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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 1:06 · 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 · 24 steps
    1. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    2. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo sea
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. FinchFinch
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Mex
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Wind ×2
    11. ValiantValiant ×2
    12. Con turret
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant ×2
    15. Wind
    16. HerculesLight transport
    17. Wind ×3
    18. FinchFinch
    19. Wind
    20. ShurikenShuriken
    21. Converter ×2
    22. ValiantValiant ×2
    23. Con turret ×2
    24. Energy storage ×2for Geo sea
  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 · 115 steps
    1. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×4done 5:19 · typical 6:50
    2. Wind ×11
    3. Con turret ×2
    4. Converter
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:12
    6. Converter
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. Wind
    9. Converter
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind
    16. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    17. Wind
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Con turret ×2
    21. Converter
    22. Wind ×6
    23. Converter
    24. Wind ×4
    25. Converter
    26. Wind ×2
    27. Converter
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Con turret
    30. Wind
    31. Converter
    32. Wind ×7
    33. Converter
    34. Wind ×15
    35. Converter
    36. Con turret ×3
    37. Converter
    38. Con turret
    39. Wind
    40. Con turret ×3
    41. Wind
    42. Converter
    43. Wind ×16
    44. Converter
    45. Wind
    46. Con turret
    47. Wind ×11
    48. Converter
    49. Wind ×12
    50. Converter
    51. Wind
    52. Converter
    53. Wind ×3
    54. Converter
    55. Wind
    56. Converter
    57. Wind ×2
    58. Converter
    59. Wind ×4
    60. Converter
    61. Wind
    62. Converter
    63. Converter
    64. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:39
    65. Wind ×2
    66. Converter
    67. Wind
    68. Converter
    69. Converter
    70. Converter ×3
    71. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    72. FalconFighter
    73. Converter
    74. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:56
    75. FalconFighter ×3
    76. Converter
    77. FalconFighter
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Converter ×2
    80. ValiantValiant ×12
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant ×2
    83. Wind ×4
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind ×2
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind ×9
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind ×4
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind ×5
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind ×4
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind ×5
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind ×2
    98. Energy storage ×2
    99. ValiantValiant ×2
    100. Energy storage
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Wind ×7
    106. Advanced Aircraft PlantAdvanced Aircraft Plantdone 11:37
    107. HighwindHighwind ×11
    108. OracleOracle
    109. HighwindHighwind
    110. LicheLichedone 12:57
    111. Advanced Construction AircraftT2 con aircraft
    112. HighwindHighwind ×2
    113. Advanced Fusion ReactorAdvanced Fusion Reactornot finished by 15:00
    114. HighwindHighwind ×8
    115. OracleOracle

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Kuchy's (44 OS, 05/08/2026); 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 2:05 · 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

Kuchy

44.0 OS · 05/08/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
715 metal received · 68605 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