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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:12 · 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 · 37 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. Wind ×2
    4. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    5. Wind
    6. FinchFinch
    7. Wind
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    9. Wind
    10. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    11. Wind ×2
    12. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    13. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. Mex
    19. Wind ×2
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    23. Con turret
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Energy storage
    26. Con turret
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    29. Con turret
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Wind
    34. FinchFinch
    35. Wind
    36. FinchFinch
    37. HerculesLight transport
  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 · 136 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×5
    4. Converter
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Converter
    7. Wind ×5
    8. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:32 · typical 6:50
    9. Wind ×4
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    11. Wind ×2
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:08
    15. Converter ×2
    16. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    17. Converter
    18. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    19. Solar ×2
    20. Wind
    21. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    22. Con turret
    23. Wind
    24. Con turret
    25. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    26. FinchFinch
    27. Wind
    28. FinchFinch
    29. Converter
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant ×2
    33. Wind
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:10 · typical 10:56
    36. ValiantValiant ×2
    37. Converter
    38. ValiantValiant ×2
    39. Wind
    40. ValiantValiant ×5
    41. Wind
    42. ValiantValiant ×2
    43. Converter
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant ×2
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Converter
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. Con turret
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Con turret ×2
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Con turret
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. Con turret ×2
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Con turret ×2
    63. ValiantValiant ×2
    64. Con turret
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. Fusion ReactorFusion
    68. Con turret
    69. ValiantValiant ×3
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant ×2
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant ×2
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant ×2
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant ×2
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant ×2
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant ×3
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. FinchFinch ×3
    87. Wind
    88. FinchFinch
    89. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    90. Wind
    91. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    92. Wind
    93. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    94. Converter
    95. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    96. Converter
    97. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    98. Converter
    99. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    100. Wind
    101. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    102. Converter
    103. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    104. Wind
    105. Converter
    106. Wind ×2
    107. Converter
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant ×3
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant ×2
    113. Wind
    114. ValiantValiant ×2
    115. Wind
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. ThistleThistle
    118. ValiantValiant ×2
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. ThistleThistle
    122. ValiantValiant ×3
    123. Wind
    124. ThistleThistle
    125. ValiantValiant ×2
    126. Wind
    127. ValiantValiant
    128. HephaestusHeavy transport
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. ThistleThistle
    132. ValiantValiant ×3
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant ×2
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant ×4

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Immort's (56 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

Immort

56.2 OS · 23/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
221 metal received · 39271 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