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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 · 598 distinct matches · 119 players · 79% of Cortex Air games · team won 47% of 671 · 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 598 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 ~1:24, middle half 1:13–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (39%)

    By 1:03 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solarfor Tech
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:18 · typical 1:24
  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 (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 · 32 steps
    1. HerculesLight transport
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    5. Wind
    6. Mex
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Con turret
    10. Wind ×3
    11. Wind
    12. Wind ×2
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. Con turret
    16. Energy storage
    17. HerculesLight transport
    18. Wind
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    20. HerculesLight transport
    21. Wind
    22. Con turret ×2
    23. Wind
    24. Con turret
    25. Con turretfor Geo sea
    26. Wind
    27. Con turret ×2
    28. Wind ×11
    29. Wind
    30. Wind ×13
    31. Wind
    32. Converter ×5
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine20Wind
    • Wind Turbine4Wind
    • 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 (35%) · fusion (35%) · 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 · 298 steps
    1. Converter ×5
    2. Wind
    3. Wind
    4. Wind ×9
    5. Converter ×5
    6. Wind
    7. Converter
    8. Wind ×13
    9. Wind
    10. Wind ×10
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:32 · typical 6:48
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    15. Converter
    16. Wind
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    18. Wind
    19. Wind ×6
    20. Con turret ×2
    21. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:40
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. HerculesLight transport
    27. Converter
    28. HerculesLight transport
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiant
    33. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind ×2
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind ×2
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. Wind
    58. Converter
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind
    66. Wind
    67. Converter
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind
    70. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    71. Wind
    72. Wind ×2
    73. Wind
    74. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    75. Wind
    76. Wind
    77. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    78. Wind ×2
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind ×2
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. Converter
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind ×2
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind
    90. Con turret
    91. Wind ×2
    92. Wind ×2
    93. Con turret
    94. Wind
    95. Wind
    96. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:26
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Con turret
    99. Wind
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Construction BotCon bot
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiant
    107. Wind
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind
    113. Wind
    114. Hovercraft PlatformHovercraft Platformdone 11:03
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Converter
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant ×2
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Con turret
    130. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:11 · typical 10:55
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Con turret
    133. Wind
    134. Wind
    135. Wind
    136. SeekerSeeker
    137. Wind ×2
    138. SeekerSeeker
    139. Wind
    140. PossumPossum
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. PossumPossum
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind
    151. Converter
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Wind
    154. Wind
    155. Wind ×3
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind
    158. Wind
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Wind
    161. Wind
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. Wind
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind ×3
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. SentrySentry
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Converter
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Wind
    175. ValiantValiant ×2
    176. Wind
    177. SentrySentry
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind
    180. ValiantValiant ×2
    181. Wind
    182. ValiantValiant ×3
    183. Wind
    184. ValiantValiant
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. ShurikenShuriken
    188. Wind
    189. ShurikenShuriken
    190. Wind
    191. SentrySentry
    192. ShurikenShuriken
    193. Wind
    194. ShurikenShuriken
    195. Wind
    196. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    197. Wind
    198. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    199. Wind
    200. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    201. Wind
    202. ShurikenShuriken
    203. Wind
    204. ShurikenShuriken
    205. Wind
    206. ShurikenShuriken
    207. SentrySentry
    208. ValiantValiant ×2
    209. Wind
    210. Converter
    211. ValiantValiant ×2
    212. Wind
    213. ValiantValiant ×2
    214. Wind
    215. ValiantValiant
    216. Wind ×3
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. Wind
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Wind
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Wind
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Wind ×2
    225. ValiantValiant
    226. Wind
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Wind
    229. ValiantValiant
    230. Wind ×2
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. BeamerBeamer
    233. Wind
    234. ValiantValiant
    235. Wind
    236. Wind
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Wind
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Wind
    241. ValiantValiant
    242. Wind ×2
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Wind
    245. ValiantValiant
    246. Converter
    247. Wind
    248. ValiantValiant
    249. Wind
    250. ValiantValiant
    251. Wind
    252. ValiantValiant ×2
    253. Wind ×2
    254. Wind
    255. ValiantValiant
    256. Wind
    257. Bot LabBot Labnot finished by 15:00
    258. ValiantValiant
    259. Bot LabBot Labnot finished by 15:00
    260. Wind
    261. ValiantValiant
    262. Wind
    263. ValiantValiant
    264. Wind
    265. Wind
    266. ValiantValiant ×2
    267. Wind
    268. Con turret
    269. Wind
    270. Con turret
    271. ValiantValiant
    272. Wind ×2
    273. Con turret
    274. Wind
    275. Converter
    276. Wind
    277. ValiantValiant
    278. Wind
    279. ValiantValiant
    280. BeamerBeamer
    281. Wind
    282. ValiantValiant
    283. Converter
    284. Con turret
    285. Wind
    286. ValiantValiant
    287. Wind
    288. Converter
    289. Wind
    290. ValiantValiant
    291. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    292. Wind
    293. Converter
    294. Wind
    295. ValiantValiant
    296. Converter
    297. Wind
    298. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is WaterBoy's (35 OS, 03/10/2026); 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 2:25 · in 74% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:39 · in 65% 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 2:20 · in 85% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:03 · 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

671 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039300
2:0092500
3:00145900
4:002054051
5:00276673116
6:003772125167
7:005147190224
8:007026240292
9:009354263343
10:0011850338467
11:0014411439631
12:0017116585949
13:00199489191276
14:002269914241819
15:002558820892709
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

WaterBoy

35.4 OS · 03/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
561 metal received · 93403 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:24Middle 50%: 1:13–1:35 · n=671
Advanced Metal Extractor6:48Middle 50%: 6:22–7:25 · n=645
Fusion Reactor10:55Middle 50%: 9:53–12:11 · n=413

Played most by

DRM39games of this buildAdeus33games of this buildTheGeneraI32games of this buildImmort28games of this buildNutzz28games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas