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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 · 501 distinct matches · 111 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 559 · 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 501 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 1:13–1:33

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    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 ×4
    5. 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
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: energy storage (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · con turret (31%)

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is UsurpeR's (43 OS, 23/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst at 2:05 · in 98% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:26 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:38 · in 66% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:45 · in 48% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:19 · in 84% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:04 · 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

559 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145700
4:002052051
5:00276573102
6:003779124147
7:005128176219
8:007036220281
9:009352250341
10:0011841314464
11:0014395439635
12:0017109605955
13:00199329071256
14:002261913911819
15:002548920592748
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

UsurpeR

42.9 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
140 metal received · 120398 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:33 · n=559
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:23–7:27 · n=536
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:02–12:19 · n=338

Played most by

DRM35games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildAdeus28games of this buildNutzz25games of this buildhaaven24games of this build