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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 · 1506 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1811 · 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 1506 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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:30 · 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. HerculesLight transport
    3. FinchFinch
    4. Wind
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    7. ValiantValiant ×2
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Con turret
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Con turret
    13. ValiantValiant ×2
    14. Wind ×5
    15. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    16. Wind
    17. Con turret
    18. Wind
    19. Con turret
    20. Wind ×2
    21. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    22. Con turret
    23. Wind ×2
  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 · 284 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Converter
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind
    14. Wind
    15. Converter
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. Wind ×2
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind ×2
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. Wind ×2
    30. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 8:00 · typical 6:54
    31. Wind
    32. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. Wind
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    37. Wind
    38. Wind ×2
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    40. Wind
    41. Wind ×2
    42. Wind
    43. Wind
    44. Wind
    45. Wind
    46. Converter
    47. Wind
    48. Wind ×2
    49. Wind
    50. Wind
    51. Wind
    52. Wind
    53. Converter
    54. Wind
    55. Wind ×2
    56. Converter
    57. Wind
    58. Wind
    59. Wind
    60. Wind
    61. Converter
    62. Wind
    63. Wind
    64. Converter
    65. Wind ×2
    66. Wind ×2
    67. Wind ×2
    68. Wind
    69. Wind
    70. Converter
    71. Con turret
    72. Wind
    73. Wind ×2
    74. Wind
    75. Wind
    76. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    77. Wind
    78. Converter
    79. Wind
    80. Converter
    81. Wind
    82. Converter
    83. Wind ×2
    84. Converter
    85. Wind
    86. Wind ×2
    87. Converter
    88. Wind
    89. Wind
    90. Wind
    91. Converter
    92. Wind
    93. Wind ×2
    94. Wind ×2
    95. Wind ×2
    96. Wind
    97. Con turret
    98. Wind
    99. Wind
    100. Wind ×3
    101. Wind
    102. Wind ×2
    103. Wind
    104. Wind
    105. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:51
    106. Wind ×2
    107. Wind
    108. Wind
    109. Con turret
    110. Wind
    111. Wind
    112. Con turret
    113. ShurikenShuriken
    114. Wind
    115. Wind
    116. Con turret
    117. Wind
    118. ShurikenShuriken
    119. Wind
    120. Wind
    121. ShurikenShuriken
    122. Wind
    123. Converter
    124. ShurikenShuriken
    125. Wind
    126. Wind
    127. ShurikenShuriken
    128. Converter
    129. ShurikenShuriken
    130. Wind
    131. Converter
    132. Wind
    133. Wind
    134. ShurikenShuriken
    135. Converter
    136. ShurikenShuriken
    137. Wind
    138. ShurikenShuriken
    139. Wind
    140. Converter
    141. Wind
    142. ShurikenShuriken
    143. Wind
    144. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    145. Wind
    146. Converter
    147. ShurikenShuriken
    148. Wind
    149. ShurikenShuriken
    150. Wind
    151. ShurikenShuriken
    152. Wind
    153. Wind
    154. Converter
    155. ValiantValiant ×2
    156. Wind
    157. Wind ×2
    158. ValiantValiant ×2
    159. Con turret
    160. Wind
    161. Wind ×2
    162. Con turret
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Wind
    165. Wind ×2
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Con turret
    168. Wind
    169. Wind
    170. ValiantValiant
    171. Con turret
    172. T2 converter
    173. Wind
    174. Con turret
    175. Wind
    176. Wind ×2
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Wind
    179. Wind ×2
    180. Wind
    181. Wind
    182. T2 converter
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Con turret
    185. Wind
    186. Wind
    187. Con turret
    188. Wind
    189. ValiantValiant ×2
    190. Wind
    191. ValiantValiant ×2
    192. Wind
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Wind
    195. Wind ×2
    196. Wind
    197. T2 converter
    198. ValiantValiant
    199. Wind ×2
    200. ValiantValiant ×2
    201. Wind
    202. ValiantValiant
    203. Wind ×2
    204. Wind
    205. Wind
    206. ValiantValiant
    207. Wind
    208. Wind
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. Con turret
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. Wind
    213. Con turret
    214. ValiantValiant
    215. Wind
    216. Wind
    217. Con turret
    218. ValiantValiant
    219. Wind
    220. Con turret
    221. Wind
    222. Wind
    223. ValiantValiant ×3
    224. Wind
    225. ValiantValiant
    226. Wind
    227. Wind
    228. ValiantValiant ×4
    229. Wind
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Wind
    232. Wind
    233. ValiantValiant ×4
    234. Wind
    235. Wind
    236. ValiantValiant
    237. Wind
    238. ValiantValiant ×3
    239. Wind
    240. Wind
    241. ValiantValiant ×2
    242. Wind
    243. ValiantValiant ×2
    244. Wind
    245. Wind
    246. ValiantValiant ×4
    247. Wind
    248. ValiantValiant
    249. Wind
    250. FinchFinch
    251. Wind
    252. ValiantValiant ×2
    253. Wind
    254. ValiantValiant
    255. Wind
    256. ValiantValiant ×3
    257. Wind
    258. ValiantValiant
    259. Wind
    260. ValiantValiant ×3
    261. Wind
    262. ValiantValiant
    263. Wind
    264. ValiantValiant ×2
    265. Wind
    266. ValiantValiant ×2
    267. Wind
    268. ValiantValiant ×2
    269. Wind
    270. ValiantValiant
    271. Wind
    272. ValiantValiant
    273. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 10:53
    274. ValiantValiant
    275. Wind ×2
    276. ValiantValiant
    277. Wind
    278. ValiantValiant
    279. FinchFinch
    280. Wind
    281. FinchFinch
    282. Wind ×2
    283. ValiantValiant ×3
    284. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is realisticjo's (32 OS, 12/10/2026); 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 2:23 · 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

1811 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
6:003707102124
7:005089146167
8:006902190219
9:009284230270
10:0011758292380
11:0014356369536
12:0017069512781
13:00198597811102
14:002270412641689
15:002573618132420
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

realisticjo

32.2 OS · 12/10/2026

Open source match ↗

6 received units · includes a constructor
423 metal received · 67903 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=1811
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1751
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:45–12:17 · n=1159

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