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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 · 1508 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1813 · 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 1508 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 1:19 · 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 · 27 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    3. Wind
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    6. Wind ×2
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Con turret ×2
    11. Energy storage
    12. Mex
    13. ValiantValiant ×2
    14. ShurikenShuriken
    15. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    16. HerculesLight transport ×2for Beach sea
    17. Wind ×3
    18. ShurikenShuriken
    19. Wind
    20. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    21. Converter
    22. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    23. Converter
    24. ValiantValiant
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. 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 · 266 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Con turret
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Converter ×2
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind
    7. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    8. Wind ×3
    9. Con turret
    10. Wind ×2
    11. Converter
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Wind ×3
    15. Converter
    16. Wind ×3
    17. Converter
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:58 · typical 6:54
    21. Converter
    22. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    23. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:57
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Construction BotCon bot ×11
    26. Wind
    27. Construction BotCon bot
    28. Wind
    29. Construction BotCon bot
    30. Wind
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Wind ×2
    33. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:38
    34. Wind ×6
    35. ThistleThistle
    36. ShurikenShuriken
    37. ThistleThistle
    38. Wind ×3
    39. ShurikenShuriken
    40. Wind ×2
    41. ThistleThistle ×2
    42. Wind ×2
    43. ShurikenShuriken
    44. Wind ×3
    45. ShurikenShuriken
    46. ThistleThistle
    47. Wind
    48. ShurikenShuriken
    49. Wind ×2
    50. ShurikenShuriken
    51. Wind ×5
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Wind
    54. Con turret
    55. Wind ×5
    56. ThistleThistle
    57. Wind ×7
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind ×2
    60. Converter
    61. Wind ×5
    62. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    63. Wind ×2
    64. Converter
    65. Wind ×2
    66. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    67. Con turret
    68. Wind ×3
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. Converter
    72. Wind ×3
    73. Energy storage
    74. Wind ×3
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind ×5
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind ×2
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind ×6
    81. Converter
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind ×2
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind ×4
    88. Con turret
    89. Converter
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind ×5
    92. Con turret
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Converter
    96. Wind
    97. Con turret
    98. Wind ×3
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind ×2
    101. Converter
    102. Wind ×3
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Converter
    107. Wind ×6
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant ×2
    111. Converter
    112. Wind ×5
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind
    115. Converter
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Converter
    120. Wind ×2
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Con turret
    123. Wind ×4
    124. Con turret
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind
    127. Converter
    128. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    129. Wind ×2
    130. Con turret
    131. Wind ×4
    132. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    133. Con turret
    134. Wind
    135. Converter
    136. Wind
    137. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    138. Wind ×3
    139. Converter
    140. Wind
    141. ValiantValiant
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Converter
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Wind ×2
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Converter
    151. Wind ×3
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Converter
    154. Wind
    155. HerculesLight transport
    156. Wind
    157. Converter
    158. HerculesLight transport ×2
    159. Wind
    160. HerculesLight transport
    161. Wind ×4
    162. Converter
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Wind
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind
    167. Converter
    168. ValiantValiant ×2
    169. Converter
    170. Wind
    171. Converter
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Wind
    174. ValiantValiant
    175. Wind ×2
    176. Con turret
    177. Wind ×2
    178. FinchFinch
    179. Wind
    180. FinchFinch
    181. Wind ×2
    182. Converter
    183. FinchFinch
    184. Wind
    185. FinchFinch
    186. Converter ×2
    187. Wind
    188. FinchFinch
    189. Wind
    190. FinchFinch
    191. Wind ×2
    192. Converter
    193. Wind
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Converter
    196. Wind
    197. Con turret
    198. Wind ×2
    199. Con turret
    200. Wind ×5
    201. Converter
    202. ValiantValiant ×2
    203. Wind
    204. Converter
    205. Wind ×3
    206. Converter
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. Wind ×2
    209. ValiantValiant
    210. Converter
    211. ValiantValiant
    212. Wind ×4
    213. ValiantValiant
    214. Converter
    215. Wind
    216. ValiantValiant
    217. Converter
    218. Wind ×2
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Wind ×2
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Converter
    223. Wind ×2
    224. Converter
    225. ValiantValiant
    226. Wind ×3
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Wind ×3
    229. Converter
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Wind
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Converter
    234. Wind ×2
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Wind ×2
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Wind ×2
    239. Converter
    240. Energy storage
    241. ValiantValiant
    242. Wind ×2
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Wind ×3
    245. Converter
    246. ValiantValiant
    247. Wind
    248. ShurikenShuriken
    249. Wind ×3
    250. ShurikenShuriken
    251. Converter
    252. ShurikenShuriken
    253. Wind
    254. Energy storage
    255. Wind
    256. Converter
    257. ShurikenShuriken
    258. Wind ×2
    259. ShurikenShuriken
    260. Wind
    261. ShurikenShuriken
    262. Converter
    263. Wind ×2
    264. ShurikenShuriken
    265. Wind
    266. Converter

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is mobius1's (33 OS, 02/09/2026); 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 2:22 · 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

1813 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
6:003711102124
7:005089146167
8:006903190219
9:009285230270
10:0011761292379
11:0014370369533
12:0017069512781
13:00198597811101
14:002270412631689
15:002573618082409
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

mobius1

32.7 OS · 02/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
576 metal received · 52338 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=1813
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1753
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:46–12:17 · n=1160

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this build