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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 · 1515 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1820 · 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 1515 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 1:16 · 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 · 30 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    2. Wind ×2
    3. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    4. Wind ×4
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Energy storage
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. Mex
    13. Con turret
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    16. Wind ×2
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    18. Con turret
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Converter
    21. Converter
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Converter
    24. Wind
    25. Converter
    26. Converter
    27. Wind ×3
    28. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    29. Wind ×5
    30. Converter
  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 · 303 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Wind
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. Wind
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 5:40
    9. Wind
    10. Wind
    11. Converter ×2
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind
    14. Wind
    15. Converter
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind ×3
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. Wind
    21. Wind
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:44 · typical 6:54
    23. Wind ×5
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    27. Wind
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Con turret
    30. Wind
    31. Con turret
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    33. Wind ×3
    34. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:09
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    37. Construction BotCon bot ×5
    38. Wind
    39. Construction BotCon bot
    40. Wind
    41. Construction BotCon bot
    42. Wind
    43. Construction BotCon bot
    44. Wind
    45. Construction BotCon bot
    46. Wind
    47. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    48. Wind
    49. Con turret
    50. Wind
    51. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 10:19 · typical 10:52
    52. Wind ×4
    53. Converter
    54. Wind ×3
    55. Converter
    56. Wind ×4
    57. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    58. Wind ×3
    59. Converter
    60. Wind ×3
    61. Converter
    62. Wind ×3
    63. Converter
    64. Wind ×3
    65. Converter
    66. Wind ×2
    67. Converter
    68. Wind ×6
    69. Converter
    70. Wind ×4
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind
    73. Con turret ×2
    74. Wind ×2
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind
    77. Con turret
    78. Converter
    79. Wind ×3
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind ×2
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind ×2
    84. Converter
    85. Con turret
    86. Wind ×3
    87. Con turret
    88. Converter
    89. Wind
    90. Converter
    91. Wind ×2
    92. ShurikenShuriken
    93. Wind
    94. Converter
    95. ShurikenShuriken
    96. Wind
    97. ShurikenShuriken
    98. Converter
    99. Wind
    100. ShurikenShuriken
    101. Wind
    102. Converter
    103. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    104. Converter
    105. Wind
    106. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    107. Wind ×2
    108. ShurikenShuriken
    109. Wind
    110. Converter
    111. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    112. Wind
    113. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    114. Wind ×2
    115. Converter ×2
    116. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    117. Wind
    118. ShurikenShuriken
    119. Wind
    120. ShurikenShuriken
    121. Wind ×2
    122. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    123. Wind
    124. Converter
    125. ShurikenShuriken
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind ×2
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Con turret
    132. Wind
    133. Con turret
    134. Wind ×2
    135. Con turret
    136. Wind
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant ×2
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind
    152. ValiantValiant ×2
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. ValiantValiant
    157. Wind
    158. ValiantValiant
    159. Wind
    160. ValiantValiant ×2
    161. Wind
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Wind ×2
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Wind
    174. ValiantValiant ×2
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind ×2
    180. ShurikenShuriken
    181. Converter
    182. ShurikenShuriken
    183. Wind
    184. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    185. Wind
    186. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    187. Wind
    188. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    189. Wind ×2
    190. Converter
    191. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    192. Wind
    193. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    194. Wind ×2
    195. ShurikenShuriken
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Wind
    198. Converter
    199. ValiantValiant ×2
    200. Wind
    201. Converter
    202. Wind
    203. ValiantValiant
    204. Wind
    205. ValiantValiant
    206. Wind
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. Converter
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. Wind ×2
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. Wind
    213. ValiantValiant
    214. Wind
    215. ValiantValiant ×2
    216. Wind
    217. ThistleThistle
    218. Wind
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Converter
    221. Wind
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. ThistleThistle
    224. Wind
    225. ValiantValiant ×2
    226. Wind ×2
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Wind
    229. ValiantValiant
    230. Wind
    231. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    232. Wind
    233. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    234. Wind ×2
    235. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    236. Con turret
    237. Wind ×5
    238. Con turret ×2
    239. Wind ×3
    240. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:47
    241. Wind ×3
    242. ValiantValiant
    243. Wind
    244. ValiantValiant ×3
    245. Wind
    246. ValiantValiant ×2
    247. Wind
    248. ValiantValiant ×2
    249. Wind ×2
    250. ValiantValiant ×2
    251. Wind
    252. ValiantValiant ×4
    253. Wind
    254. ValiantValiant
    255. Wind
    256. ValiantValiant
    257. Wind
    258. ValiantValiant ×2
    259. Wind
    260. ValiantValiant ×2
    261. Wind
    262. ValiantValiant ×3
    263. Wind ×2
    264. ValiantValiant ×2
    265. Wind
    266. ValiantValiant
    267. Wind
    268. ValiantValiant ×2
    269. Wind
    270. ValiantValiant
    271. Wind
    272. ValiantValiant ×3
    273. Wind
    274. ValiantValiant
    275. Wind
    276. ValiantValiant
    277. Wind
    278. ValiantValiant ×2
    279. Wind
    280. ValiantValiant
    281. Wind
    282. ValiantValiant
    283. Wind
    284. ValiantValiant
    285. Wind
    286. ValiantValiant ×2
    287. Wind
    288. ValiantValiant
    289. Wind ×2
    290. ValiantValiant ×2
    291. Wind
    292. ValiantValiant ×2
    293. Wind
    294. ValiantValiant
    295. Wind
    296. ValiantValiant ×2
    297. Wind
    298. ValiantValiant
    299. Wind
    300. ValiantValiant
    301. Wind
    302. ValiantValiant ×2
    303. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [BAC]Prime_Hybrid's (34 OS, 07/09/2026); 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 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 2:23 · 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

1820 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
6:003709102124
7:005089146167
8:006903190219
9:009285231271
10:0011765292380
11:0014373367535
12:0017074512780
13:00198647751095
14:002271012621682
15:002573918112415
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

[BAC]Prime_Hybrid

33.7 OS · 07/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
324 metal received · 57094 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=1820
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1760
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:45–12:16 · n=1165

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas