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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 (72%)

#eco #team support #air · 514 distinct matches · 114 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 575 · 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 514 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 1:13–1:34

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:19 · 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
    • Hercules3 Light transport for allies
    • Finch2 Finch for allies
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    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 · 30 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    7. Wind
    8. HerculesLight transport
    9. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    10. Mex
    11. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo sea
    12. Energy storage
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind ×2
    17. Wind
    18. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. Con turret
    22. ValiantValiant ×2
    23. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    24. Wind
    25. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant ×2
  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 · 76 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Converter
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant ×2
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Con turret
    9. Wind
    10. Wind
    11. Con turret
    12. Wind
    13. Wind
    14. Wind
    15. Con turret
    16. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2done 6:57 · typical 6:50
    17. Converter
    18. Wind
    19. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    20. Converter
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Converter
    24. Wind ×4
    25. Con turret
    26. Wind ×3
    27. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:53 · typical 10:56
    28. NettleNettle
    29. ThistleThistle ×7
    30. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:58
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Converter
    33. ValiantValiant ×3
    34. Converter
    35. ValiantValiant ×2
    36. Converter
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Converter
    39. ValiantValiant ×2
    40. Converter
    41. ValiantValiant ×5
    42. FinchFinch
    43. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    44. FinchFinch
    45. Converter
    46. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Converter
    49. Con turret ×2
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Con turret ×2
    52. ValiantValiant ×2
    53. Converter
    54. Con turret
    55. ValiantValiant ×3
    56. FinchFinch
    57. ValiantValiant ×6
    58. Fusion ReactorFusion
    59. ValiantValiant ×5
    60. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    61. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant ×2done 12:25
    62. FinchFinch ×4
    63. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    64. ValiantValiant ×33
    65. FinchFinch
    66. ValiantValiant ×3
    67. ShurikenShuriken ×18
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. ShurikenShuriken
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. ShurikenShuriken
    72. ValiantValiant ×17
    73. FinchFinch
    74. ValiantValiant ×9
    75. FinchFinch
    76. ValiantValiant ×10

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is CentientWaffle's (35 OS, 29/08/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · 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 2:26 · in 74% 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 49% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:19 · in 85% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:04 · in 95% 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

575 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145800
4:002052051
5:00276573102
6:003776125147
7:005132176219
8:007036219281
9:009346249341
10:0011841314464
11:0014395439635
12:0017116607950
13:00199988991230
14:002266413641807
15:002550120102691
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

CentientWaffle

35.1 OS · 29/08/2026

Open source match ↗

10 received units · includes a constructor
3005 metal received · 34027 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:34 · n=575
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:22–7:27 · n=553
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:03–12:17 · n=345

Played most by

DRM35games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildAdeus29games of this buildhaaven25games of this buildNutzz25games of this build