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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Crazydogg's (37 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 1:51 · 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

Crazydogg

37.5 OS · 20/09/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
78 metal received · 30379 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