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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 · 501 distinct matches · 111 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 559 · 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 501 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 1:13–1:33

    Some games also: energy storage (37%)

    By 1:03 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 1:22
  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
    • Shuriken1 Shuriken
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: energy storage (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · con turret (31%)

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is kuraga__prime's (43 OS, 23/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:50 · in 96% of games
  • Hercules3 Light transport to Tech or Geo sea or Geofirst at 2:05 · in 98% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:26 · in 75% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:38 · in 66% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:45 · in 48% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:19 · 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

559 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092400
3:00145700
4:002052051
5:00276573102
6:003779124147
7:005128176219
8:007036220281
9:009352250341
10:0011841314464
11:0014395439635
12:0017109605955
13:00199329071256
14:002261913911819
15:002548920592748
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

kuraga__prime

42.7 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
130 metal received · 129551 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:22Middle 50%: 1:13–1:33 · n=559
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:23–7:27 · n=536
Fusion Reactor10:56Middle 50%: 10:02–12:19 · n=338

Played most by

DRM35games of this buildCentientWaffle32games of this buildAdeus28games of this buildNutzz25games of this buildhaaven24games of this build