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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 ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:07 · 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 · 22 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. Wind ×3
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    5. FinchFinchfor unknown
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor unknown
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Energy storage
    11. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    12. Con turret
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    14. Mex
    15. Con turret
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind
    19. ThistleThistle
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 5:10
    22. 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 · 217 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. Wind
    3. ShurikenShuriken
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. Converter
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 5:56 · typical 6:50
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    13. Wind
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    17. Wind
    18. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:04
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant ×2
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    27. Wind ×5
    28. Con turret
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:22
    31. Wind
    32. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. Wind
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Wind
    37. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    38. Wind
    39. Construction BotCon bot
    40. Wind
    41. Construction BotCon bot
    42. Wind ×4
    43. LazarusLazarus
    44. Wind
    45. Construction BotCon bot
    46. Wind
    47. Construction BotCon bot
    48. Wind ×2
    49. Construction BotCon bot
    50. Wind
    51. Mexfor unknown
    52. Wind ×6
    53. Construction BotCon botfor unknown
    54. Wind
    55. Construction BotCon botfor unknown
    56. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    57. Wind ×16
    58. Mexfor unknown
    59. Wind ×3
    60. Con turret
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind ×5
    63. Con turret
    64. Wind ×3
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:23 · typical 10:56
    67. Wind ×4
    68. Con turret
    69. Wind
    70. Con turret
    71. Wind ×2
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind ×3
    74. Con turret
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Con turret
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind ×4
    81. Con turret
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind ×2
    84. Con turret
    85. Wind ×2
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind ×2
    88. Con turret
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind ×2
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind ×8
    93. Con turret
    94. Wind ×14
    95. Converter
    96. Wind ×6
    97. Converter
    98. Wind ×4
    99. Converter
    100. Wind ×3
    101. Converter
    102. Wind
    103. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:44
    104. Converter ×2
    105. Wind ×7
    106. Converter
    107. Wind ×4
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Converter
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Converter
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind ×4
    114. ValiantValiant ×2
    115. Converter
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Converter
    118. Wind ×2
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind ×2
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Converter
    123. ValiantValiant ×2
    124. Wind
    125. Converter
    126. Wind ×2
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. Wind
    129. Converter
    130. ValiantValiant ×3
    131. Wind ×2
    132. Converter
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant ×2
    137. Converter
    138. Wind ×2
    139. Converter
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind ×2
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Converter
    144. ValiantValiant ×2
    145. Wind
    146. Converter
    147. Wind
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Converter
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant ×2
    152. Converter
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind ×2
    156. ValiantValiant ×2
    157. Converter
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Converter
    160. Wind
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind ×2
    163. ValiantValiant ×3
    164. Wind ×2
    165. Converter
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind
    168. Converter
    169. ValiantValiant ×3
    170. Wind ×3
    171. Converter
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Converter
    174. ValiantValiant ×2
    175. Wind ×2
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind
    178. Converter
    179. ValiantValiant ×2
    180. Converter
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Converter
    183. Wind
    184. ValiantValiant
    185. Wind ×2
    186. ValiantValiant ×3
    187. Converter
    188. Wind
    189. Converter
    190. ValiantValiant
    191. Wind ×2
    192. ValiantValiant ×2
    193. Wind
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind ×2
    196. ValiantValiant ×2
    197. Converter
    198. ValiantValiant
    199. Wind ×2
    200. ValiantValiant
    201. Wind
    202. ValiantValiant ×3
    203. BeamerBeamer
    204. Wind ×2
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Converter
    207. Wind
    208. ValiantValiant ×3
    209. Wind ×3
    210. Converter
    211. ValiantValiant ×3
    212. Wind
    213. BeamerBeamer
    214. ValiantValiant
    215. Wind ×2
    216. Converter
    217. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is matje2o's (35 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

matje2o

35.1 OS · 28/09/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
942 metal received · 52877 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