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Air / Cortex / Economy first / OBSERVED BUILD

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 (77%)

#eco #air #team support · 1544 distinct matches · 255 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1852 · 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 1544 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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×3
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:38 · 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%) · converter (45%) · energy storage (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 · 28 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. Wind
    8. Mex
    9. Wind
    10. HerculesLight transport
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind ×2
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. Energy storage
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind ×2
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Con turret
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Con turret ×3
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    24. Wind ×2
    25. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    26. Wind
    27. HerculesLight transport
    28. Wind
  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 18 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 (34%) · 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 · 289 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. Converter
    8. Wind
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Wind
    15. Converter
    16. Wind
    17. Converter ×2
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. Wind
    21. Converter
    22. Wind ×3
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:29 · typical 6:54
    26. Wind
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. Wind ×3
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    30. Converter
    31. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    32. Wind
    33. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:38
    34. Converter
    35. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    36. Wind
    37. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    38. Wind
    39. Construction BotCon bot
    40. Wind
    41. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    42. Converter
    43. Wind
    44. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    45. Wind ×2
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. Wind
    48. Construction BotCon bot
    49. Wind
    50. Construction BotCon bot
    51. Wind ×2
    52. Construction BotCon bot
    53. Wind ×13
    54. Converter
    55. Wind ×21
    56. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:35
    57. Wind ×4
    58. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    59. Wind ×2
    60. Converter
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind ×2
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Wind
    66. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    67. Wind ×4
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind ×2
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind ×2
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind ×2
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. Con turret
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind ×6
    79. Con turret
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind ×2
    83. Converter
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Con turret
    87. Wind ×3
    88. FinchFinch
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Con turret
    91. Wind ×3
    92. Con turret
    93. Wind ×4
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Con turret
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind ×2
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind ×2
    103. ValiantValiant ×3
    104. Wind ×3
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Converter
    107. Wind ×2
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind ×2
    110. ValiantValiant ×2
    111. Converter
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. ShurikenShuriken
    114. Wind ×2
    115. ShurikenShuriken
    116. Wind ×2
    117. ShurikenShuriken
    118. Wind ×2
    119. Converter
    120. ShurikenShuriken
    121. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    122. ShurikenShuriken
    123. Wind ×3
    124. ShurikenShuriken
    125. Converter
    126. Wind
    127. ShurikenShuriken
    128. Wind ×2
    129. ShurikenShuriken
    130. Wind ×2
    131. ValiantValiant ×2
    132. Converter
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind ×2
    138. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    139. Wind ×2
    140. Converter
    141. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    142. Wind
    143. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    144. Wind ×3
    145. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    146. Converter
    147. Wind ×2
    148. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    149. Wind ×2
    150. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    151. Wind
    152. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    153. Wind ×4
    154. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    155. Converter
    156. Wind
    157. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    158. Wind ×2
    159. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    160. Wind ×2
    161. Converter
    162. Wind
    163. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    164. Wind ×3
    165. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    166. Wind ×2
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant
    170. Wind ×3
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind ×2
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Converter
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind ×3
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Wind ×2
    182. Converter
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Wind
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind ×4
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. Wind
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Converter
    191. Wind
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind ×3
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind ×2
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Wind
    198. Converter
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Wind ×2
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Wind ×4
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Wind
    205. Converter
    206. Wind ×2
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. Wind ×4
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. Wind ×2
    211. Converter
    212. Wind
    213. ValiantValiant
    214. Wind ×3
    215. Converter
    216. ValiantValiant
    217. Wind ×2
    218. ValiantValiant
    219. Wind ×2
    220. ValiantValiant
    221. Converter
    222. Wind ×2
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Wind ×2
    225. ValiantValiant
    226. Wind ×2
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Con turret
    229. Converter
    230. Wind ×3
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. Wind ×3
    233. Con turret
    234. Wind
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Wind ×2
    237. Converter
    238. Wind
    239. Con turret
    240. Wind
    241. ValiantValiant
    242. Wind ×6
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Converter
    245. Wind ×3
    246. ValiantValiant
    247. Wind ×2
    248. ValiantValiant
    249. Wind ×2
    250. ValiantValiant ×2
    251. Wind
    252. Converter
    253. Wind
    254. ValiantValiant
    255. Wind ×2
    256. ValiantValiant
    257. Wind
    258. ValiantValiant
    259. Wind ×2
    260. ValiantValiant ×2
    261. Wind ×2
    262. ValiantValiant
    263. Wind
    264. ValiantValiant
    265. Converter
    266. Wind
    267. ValiantValiant ×2
    268. Wind ×3
    269. ValiantValiant
    270. Converter
    271. ValiantValiant
    272. Wind ×3
    273. ValiantValiant
    274. Wind
    275. ValiantValiant ×2
    276. Converter
    277. Wind
    278. ValiantValiant
    279. Wind ×2
    280. ValiantValiant ×2
    281. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    282. Wind
    283. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 10:51
    284. Wind ×2
    285. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    286. Wind
    287. HerculesLight transport
    288. Converter
    289. Wind ×3

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is HomeLessPxrnStar's (30 OS, 13/09/2026); 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 Beach seafirst at 2:06 · in 99% of games
  • Hephaestus1 Heavy transport to Beach sea or Pond or Techfirst at 2:22 · 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 1:41 · 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 6:04 · 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

1852 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002053051
5:0027645173
6:003714102124
7:005094146167
8:006906190219
9:009289227270
10:0011770292371
11:0014388366530
12:0017080511772
13:00198897701083
14:002273112511679
15:002577018062415
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

HomeLessPxrnStar

30.1 OS · 13/09/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
272 metal received · 24346 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=1852
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:26–7:26 · n=1791
Fusion Reactor10:51Middle 50%: 9:45–12:16 · n=1191

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildHALF_DALLAH_HABIT52games of this build