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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 (78%)

#eco #air #team support · 1490 distinct matches · 252 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1793 · 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 1490 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 ×5
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:25 · 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 · 23 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    5. ValiantValiant ×2
    6. Wind ×3
    7. Energy storage
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Con turret
    11. Mex
    12. Con turret ×2
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    14. HerculesLight transport
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Wind ×3
    18. Converter
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Converter
    21. Wind ×5
    22. Converter
    23. 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 19 wind, 18 wind, 7 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is DonGarillo's (31 OS, 07/10/2026); 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 72% 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

1793 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
6:003706102124
7:005088146167
8:006900190219
9:009279232270
10:0011757292384
11:0014351373540
12:0017061515781
13:00198467811109
14:002269912691689
15:002570018082409
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

DonGarillo

30.7 OS · 07/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
392 metal received · 168892 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=1793
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1734
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:47–12:18 · n=1147

Played most by

TheGeneraI113games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildMilkdragon51games of this buildAdeus50games of this build