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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 · 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 ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:08 · 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 · 27 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    4. Wind
    5. Mex
    6. HerculesLight transport ×2for Beach sea
    7. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    8. Wind ×2
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant ×2
    13. Wind ×3
    14. ShurikenShuriken
    15. Wind ×2
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Con turret
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Converter
    20. Energy storage
    21. ValiantValiant ×5
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Wind ×4
    27. Converter ×3
  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 · 237 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Con turret ×2
    3. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:06 · typical 6:50
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:11
    5. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    9. HerculesLight transport
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    11. HerculesLight transport
    12. ValiantValiant ×3
    13. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:56
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Construction BotCon bot
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Construction BotCon bot
    20. Con turret
    21. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. Con turret
    25. Hardened Energy Storage
    26. Wind ×3
    27. Con turret
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Con turret
    31. Wind ×3
    32. Con turret
    33. Wind ×3
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind ×2
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind ×2
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind ×2
    44. Con turret
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind ×2
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind ×2
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind ×2
    55. Converter
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind
    59. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    60. Wind ×3
    61. ShurikenShuriken
    62. Wind
    63. ShurikenShuriken
    64. Converter
    65. ShurikenShuriken
    66. Wind ×2
    67. ShurikenShuriken
    68. Wind ×2
    69. ShurikenShuriken
    70. Wind
    71. ShurikenShuriken
    72. Wind ×2
    73. ShurikenShuriken
    74. Converter
    75. ShurikenShuriken
    76. Wind ×3
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind ×6
    79. Converter
    80. Wind ×10
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Converter
    83. Wind ×3
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind ×2
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind ×2
    88. Converter
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind ×4
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind ×3
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Converter
    95. Wind ×3
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind ×4
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Converter
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind ×3
    104. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexfor Suicide front
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind ×2
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind ×2
    109. Converter
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind ×3
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind ×2
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Converter
    116. Wind ×9
    117. Converter
    118. Wind ×9
    119. Converter ×2
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind ×3
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind ×2
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind ×2
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind ×2
    128. Converter
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind
    131. Converter
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind ×3
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind ×2
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind
    139. Converter
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind
    142. Converter
    143. Wind ×2
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind ×2
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind ×2
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind
    150. Converter
    151. Wind
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Wind ×2
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind ×2
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind ×2
    158. Converter
    159. HerculesLight transport
    160. Wind
    161. Converter
    162. Wind ×3
    163. HerculesLight transport ×2
    164. Wind ×2
    165. Converter
    166. Wind
    167. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    168. Converter
    169. Wind ×3
    170. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    171. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    172. Wind ×2
    173. Converter
    174. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    175. Wind ×4
    176. Converter
    177. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    178. Wind ×2
    179. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    180. Wind ×2
    181. Converter
    182. Wind ×2
    183. Con turret
    184. Wind ×4
    185. Geothermal PowerplantGeodone 13:32
    186. Converter
    187. Wind
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Wind ×3
    190. ValiantValiant
    191. Wind
    192. Converter
    193. Wind ×2
    194. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    195. Wind
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Wind ×2
    198. Con turret
    199. Converter
    200. Wind ×4
    201. Converter ×2
    202. ValiantValiant
    203. Wind ×5
    204. Converter
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind ×3
    207. Advanced Geothermal PowerplantAdvanced Geothermal Powerplantdone 14:36
    208. Wind ×2
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. Wind
    211. Converter
    212. Wind ×2
    213. ValiantValiant
    214. Wind ×2
    215. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    216. Converter
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. Wind ×3
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Wind ×3
    221. Converter
    222. Wind ×2
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Wind ×3
    225. Converter
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Wind ×4
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Converter ×2
    230. Wind ×3
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. Converter
    233. Wind ×3
    234. Experimental GantryExperimental Gantrynot finished by 15:00
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Con turret
    237. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is _Hawkey_'s (59 OS, 21/09/2026); 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

_Hawkey_

59.0 OS · 21/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
29 metal received · 133643 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