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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

The role's baseline: Aircraft Plant immediately, transports and scouts for the team first, Advanced Metal Extractor and Fusion Reactor on a normal timeline, transitioning into Valiant fighter coverage over the game.

Usually transports first (72%)

#eco #team support #air · 633 distinct matches · 123 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 48% of 707 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:24

  1. Take 3 mex and open wind before committing to aircraft plant.
  2. Finish aircraft plant to start churning scouts and transports.
  3. Send Hercules, Finch and Hephaestus to allies as they ask.
  4. Get your advanced metal extractor up to fund fighter spam.
  5. Bring fusion online and shift into Valiant fighter coverage.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 633 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 1:26 · 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 (46%) · light transport (44%) · converter (40%) · 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 · 38 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind
    4. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    5. Wind
    6. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    7. Wind ×2
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    9. Wind
    10. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    11. Wind ×3
    12. Mex
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Beach sea
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. FinchFinch
    17. ValiantValiant ×2
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Con turret
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Converter
    26. Con turret
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. Con turret
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Converter
    32. HerculesLight transport
    33. Converter
    34. Wind
    35. Converter
    36. Wind ×2
    37. Converter
    38. Wind ×2
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 18 wind, 17 wind, 6 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret4 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (50%) · fusion (36%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 24 wind · 19 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 135 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind ×2
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    7. Wind
    8. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Wind ×4
    11. ValiantValiant ×3
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:47 · typical 6:50
    13. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×3
    15. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 8:44 · typical 10:52
    16. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:58
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Con turret ×3
    19. ShurikenShuriken
    20. Con turret ×2
    21. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    22. Con turret
    23. ShurikenShuriken
    24. Converter
    25. ShurikenShuriken
    26. Con turret
    27. ValiantValiant ×4
    28. Converter
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Con turret
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Con turret
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Converter
    35. Con turret
    36. ValiantValiant ×2
    37. Con turret
    38. Converter
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind
    41. Converter
    42. ValiantValiant ×3
    43. Converter
    44. ValiantValiant ×3
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Converter
    48. ValiantValiant ×4
    49. Converter
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant ×3
    52. Converter
    53. ValiantValiant ×3
    54. Converter
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    57. Wind
    58. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    59. Converter
    60. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    61. Wind
    62. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    63. Converter
    64. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    65. ValiantValiant ×2
    66. Converter
    67. ValiantValiant ×2
    68. Wind
    69. ValiantValiant ×2
    70. Converter
    71. ValiantValiant ×3
    72. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    73. Converter
    74. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    75. Wind
    76. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    77. Converter
    78. Wind
    79. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    80. Converter
    81. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    82. Converter
    83. Wind
    84. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    85. Wind
    86. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    87. Converter
    88. ValiantValiant ×2
    89. Converter
    90. ValiantValiant ×4
    91. Converter
    92. Wind
    93. Fusion ReactorFusion
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    96. Converter ×5
    97. Wind
    98. Converter ×3
    99. Wind
    100. Converter
    101. Wind ×3
    102. Converter
    103. Wind ×5
    104. Converter
    105. Wind ×4
    106. Converter
    107. Wind ×3
    108. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:34
    109. Converter
    110. GuardGuard
    111. Converter
    112. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    113. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    114. Converter
    115. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    116. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    117. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    118. Converter
    119. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    120. Converter
    121. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    122. ValiantValiant ×3
    123. Converter
    124. ValiantValiant ×4
    125. Converter
    126. ValiantValiant ×4
    127. Converter
    128. Con turret
    129. ValiantValiant ×3
    130. Converter
    131. ValiantValiant ×6
    132. Converter
    133. ValiantValiant ×8
    134. Con turret
    135. ValiantValiant ×5

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Lexosis's (39 OS, 05/10/2026); 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 Beach seafirst 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 1:38 · in 65% 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 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

707 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002057051
5:00276873116
6:003751125167
7:005142190225
8:007010240292
9:009301263344
10:0011805340474
11:0014399440641
12:0017093607949
13:00199139491280
14:002269914671852
15:002558321432789
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard air sits below average team win rate at 48%, reflecting the role's support nature rather than kills.

  • + Aircraft plant lands fast at 1:24, enabling early transport and scout support.
  • − Own metal lost still reaches 2705 by 15:00 despite a support-first role.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

Lexosis

39.4 OS · 05/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
961 metal received · 88545 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=707
Advanced Metal Extractor6:50Middle 50%: 6:24–7:25 · n=681
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:53–12:08 · n=442

Played most by

DRM44games of this buildAdeus37games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildImmort29games of this buildNutzz29games of this build