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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 (73%)

#eco #team support #air · 525 distinct matches · 115 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 590 · 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 525 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 ~1:21, middle half 1:13–1:34

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    By 1:02 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:11 · typical 1:21
  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
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: energy storage (46%) · 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 · 48 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    3. FinchFinch
    4. Wind ×3
    5. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    6. Wind
    7. Energy storage
    8. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    9. Wind
    10. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    11. Mex
    12. ValiantValiant ×3
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    14. Con turret
    15. Con turret
    16. Wind
    17. ShurikenShuriken
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. Con turret
    21. ShurikenShuriken
    22. Wind
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. ShurikenShuriken
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. ShurikenShuriken
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. ShurikenShuriken
    33. Converter
    34. Wind
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. Wind
    38. ShurikenShuriken
    39. Converter
    40. Wind
    41. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    42. Wind
    43. Converter
    44. Wind ×2
    45. Wind
    46. Wind
    47. Converter
    48. ShurikenShuriken
  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 (32%) · 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 · 193 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Wind
    3. Wind
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. Wind ×2
    8. ShurikenShuriken
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind ×2
    16. Wind
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:05 · typical 6:50
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Wind
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    36. Wind
    37. Wind
    38. Wind
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    40. Wind
    41. Wind
    42. Wind ×2
    43. Wind
    44. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    45. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:15
    46. Wind
    47. Wind
    48. Wind ×2
    49. Wind
    50. HephaestusHeavy transport
    51. Wind ×2
    52. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    53. Wind
    54. Wind
    55. Wind
    56. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    57. Con turret
    58. Wind
    59. Wind
    60. Wind
    61. Wind
    62. Wind ×2
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind
    66. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:46 · typical 10:55
    67. Converter
    68. Wind
    69. Con turret
    70. Wind
    71. Con turret
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind ×2
    75. Con turret
    76. Wind
    77. Con turret
    78. Wind
    79. Wind ×3
    80. Converter
    81. Wind
    82. Converter
    83. Wind
    84. Wind
    85. Converter
    86. Wind
    87. Converter ×2
    88. Wind
    89. Wind
    90. Converter ×8
    91. Wind
    92. Converter ×2
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Con turret
    96. Converter
    97. ValiantValiant ×4
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant ×2
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant ×3
    102. Converter
    103. ValiantValiant ×3
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant ×4
    106. Converter
    107. Wind
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Con turret
    110. ValiantValiant ×2
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Con turret
    116. Wind
    117. ValiantValiant ×2
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Converter
    121. Con turret
    122. ValiantValiant ×2
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Con turret
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Con turret
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Converter
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Con turret ×2
    136. Fusion ReactorFusion
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind
    139. Con turret
    140. ValiantValiant ×2
    141. Wind ×2
    142. Converter
    143. Wind
    144. Wind
    145. Wind
    146. Converter ×2
    147. Wind
    148. Wind
    149. FinchFinch
    150. Wind
    151. FinchFinch ×2
    152. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    153. Wind
    154. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Converter
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind
    159. ValiantValiant ×4
    160. Wind
    161. ValiantValiant ×6
    162. Converter
    163. Wind
    164. Converter
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant ×6
    167. Wind
    168. ValiantValiant ×2
    169. Wind
    170. ValiantValiant ×2
    171. Converter
    172. ValiantValiant ×2
    173. Wind
    174. ValiantValiant ×4
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant ×2
    177. FinchFinch
    178. Converter
    179. ValiantValiant ×2
    180. Wind
    181. ValiantValiant ×4
    182. Wind
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    185. Converter
    186. Wind
    187. Converter
    188. Wind ×2
    189. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    190. Converter
    191. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    192. Wind
    193. WhirlwindWhirlwind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Gieds's (45 OS, 05/09/2026); 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 2:05 · 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 1:39 · in 66% 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 6:04 · 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

590 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145800
4:002050051
5:00276373102
6:003766125150
7:005129176219
8:007014219285
9:009298248341
10:0011788315470
11:0014397439639
12:0017105603950
13:00199438701236
14:002263713511806
15:002549320022670
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

45.2 OS · 05/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
698 metal received · 58587 energy received

Allied construction assistance is unknown. Timings are observations, not a promise of solo reproducibility.

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:21Middle 50%: 1:13–1:34 · n=590
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:22–7:27 · n=566
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 10:03–12:16 · n=355

Played most by

DRM36games of this buildAdeus32games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildImmort25games of this buildNutzz25games of this build