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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Adeus's (36 OS, 27/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · 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

Adeus

35.8 OS · 27/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
1988 metal received · 26180 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
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas