BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 · 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
    • 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 · 22 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. Wind ×2
    5. HerculesLight transport
    6. Wind
    7. FinchFinch
    8. Energy storage
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Con turret
    11. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo
    12. Mex
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    15. Converter ×2
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    17. Converter ×2
    18. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    19. Converter
    20. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    21. Con turret
    22. ValiantValiantfor Geo
  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 · 271 steps
    1. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo
    2. Converter
    3. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. Wind
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. Converter
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:19 · typical 6:50
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. Con turret
    16. HerculesLight transport
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. Wind
    19. Converter ×2
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Wind
    23. Converter
    24. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:25
    25. Wind
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. Converter
    29. Construction BotCon bot
    30. Converter
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Converter
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. Converter
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:11
    37. Converter
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. ShurikenShuriken
    40. Construction BotCon bot
    41. ShurikenShuriken
    42. Construction BotCon bot
    43. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    44. Construction BotCon bot
    45. ShurikenShuriken
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    48. Wind
    49. ShurikenShuriken
    50. Converter
    51. ShurikenShuriken
    52. Wind
    53. ShurikenShuriken
    54. Wind ×6
    55. Converter
    56. Wind ×2
    57. Con turret ×2
    58. Wind ×2
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Con turret
    61. Wind ×7
    62. Con turret
    63. Construction BotCon bot
    64. Wind ×3
    65. Con turret
    66. Wind ×3
    67. Con turret
    68. Wind ×2
    69. Construction BotCon bot
    70. Wind
    71. Converter
    72. Wind ×4
    73. Converter
    74. Wind ×2
    75. Converter
    76. Wind ×2
    77. Converter
    78. Wind ×3
    79. Converter
    80. Wind
    81. Converter
    82. Wind ×2
    83. Converter
    84. Converter
    85. Wind ×6
    86. Converter
    87. Wind ×2
    88. Converter
    89. Wind ×2
    90. Converter
    91. Wind ×5
    92. Converter
    93. Wind
    94. Con turret
    95. Wind ×2
    96. Con turret
    97. Wind ×5
    98. Converter
    99. Wind ×7
    100. Converter
    101. Wind ×4
    102. Converter
    103. Wind ×2
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind ×4
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Converter
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind ×2
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind ×3
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind ×2
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Converter
    120. Wind ×2
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Wind
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind ×3
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Converter
    129. Wind ×2
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Wind
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind ×4
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Converter
    138. Wind ×5
    139. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:49 · typical 10:56
    140. Wind ×3
    141. Converter
    142. Wind ×6
    143. Converter
    144. Wind ×5
    145. Converter
    146. Wind ×5
    147. Converter
    148. Wind ×4
    149. Converter
    150. Wind ×4
    151. Converter
    152. Wind ×6
    153. Converter
    154. Wind ×9
    155. Converter
    156. Wind ×7
    157. Converter
    158. Wind ×2
    159. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:13
    160. Wind ×4
    161. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    162. Wind ×2
    163. Converter
    164. Wind ×2
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind ×3
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind
    171. Converter
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Con turret
    175. Wind ×2
    176. Con turret
    177. Wind
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind
    180. Converter
    181. Wind ×2
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Con turret
    184. Wind
    185. Con turret
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Wind
    188. Energy storage
    189. Wind ×2
    190. Converter
    191. Wind
    192. Con turret
    193. Wind ×3
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Con turret
    196. Wind
    197. ValiantValiant
    198. Wind ×2
    199. Converter
    200. Wind
    201. Con turret
    202. ValiantValiant
    203. Con turret
    204. Wind ×2
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind
    207. Con turret
    208. Wind
    209. Con turret
    210. ValiantValiant
    211. Wind
    212. Converter
    213. Wind
    214. Con turret
    215. Wind
    216. Con turret
    217. Wind
    218. ValiantValiant
    219. Converter
    220. Wind ×2
    221. Con turret
    222. Wind
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Wind ×2
    225. ValiantValiant
    226. Wind
    227. Converter
    228. Wind
    229. ValiantValiant
    230. Wind
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. Wind
    233. ValiantValiant ×3
    234. Wind ×2
    235. ValiantValiant ×2
    236. Converter
    237. Wind
    238. ValiantValiant
    239. Wind
    240. ValiantValiant
    241. Wind
    242. ValiantValiant ×2
    243. Wind
    244. Converter
    245. ValiantValiant
    246. Wind
    247. ValiantValiant
    248. Wind
    249. ValiantValiant
    250. Wind ×2
    251. ValiantValiant
    252. Wind ×2
    253. ValiantValiant
    254. Converter
    255. ValiantValiant ×2
    256. Wind ×2
    257. ValiantValiant ×2
    258. Wind
    259. ValiantValiant
    260. Converter
    261. Wind
    262. ValiantValiant ×2
    263. Wind ×2
    264. ValiantValiant ×3
    265. Wind
    266. ValiantValiant
    267. Wind ×2
    268. Converter
    269. ValiantValiant
    270. Wind
    271. ValiantValiant ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Rysica's (37 OS, 16/09/2026); 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

Rysica

37.5 OS · 16/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
411 metal received · 82712 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