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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is BM_Cozzwald's (45 OS, 04/08/2026); 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

BM_Cozzwald

45.2 OS · 04/08/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
347 metal received · 46829 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