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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 1:14 · 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 · 32 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. Wind
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind ×3
    13. Energy storage
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Mex
    16. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Tech
    17. Con turret
    18. Con turret
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    21. Wind
    22. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Converter
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. Wind
    31. Wind
    32. Energy storage
  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 · 187 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Con turret
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. Converter
    8. Wind
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    14. Wind
    15. Converter
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Converter
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:43 · typical 6:50
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Wind
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. Wind
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. Wind
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    37. Converter
    38. Wind
    39. Con turret
    40. Wind ×3
    41. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:19 · typical 10:56
    42. Wind ×3
    43. Converter
    44. Wind
    45. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    46. Wind ×5
    47. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:30
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Converter
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. Converter
    54. ValiantValiant ×2
    55. Wind
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Converter
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Converter
    62. Mexfor Geo
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Con turret
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. Mexfor Geo
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Con turret
    71. Wind
    72. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    73. Con turret
    74. Wind
    75. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    76. Wind
    77. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    78. Converter
    79. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    80. Wind
    81. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    82. Converter
    83. Wind
    84. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    85. Con turret
    86. Wind
    87. Con turret
    88. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    89. Wind
    90. Converter
    91. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    92. Converter
    93. Wind
    94. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    95. Wind
    96. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    97. Converter
    98. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    99. Wind
    100. Converter
    101. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    102. Wind
    103. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    104. Converter
    105. FinchFinch ×2
    106. ValiantValiant ×2
    107. Wind
    108. ValiantValiant ×3
    109. Wind
    110. Converter
    111. ValiantValiant ×3
    112. Wind
    113. ValiantValiant ×3
    114. Converter
    115. Wind
    116. ValiantValiant ×3
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant ×3
    119. Converter
    120. Wind
    121. ValiantValiant ×2
    122. Converter
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Converter
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Converter
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant ×2
    132. Converter
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant ×2
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Converter
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant ×2
    141. Converter
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant ×2
    144. Wind
    145. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    146. Wind
    147. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    148. Wind
    149. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 13:09
    150. Wind ×2
    151. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    152. NighthawkNighthawk
    153. Wind
    154. NighthawkNighthawk ×2
    155. WaspWasp
    156. Wind ×2
    157. WaspWasp
    158. Wind
    159. WaspWasp
    160. Wind
    161. WaspWasp
    162. Wind
    163. WaspWasp
    164. Wind
    165. WaspWasp
    166. Wind
    167. WaspWasp
    168. Wind
    169. Advanced Construction AircraftT2 con aircraft
    170. Con turret
    171. Wind
    172. Con turret
    173. Wind
    174. Advanced Construction AircraftT2 con aircraft
    175. Wind
    176. Con turret
    177. Wind
    178. Con turret
    179. Advanced Construction AircraftT2 con aircraft
    180. Con turret
    181. Wind
    182. Advanced Construction AircraftT2 con aircraft
    183. Wind ×2
    184. Advanced Construction AircraftT2 con aircraft
    185. Con turret
    186. NighthawkNighthawk
    187. Con turret

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is zeus_on_god's (37 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

zeus_on_god

37.4 OS · 28/09/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
490 metal received · 50552 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