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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 1:12 · 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 · 18 steps
    1. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    6. ValiantValiant ×2
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. Con turret
    9. Mex
    10. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    11. ValiantValiant ×2
    12. Con turret
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. Energy storage
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
  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 · 118 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Wind
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Wind ×2
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind
    12. Wind
    13. Wind
    14. HerculesLight transport
    15. Wind
    16. Converter ×2
    17. Wind
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:43 · typical 6:50
    21. Converter
    22. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    23. Wind
    24. Converter ×2
    25. Wind
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Wind
    31. Wind
    32. Wind
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    34. Wind
    35. Wind ×3
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    38. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:00
    39. Wind
    40. Wind
    41. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    42. Wind
    43. Wind
    44. Con turret ×2
    45. Wind
    46. Wind
    47. Con turret ×2
    48. Wind
    49. Wind
    50. Wind
    51. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:49 · typical 10:52
    52. Wind
    53. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    54. Wind ×2
    55. Converter ×2
    56. Converter ×2
    57. Fusion ReactorFusion
    58. Converter
    59. Converter ×4
    60. Converter
    61. Converter
    62. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:57
    63. Converter
    64. Con turret
    65. FinchFinch
    66. Converter
    67. Con turret
    68. FinchFinch
    69. Converter
    70. Con turret
    71. FinchFinch ×2
    72. Converter
    73. FinchFinch
    74. ValiantValiant ×3
    75. Converter
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. ArbalestArbalest
    78. Converter
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Converter
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Converter
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Converter ×2
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Converter
    87. Fusion ReactorFusion
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    90. Converter
    91. Converter
    92. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    93. Converter ×2
    94. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    95. Fusion ReactorFusion
    96. Converter
    97. Converter
    98. Converter
    99. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    100. Converter
    101. Converter
    102. Con turret ×2
    103. Converter
    104. Con turret ×3
    105. Converter
    106. Con turret ×4
    107. Converter
    108. Con turret ×4
    109. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:25
    110. Converter
    111. Converter
    112. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:33
    113. Converter
    114. ValiantValiant ×7
    115. Converter
    116. ValiantValiant ×4
    117. Converter
    118. ValiantValiant ×10

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Adeus's (37 OS, 08/10/2026); 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

Adeus

37.2 OS · 08/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
5 metal received · 25626 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