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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 1:30 · 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 · 28 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    4. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo sea
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. Mex
    9. Con turret ×2
    10. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    11. Wind
    12. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    13. Wind
    14. Converter ×2
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Converter
    19. Wind ×3
    20. Converter
    21. Wind
    22. Con turret
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. HerculesLight transport
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
  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 · 225 steps
    1. Wind ×4
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. Wind ×3
    8. Converter
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Converter
    11. Wind ×3
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Converter
    14. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:09 · typical 6:50
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    29. Wind
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    31. Wind
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    33. Con turret
    34. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:26
    35. Con turret ×2
    36. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    37. Wind
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. Wind
    40. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    41. Wind
    42. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    43. Wind
    44. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    45. Wind ×2
    46. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    47. Wind ×2
    48. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:56 · typical 10:56
    49. Wind ×24
    50. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:05
    51. Wind
    52. T2 converter
    53. Wind ×4
    54. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    55. Wind ×2
    56. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    57. Wind ×3
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind ×2
    60. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    61. Wind ×2
    62. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    63. Wind ×2
    64. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    65. Wind ×3
    66. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    69. Wind ×4
    70. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    71. Wind ×3
    72. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    73. Wind ×7
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Con turret
    76. Wind ×11
    77. Con turret
    78. Wind ×2
    79. Con turret
    80. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    81. Wind ×4
    82. Con turret
    83. Wind
    84. Con turret
    85. Wind ×4
    86. Con turret
    87. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    88. Wind
    89. Con turret
    90. Wind ×3
    91. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:59
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    94. Wind ×3
    95. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    96. Wind ×4
    97. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    98. Wind ×2
    99. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    102. Wind
    103. Con turret
    104. Wind ×3
    105. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    106. Con turret
    107. Wind ×4
    108. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    109. Wind ×2
    110. Con turret ×2
    111. Wind ×3
    112. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    113. Wind
    114. FinchFinch
    115. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    116. FinchFinch
    117. Wind
    118. FinchFinch
    119. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    120. Wind
    121. FinchFinch
    122. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    123. Wind ×2
    124. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant ×4for Tech
    127. Wind ×2
    128. ValiantValiantfor Tech
    129. Wind
    130. BeamerBeamer
    131. ValiantValiant ×3for Tech
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant ×2for Tech
    134. BeamerBeamer
    135. Wind ×2
    136. ValiantValiant ×4
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind ×3
    140. ValiantValiant ×5
    141. Wind ×2
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant ×4
    147. Wind ×2
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind ×2
    150. ValiantValiant ×3
    151. Wind ×3
    152. ValiantValiant ×2
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant ×2
    155. Converter
    156. Wind
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind ×2
    159. ValiantValiant ×2
    160. Wind
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind ×2
    163. ValiantValiant ×2
    164. Wind
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. Converter
    170. Wind
    171. ValiantValiant ×2
    172. Converter
    173. Wind ×2
    174. Converter
    175. ValiantValiant ×2
    176. Wind
    177. Converter
    178. Wind
    179. Converter
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind
    182. ValiantValiant
    183. Converter
    184. ValiantValiant
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Converter
    188. Wind ×3
    189. ValiantValiant ×2
    190. Converter
    191. Wind
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind
    194. Converter
    195. Wind
    196. ValiantValiant ×2
    197. Wind ×2
    198. ValiantValiant
    199. Converter
    200. Wind
    201. ValiantValiant ×2
    202. Converter
    203. Wind ×2
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Wind ×2
    206. ValiantValiant ×2
    207. Wind
    208. ValiantValiant
    209. Wind ×2
    210. ValiantValiant
    211. Wind
    212. ValiantValiant
    213. Wind ×2
    214. ValiantValiant ×2
    215. Wind ×4
    216. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 14:47
    217. Wind ×7
    218. Advanced Construction AircraftT2 con aircraft
    219. Wind ×2
    220. Converter
    221. Wind ×4
    222. NighthawkNighthawk
    223. Wind
    224. Converter
    225. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is MRX1's (39 OS, 07/08/2026); 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

39.2 OS · 07/08/2026

Open source match ↗

31 received units · includes a constructor
389 metal received · 103041 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
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas