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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 · 1480 distinct matches · 250 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1783 · 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 1480 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 · 6 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. Wind ×4
    5. Energy storage
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:35 · 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 · 32 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    3. FinchFinch
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. Wind
    9. HerculesLight transport
    10. Wind
    11. Con turret
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind ×2
    14. Mex
    15. Wind
    16. Solar
    17. ValiantValiant ×2
    18. ThistleThistle
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    21. ValiantValiant
    22. Con turret
    23. Wind
    24. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    25. Wind
    26. Con turret
    27. Wind
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. Wind
    31. Converter
    32. 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 · 24 wind · 20 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is bob7's (31 OS, 05/09/2026); 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 2:23 · 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 2:23 · 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

1783 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002053051
5:0027635173
6:003715102124
7:005089146167
8:006904190219
9:009291230271
10:0011771292384
11:0014395373538
12:0017078517781
13:00198597811115
14:002270012691689
15:002572918312440
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

bob7

30.7 OS · 05/09/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
547 metal received · 51992 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=1783
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1724
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:45–12:17 · n=1143

Played most by

TheGeneraI112games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this buildAdeus50games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas