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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:18 · 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 · 25 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinch
    5. Wind
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    7. Wind
    8. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. Energy storage
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. HerculesLight transport ×2for Pond
    16. Mex
    17. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind
    20. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant ×2
    23. Converter
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Con turret
  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 · 183 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    5. Wind
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    9. Converter
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Con turret
    12. Converter ×2
    13. ValiantValiant ×4
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×4done 7:34 · typical 6:50
    15. Con turret
    16. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:48
    17. ValiantValiant ×4
    18. Wind ×2
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind ×4
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant ×2
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Wind
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant ×3
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Con turret
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant ×2
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant ×2
    49. Wind
    50. ValiantValiant ×2
    51. Wind
    52. ValiantValiant ×2
    53. Con turret
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Con turret
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Bot LabBot Labdone 11:09
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Construction BotCon bot
    66. ValiantValiant ×6
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Construction BotCon bot
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Construction BotCon bot
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Construction BotCon bot
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Construction BotCon bot
    80. Wind ×2
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Construction BotCon bot
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind ×2
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind ×3
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiant ×2
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind ×2
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. Converter
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind ×2
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant ×2
    106. Wind ×2
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Converter
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind ×2
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. HerculesLight transport
    121. Wind ×2
    122. ValiantValiant
    123. Converter
    124. Con turret
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind
    127. Con turret
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind ×3
    130. Con turret
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind ×2
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. Converter
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Converter
    140. Wind ×2
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind ×2
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind ×2
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Con turret
    149. Converter
    150. Wind ×2
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Wind ×3
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind ×2
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Wind ×2
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Wind ×2
    161. Converter
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Converter
    164. Wind
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind ×3
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Converter
    173. Wind
    174. ValiantValiant
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind ×3
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind ×2
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Pitacupateu's (37 OS, 25/08/2026); 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

Pitacupateu

36.7 OS · 25/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
88 metal received · 47041 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