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Standard air

Cortex Air build order · Supreme Isthmus

Economy-first air build: Aircraft Plant then Advanced Metal Extractor and Fusion Reactor, making transports and scouts for allies while transitioning into fighters and occasional bombers over the whole game.

Usually transports first (78%)

#eco #air #team support · 1508 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1813 · Recently observed

HOW TO PLAY IT

Key timing: Aircraft Plant by 1:24

  1. Open 3 mex and wind, then drop Aircraft Plant early.
  2. Finish Aircraft Plant and start fighters for scouting and defense.
  3. Eat the Aircraft Plant once production needs outgrow it.
  4. Get Advanced Metal Extractor up to scale eco.
  5. Bring Fusion Reactor online and keep feeding transports, scouts, fighters to allies.

Phase by phase

TYPICAL OF ITS 1508 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 ~1:26, middle half 1:14–1:35

    Some games also: energy storage (38%)

    By 1:07 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:09 · typical 1:26
  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
    • Hercules2 Light transport for allies
    • Finch2 Finch for allies
    • Finch1 Finch
    • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport for allies

    Some games also: shuriken (49%) · energy storage (45%) · converter (44%) · light transport (40%)

    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 · 27 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. ValiantValiant ×2
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. ValiantValiant ×3
    11. Con turret
    12. Mex
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind ×2
    15. ShurikenShuriken
    16. Wind
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    18. Wind
    19. ShurikenShuriken
    20. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    21. Wind
    22. HerculesLight transport
    23. ShurikenShuriken
    24. Con turret
    25. Wind
    26. ShurikenShuriken
    27. Energy storage
  3. 3

    5:00 to 10:00

    Economy
    • Wind Turbine21Wind
    • Wind Turbine5Wind
    • Energy Converter6Converter
    Order
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plant
    2. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plant after 19 wind, 18 wind, 7 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (47%) · fusion (38%) · con aircraft (35%) · light transport (31%)

    By 10:00 in all: 3 mex · 1 mex · 25 wind · 20 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 231 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Wind
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Wind
    13. ShurikenShuriken
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. ShurikenShuriken
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. ShurikenShuriken
    26. Wind
    27. Wind
    28. ShurikenShuriken
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Converter
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Wind
    33. Wind ×2
    34. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. Wind
    38. Con turret
    39. Wind
    40. Wind
    41. Wind ×2
    42. Converter
    43. Wind
    44. Wind
    45. Wind
    46. Converter
    47. Wind
    48. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:32 · typical 6:54
    49. Wind
    50. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    51. Wind
    52. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    53. Wind ×4
    54. Con turret
    55. Wind
    56. Wind
    57. Wind
    58. Con turret
    59. Wind
    60. Wind
    61. Con turret
    62. Hardened Energy Storage
    63. Con turret
    64. Wind
    65. Wind
    66. Con turret ×2
    67. Wind ×2
    68. Wind
    69. Wind
    70. Wind
    71. Wind
    72. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:02
    73. Wind
    74. Wind
    75. Wind ×2
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. Wind
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant ×2
    95. Wind
    96. Wind
    97. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    98. Wind
    99. Wind
    100. Wind
    101. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:10 · typical 10:52
    102. ShurikenShuriken
    103. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    104. Wind ×4
    105. Wind
    106. ShurikenShuriken
    107. Wind
    108. ShurikenShuriken
    109. Wind
    110. Converter
    111. Wind
    112. Wind
    113. Wind
    114. Converter
    115. Wind
    116. Converter
    117. Wind
    118. ShurikenShuriken
    119. Wind
    120. Wind ×4
    121. Wind
    122. Wind
    123. Fusion ReactorFusion
    124. ShurikenShuriken
    125. Wind
    126. Wind
    127. Con turret
    128. Wind
    129. Con turret ×2
    130. Wind ×2
    131. Wind
    132. ShurikenShuriken
    133. Wind ×3
    134. Wind
    135. Wind
    136. ShurikenShuriken
    137. Wind ×2
    138. ShurikenShuriken
    139. Wind
    140. Con turret
    141. Wind ×2
    142. Converter
    143. Wind ×2
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind
    146. Converter
    147. Wind
    148. Converter ×2
    149. Wind ×2
    150. Converter
    151. Wind
    152. Wind
    153. ValiantValiant ×2
    154. Wind
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Wind
    157. Converter
    158. Wind ×3
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Wind
    161. Converter
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind ×2
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Converter
    166. Wind
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Con turret
    169. Wind
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Converter
    172. Wind ×2
    173. Pit BullPit Bull
    174. Con turret
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind
    177. Wind ×2
    178. Con turret
    179. Wind
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind
    182. Con turret
    183. Converter
    184. Wind
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind
    187. Con turret
    188. Converter
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind
    191. Wind
    192. Con turret
    193. VeilVeil
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind
    196. Converter
    197. Con turret
    198. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    199. Wind
    200. Con turret
    201. Converter
    202. Wind
    203. Wind
    204. Con turret
    205. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    206. Wind ×2
    207. HerculesLight transport
    208. Converter
    209. Con turret
    210. Wind
    211. Wind
    212. ValiantValiant ×2
    213. Converter
    214. Wind
    215. ValiantValiant
    216. Con turret
    217. Wind
    218. ValiantValiant ×2
    219. Wind
    220. Converter
    221. Con turret
    222. Wind
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    225. Con turret
    226. Wind
    227. Converter
    228. GuardGuard
    229. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    230. Con turret
    231. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is HALF_DALLAH_HABIT's (33 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 1:50 · 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 2:23 · in 71% of games

You get

  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo seafirst at 1:37 · in 64% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:42 · in 46% of games
  • Construction Bot1 Con bot from Techfirst at 2:22 · in 88% of games
  • Advanced Construction Bot1 T2 con bot from Techfirst at 6:05 · in 96% 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

01k2k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

Own metal lost

01k2k3k
0:005:0010:0015:00

metal

1813 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002052051
5:0027635173
6:003711102124
7:005089146167
8:006903190219
9:009285230270
10:0011761292379
11:0014370369533
12:0017069512781
13:00198597811101
14:002270412631689
15:002573618082409
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY

Standard air play wins less than half its games, with very low combat losses and kills since the role mostly supports rather than fights.

  • + Own metal lost stays very low, only 2701 by 15:00.
  • + Metal production reaches 25740 by 15:00, a strong support economy.
  • − Team wins under half of games (47%).
  • − Enemy metal destroyed stays low at 2097 by 15:00, showing little direct impact.
THE EXAMPLE YOU ARE READING

HALF_DALLAH_HABIT

32.8 OS · 03/10/2026

Open source match ↗

169 received units · includes a constructor
1636 metal received · 79238 energy received

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

Typical milestones

Aircraft Plant1:26Middle 50%: 1:14–1:35 · n=1813
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1753
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:46–12:17 · n=1160

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this build