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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 · 514 distinct matches · 114 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 575 · 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 514 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 1:13–1:34

    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 ×6
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:26 · 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
    • Hercules3 Light transport for allies
    • Finch2 Finch for allies
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Dad_The_Speedrunner's (36 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 1:50 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst at 2:05 · 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 1:39 · in 66% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:44 · in 49% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:19 · in 85% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:04 · 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

575 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145800
4:002052051
5:00276573102
6:003776125147
7:005132176219
8:007036219281
9:009346249341
10:0011841314464
11:0014395439635
12:0017116607950
13:00199988991230
14:002266413641807
15:002550120102691
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

Dad_The_Speedrunner

35.6 OS · 20/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
350 metal received · 10584 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:34 · n=575
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:22–7:27 · n=553
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:17 · n=345

Played most by

DRM35games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildAdeus29games of this buildhaaven25games of this buildNutzz25games of this build