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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 · 547 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 615 · 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 547 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 1:10 · 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 · 26 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Wind ×3
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Energy storage
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    8. Wind ×2
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    10. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    11. ValiantValiant ×2
    12. Mex
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Con turret
    17. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind
    20. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Converter
  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 · 208 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Wind
    3. Converter
    4. FinchFinch
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. Wind
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:16 · typical 6:50
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Converter
    16. Wind
    17. Converter
    18. Wind ×2
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    27. Wind ×2
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    29. Wind
    30. Wind ×2
    31. Wind
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    36. Converter
    37. Wind
    38. Con turret
    39. Converter
    40. Wind
    41. Con turret
    42. Converter ×2
    43. Wind
    44. Converter
    45. Wind ×2
    46. Con turret
    47. Converter
    48. Wind
    49. Con turret
    50. Converter
    51. Con turret
    52. Wind
    53. Wind
    54. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:15
    55. Wind ×3
    56. Wind
    57. FinchFinch
    58. Wind
    59. FinchFinch
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind ×2
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. ShurikenShuriken
    69. Wind
    70. ShurikenShuriken
    71. Wind
    72. ShurikenShuriken
    73. Wind
    74. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    75. Wind
    76. ShurikenShuriken
    77. Wind
    78. ShurikenShuriken
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant ×2
    84. Wind ×2
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant ×2
    88. Wind ×2
    89. ValiantValiant ×2
    90. ArbalestArbalest
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind ×2
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant ×2
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind ×2
    99. ValiantValiant ×2
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant ×2
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant ×2
    106. Wind
    107. ValiantValiant ×2
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    116. Wind
    117. Wind
    118. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    119. Con turret
    120. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    121. Con turret
    122. Wind
    123. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    124. Con turret
    125. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    126. Wind
    127. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    128. Con turret
    129. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    130. Con turret
    131. Wind
    132. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    133. Wind
    134. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    135. Wind
    136. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    137. Wind
    138. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant ×2
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant ×3
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant ×2
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant ×3
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant ×2
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant ×3
    152. Wind
    153. ValiantValiant ×3
    154. Wind
    155. ValiantValiant ×3
    156. Wind
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind
    159. ValiantValiant ×6
    160. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant ×4for Geo sea
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant ×3for Geo sea
    167. Wind
    168. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    169. Wind
    170. ValiantValiant ×3for Geo sea
    171. Wind
    172. ValiantValiant ×4for Geo sea
    173. Wind
    174. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:19 · typical 10:56
    175. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo
    176. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    177. Wind
    178. Wind
    179. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo sea
    180. Wind
    181. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    182. Wind
    183. HerculesLight transport
    184. Wind
    185. ValiantValiantfor Geo sea
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    188. Wind
    189. HerculesLight transport
    190. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    191. Wind
    192. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    193. Con turret
    194. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    195. Con turret
    196. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    197. Con turret
    198. Wind
    199. Converter
    200. Con turret
    201. Fusion ReactorFusion
    202. Con turret
    203. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    204. Converter
    205. Wind
    206. ShurikenShuriken
    207. Con turret
    208. ShurikenShuriken

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Gieds's (46 OS, 26/09/2026); 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 2:25 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:40 · 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 84% 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

615 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145800
4:002052051
5:00276573109
6:003755125167
7:005136190219
8:007019220290
9:009335250341
10:0011795327471
11:0014399439641
12:0017100619962
13:00199489301269
14:002264113951807
15:002553020492701
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

Gieds

45.9 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
549 metal received · 136602 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=615
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:21–7:26 · n=590
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:14 · n=375

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildNutzz28games of this buildImmort26games of this build