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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 · 555 distinct matches · 116 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 624 · 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 555 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 1:09 · 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 · 24 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. Wind ×2
    5. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    6. Wind
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. Con turret
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Mex
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind ×3
    14. HerculesLight transportfor unknown
    15. Wind
    16. HerculesLight transport
    17. Wind ×2
    18. FinchFinch
    19. Wind ×3
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. Con turret
    23. Energy storage
    24. 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 · 96 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. Con turret
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind ×2
    7. Con turret
    8. ShurikenShuriken
    9. Wind
    10. HephaestusHeavy transport
    11. Wind ×3
    12. ShurikenShuriken
    13. Wind ×3
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:45 · typical 6:50
    15. Wind ×2
    16. ShurikenShuriken
    17. Wind
    18. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    21. Converter
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Converter
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. ShurikenShuriken
    26. SentrySentry
    27. ShurikenShuriken
    28. Converter
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    30. ShurikenShuriken
    31. Converter
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Converter
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Converter
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Converter
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Converter
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    42. ValiantValiant ×2
    43. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    44. ValiantValiant ×6
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. ShurikenShuriken ×8
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Bot LabBot Labdone 12:20
    50. ValiantValiant ×2
    51. ShurikenShuriken ×7
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. ValiantValiant ×2
    55. Construction BotCon bot
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Wind
    58. Construction BotCon bot
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Construction BotCon bot
    61. Wind
    62. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    63. Wind ×5
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind ×3
    66. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    67. Wind ×3
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind
    70. Metal storage
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind ×2
    73. Con turret
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Con turret
    77. Wind ×4
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Con turret
    80. Wind ×4
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind ×3
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Con turret
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind ×2
    90. Con turret
    91. Wind ×2
    92. Con turret
    93. Wind ×2
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 10:56
    96. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is thermite's (37 OS, 20/09/2026); 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 2:26 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · in 64% 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

624 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002053051
5:00276573109
6:003759125167
7:005136190219
8:007017225290
9:009298258342
10:0011788328471
11:0014383440641
12:0017097606958
13:00199439331269
14:002265314171801
15:002554320602701
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

thermite

37.0 OS · 20/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
76 metal received · 28529 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=624
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=599
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=383

Played most by

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