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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:29 · 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 · 36 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo sea
    5. ValiantValiant ×3
    6. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    7. Mex
    8. Con turret ×2
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Converter
    11. Con turret
    12. Converter
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. Wind ×2
    24. Converter
    25. Wind ×2
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Converter
    28. ValiantValiant ×2
    29. Converter
    30. FinchFinch
    31. Wind
    32. Converter
    33. Wind ×2
    34. Converter
    35. Wind ×3
    36. 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 · 250 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:15 · typical 6:50
    5. Wind
    6. Con turret
    7. Wind
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    9. Wind
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    11. Wind
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    13. Wind ×4
    14. Con turret
    15. Bot LabBot Labdone 6:56
    16. Construction BotCon bot ×8
    17. Wind
    18. Construction BotCon bot
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Construction BotCon bot
    21. Con turret
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. Wind ×7
    24. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:04
    25. Wind ×3
    26. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    27. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:14 · typical 10:56
    28. Wind ×9
    29. T2 converter
    30. Wind ×26
    31. Con turret
    32. Wind ×13
    33. Con turret
    34. Wind ×3
    35. Con turret ×2
    36. Wind ×3
    37. Con turret
    38. Wind
    39. Con turret
    40. Wind ×2
    41. Con turret
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Con turret
    44. Wind
    45. Con turret
    46. Wind ×3
    47. Con turret
    48. Wind ×2
    49. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:31
    50. Wind ×7
    51. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:49
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind ×9
    55. ShurikenShuriken
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Converter
    58. ShurikenShuriken
    59. Wind ×2
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. Converter
    63. Wind
    64. ShurikenShuriken
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Converter
    67. ShurikenShuriken
    68. Wind ×2
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind ×2
    71. ShurikenShuriken
    72. Converter
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. ShurikenShuriken
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Converter
    78. Wind
    79. ShurikenShuriken
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ShurikenShuriken
    84. Converter
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. ShurikenShuriken
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Converter
    90. Wind
    91. ShurikenShuriken
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. ShurikenShuriken
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. Converter
    101. ShurikenShuriken
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind
    105. ShurikenShuriken
    106. Converter
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. ShurikenShuriken
    109. Wind
    110. Converter
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind ×2
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. ShurikenShuriken
    117. Converter
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind
    120. ShurikenShuriken
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Wind
    124. ShurikenShuriken
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind
    127. ShurikenShuriken
    128. Converter
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind
    131. ShurikenShuriken
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. ShurikenShuriken
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. Converter
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. ShurikenShuriken
    141. Wind
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind
    144. ShurikenShuriken
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant ×2
    147. Wind
    148. ShurikenShuriken
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind
    151. ShurikenShuriken
    152. Converter
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. ShurikenShuriken
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. ShurikenShuriken
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. ShurikenShuriken
    162. Wind ×2
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Wind
    165. ShurikenShuriken
    166. Converter
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. ShurikenShuriken
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind
    171. ShurikenShuriken
    172. Wind ×2
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. ShurikenShuriken
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. ShurikenShuriken
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind
    180. ShurikenShuriken
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Wind
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind
    187. ValiantValiant ×4
    188. Wind ×3
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind
    191. ValiantValiant ×4
    192. Wind ×2
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Wind
    195. ValiantValiant
    196. Wind
    197. ValiantValiant ×2
    198. Wind ×2
    199. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 13:23
    200. Wind ×16
    201. NighthawkNighthawk
    202. Wind
    203. WaspWasp
    204. Wind ×3
    205. WaspWasp
    206. Wind ×2
    207. WaspWasp
    208. Wind ×4
    209. WaspWasp
    210. Wind ×4
    211. WaspWasp
    212. Wind ×3
    213. NighthawkNighthawk
    214. Wind
    215. NighthawkNighthawk
    216. Wind
    217. NighthawkNighthawk
    218. Wind ×2
    219. NighthawkNighthawk
    220. Wind
    221. NighthawkNighthawk
    222. Wind ×3
    223. NighthawkNighthawk
    224. Wind
    225. NighthawkNighthawk
    226. Wind
    227. NighthawkNighthawk
    228. Wind ×2
    229. NighthawkNighthawk
    230. Wind
    231. NighthawkNighthawk
    232. Wind
    233. WaspWasp
    234. Wind ×4
    235. NighthawkNighthawk
    236. Wind ×2
    237. NighthawkNighthawk ×2
    238. Wind ×2
    239. NighthawkNighthawk
    240. Wind ×2
    241. NighthawkNighthawk
    242. Wind
    243. NighthawkNighthawk
    244. Wind
    245. NighthawkNighthawk
    246. Wind ×2
    247. NighthawkNighthawk
    248. Wind
    249. NighthawkNighthawk
    250. Wind ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is MRX1's (38 OS, 22/08/2026); 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

MRX1

37.5 OS · 22/08/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
184 metal received · 131819 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