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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 · 598 distinct matches · 119 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 671 · 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 598 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 ~1:24, middle half 1:13–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (39%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:42 · typical 1:24
  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 · 18 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. FinchFinch
    5. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    6. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    7. ValiantValiant ×2
    8. Mex
    9. ValiantValiant ×4
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind ×2
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    15. Wind ×2
    16. HerculesLight transport
    17. Con turret ×2
    18. Converter
  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 (35%) · fusion (35%) · 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 · 256 steps
    1. Converter ×5
    2. Advanced solar
    3. Converter ×2
    4. ThistleThistle
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 5:52
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    7. Converter
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×4done 6:38 · typical 6:48
    9. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:28
    10. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    11. ValiantValiant ×2
    12. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:11
    13. FinchFinch ×2
    14. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    15. TickTick ×3
    16. Wind
    17. TickTick ×2
    18. Wind
    19. TickTick ×2
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. TickTick
    22. Wind
    23. TickTick
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. TickTick
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. TickTick
    30. Wind ×2
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. TickTick
    33. Wind
    34. Construction BotCon bot
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Hardened Energy Storage
    38. Wind ×3
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind
    41. Solar
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Construction BotCon bot
    44. Wind ×2
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:06 · typical 10:55
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind
    50. Construction BotCon bot
    51. Wind ×3
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Wind ×2
    54. Construction BotCon bot
    55. Wind
    56. Construction BotCon bot
    57. Wind ×2
    58. Construction BotCon bot
    59. Wind
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind ×8
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    66. Wind ×3
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Wind ×3
    69. Con turret
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Decoy Fusion ReactorDecoy Fusion Reactor
    72. Wind ×2
    73. ShurikenShuriken
    74. Wind
    75. Converter
    76. Con turret
    77. Wind ×3
    78. Con turret
    79. Wind
    80. Converter
    81. ShurikenShuriken
    82. Wind ×2
    83. Con turret
    84. Wind
    85. Con turret
    86. Wind
    87. Converter
    88. Converter
    89. ShurikenShuriken
    90. Con turret
    91. Wind ×2
    92. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    93. Converter ×2
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind ×2
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Converter
    98. Wind ×2
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Converter
    101. Converter
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Converter
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind ×2
    106. Converter
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind
    109. Converter
    110. Wind
    111. NettleNettle
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Converter
    114. Converter ×2
    115. ValiantValiant ×2
    116. Wind
    117. Converter
    118. Wind
    119. HephaestusHeavy transport
    120. Wind
    121. Converter
    122. Converter
    123. Converter
    124. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    125. Converter
    126. Wind ×2
    127. ShurikenShuriken
    128. Wind
    129. ShurikenShuriken
    130. Converter
    131. ShurikenShuriken
    132. Converter
    133. Converter
    134. Wind
    135. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    136. Converter
    137. Wind ×2
    138. Decoy Fusion ReactorDecoy Fusion Reactor
    139. ShurikenShuriken
    140. Wind
    141. ShurikenShuriken
    142. Converter ×2
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Converter
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind ×2
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Converter ×2
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Wind
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Wind
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Converter
    161. ValiantValiant ×2
    162. Wind
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Converter
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind ×2
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Converter
    170. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    171. Converter
    172. ShurikenShuriken
    173. Wind ×2
    174. ShurikenShuriken
    175. Wind ×2
    176. ShurikenShuriken
    177. Converter
    178. ShurikenShuriken
    179. Converter
    180. ArbalestArbalest
    181. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    182. Converter
    183. Wind
    184. ShurikenShuriken
    185. Wind
    186. ShurikenShuriken
    187. Wind ×2
    188. Converter
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Converter
    191. ValiantValiant ×2
    192. Converter
    193. Wind
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind
    196. Converter
    197. Wind ×2
    198. Converter
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Converter
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Converter
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Wind ×2
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind ×2
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. Converter ×2
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. ShurikenShuriken
    211. Converter
    212. Wind
    213. ShurikenShuriken
    214. Wind
    215. ShurikenShuriken
    216. Wind ×2
    217. ShurikenShuriken
    218. Converter
    219. ShurikenShuriken
    220. ValiantValiant ×2
    221. Wind
    222. Converter
    223. Wind
    224. ValiantValiant
    225. Converter
    226. Wind ×2
    227. Converter
    228. ValiantValiant ×3
    229. Wind
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Wind
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Wind
    234. Converter
    235. ValiantValiant ×2
    236. Wind
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Wind
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Wind
    241. ValiantValiant
    242. Wind
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Converter
    245. ValiantValiant
    246. Wind
    247. Con turret
    248. ValiantValiant
    249. Wind
    250. Con turret
    251. Wind ×2
    252. Converter
    253. Con turret
    254. Converter
    255. ValiantValiant
    256. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is _Hawkey_'s (62 OS, 04/10/2026); 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 2:25 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:39 · in 65% 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 2:20 · 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

671 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002054051
5:00276673116
6:003772125167
7:005147190224
8:007026240292
9:009354263343
10:0011850338467
11:0014411439631
12:0017116585949
13:00199489191276
14:002269914241819
15:002558820892709
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_

62.5 OS · 04/10/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
753 metal received · 139226 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:24Middle 50%: 1:13–1:35 · n=671
Advanced Metal Extractor6:48Middle 50%: 6:22–7:25 · n=645
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 9:53–12:11 · n=413

Played most by

DRM39games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildImmort28games of this buildNutzz28games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas