    87. Wind ×2
    88. Converter
    89. Wind
    90. Converter
    91. Wind
    92. Wind
    93. Converter
    94. Wind
    95. Converter ×2
    96. Wind
    97. Wind
    98. Converter
    99. Wind
    100. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:23
    101. Converter
    102. Wind
    103. Converter
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind
    107. Wind
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Converter
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Converter
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant ×2
    116. Wind
    117. Converter
    118. ValiantValiant ×3
    119. Converter
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind
    122. Wind
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Converter
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Converter
    129. ValiantValiant ×2
    130. Wind
    131. Con turret
    132. Converter
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Con turret
    135. Wind
    136. Wind
    137. Converter
    138. Con turret ×2
    139. Converter
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind
    142. Con turret
    143. Converter
    144. Wind
    145. Wind
    146. Con turret
    147. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 14:56
    148. Converter
    149. Wind
    150. Converter
    151. Wind
    152. Converter
    153. Wind
    154. Converter
    155. Con turret
    156. NighthawkNighthawk
    157. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is DRM's (44 OS, 30/09/2026); 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 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

621 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145800
4:002053051
5:00276573109
6:003763125167
7:005136190219
8:007019223290
9:009335256341
10:0011795327471
11:0014399440641
12:0017100607960
13:00199489321269
14:002266414091805
15:002555520592701
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

44.1 OS · 30/09/2026

Open source match ↗

11 received units · includes a constructor
196 metal received · 18360 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=621
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=596
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:17 · n=381

Played most by

DRM37games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build