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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

The role's baseline: Aircraft Plant immediately, transports and scouts for the team first, Advanced Metal Extractor and Fusion Reactor on a normal timeline, transitioning into Valiant fighter coverage over the game.

Usually transports first (72%)

#eco #team support #air · 633 distinct matches · 123 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 48% of 707 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:24

  1. Take 3 mex and open wind before committing to aircraft plant.
  2. Finish aircraft plant to start churning scouts and transports.
  3. Send Hercules, Finch and Hephaestus to allies as they ask.
  4. Get your advanced metal extractor up to fund fighter spam.
  5. Bring fusion online and shift into Valiant fighter coverage.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 633 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 1:16 · 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 (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · 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 · 31 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. Wind ×3
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Geo sea
    10. Energy storage
    11. Con turret ×2
    12. Mex
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. ShurikenShuriken
    17. Wind
    18. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    19. Converter
    20. ShurikenShuriken
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant ×4
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant ×4
    26. Converter
    27. Wind
    28. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    29. HerculesLight transport
    30. Wind
    31. ValiantValiant
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (50%) · fusion (36%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 24 wind · 19 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is DRM's (44 OS, 06/10/2026); 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 Beach seafirst at 2:06 · in 99% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:26 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:38 · 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 95% 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

707 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002057051
5:00276873116
6:003751125167
7:005142190225
8:007010240292
9:009301263344
10:0011805340474
11:0014399440641
12:0017093607949
13:00199139491280
14:002269914671852
15:002558321432789
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard air sits below average team win rate at 48%, reflecting the role's support nature rather than kills.

  • + Aircraft plant lands fast at 1:24, enabling early transport and scout support.
  • − Own metal lost still reaches 2705 by 15:00 despite a support-first role.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

DRM

43.7 OS · 06/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
2492 metal received · 29733 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=707
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:24–7:25 · n=681
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:53–12:08 · n=442

Played most by

DRM44games of this buildAdeus37games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildImmort29games of this buildNutzz29games of this build