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Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

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 · 552 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 621 · 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 552 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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex
    2. Wind ×11
    3. Mex
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:41 · 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 · 17 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    4. FinchFinch
    5. Mex
    6. ValiantValiant ×2
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Mex
    14. ValiantValiant ×2
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    16. ValiantValiant ×4
    17. Con turret ×2
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • 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 · 74 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. Energy storage
    3. Wind
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    5. Wind ×5
    6. Energy storage
    7. Con turret
    8. Wind
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:39 · typical 6:50
    10. Wind
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    12. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:43
    13. Wind
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. ShurikenShuriken
    19. Wind
    20. ShurikenShuriken
    21. Wind
    22. ShurikenShuriken
    23. Wind
    24. ShurikenShuriken
    25. Wind
    26. ShurikenShuriken
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant ×2
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant ×2
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. GuardGuard ×2
    36. ThistleThistle
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind
    39. Wind
    40. Wind
    41. Wind
    42. Wind
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind ×2
    46. Wind
    47. Wind ×2
    48. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:22 · typical 10:56
    49. Wind
    50. Wind ×4
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Con turret ×2
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Con turret
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    59. Con turret
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 11:56
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. NighthawkNighthawk ×8
    64. Con turret ×2
    65. NighthawkNighthawk ×5
    66. HailstormHailstorm
    67. SkyhookHeavy transport
    68. NighthawkNighthawk ×6
    69. Con turret ×2
    70. NighthawkNighthawk
    71. Con turret ×2
    72. NighthawkNighthawk ×7
    73. CondorRadar plane
    74. NighthawkNighthawk ×12

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Handicapping_mySelf's (37 OS, 07/09/2026); 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 85% 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

621 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145800
4:002053051
5:00276573109
6:003763125167
7:005136190219
8:007019223290
9:009335256341
10:0011795327471
11:0014399440641
12:0017100607960
13:00199489321269
14:002266414091805
15:002555520592701
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

Handicapping_mySelf

37.3 OS · 07/09/2026

Open source match ↗

30 received units · includes a constructor
241 metal received · 41901 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=621
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=596
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:17 · n=381

Played most by

DRM37games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build