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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 · 1496 distinct matches · 252 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1799 · 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 1496 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 · 32 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. Wind
    5. HerculesLight transport
    6. FinchFinch
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. Wind ×2
    9. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    10. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Air
    16. Con turret
    17. Wind
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Energy storage
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Con turret
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. ShurikenShuriken
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Pond
    31. Wind
    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 · 25 wind · 20 wind · 8 converter · 1 energy storage

    The example game in this phase · 318 steps
    1. Wind
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Wind
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind ×2
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. Wind
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Energy storage
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Converter
    25. Con turret ×2
    26. Wind
    27. ValiantValiant ×3
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Converter
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:28 · typical 6:54
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind
    35. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    37. Wind ×2
    38. Converter
    39. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    40. Converter
    41. Wind
    42. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:16
    43. ShurikenShuriken
    44. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    45. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant ×4
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant ×2
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. NettleNettle
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. ThistleThistle
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. ThistleThistle
    62. ValiantValiant ×5
    63. Wind
    64. ValiantValiant ×2
    65. Wind
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    68. Wind
    69. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    70. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:09
    71. ShurikenShuriken
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Construction BotCon bot
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Construction BotCon bot
    78. Wind
    79. Converter
    80. ValiantValiant ×2
    81. Converter
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant ×2
    84. Construction BotCon bot
    85. Wind
    86. Converter
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. Wind
    90. Converter
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Construction BotCon bot
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Converter
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. Wind
    99. Converter
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. Wind
    103. Converter
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Construction BotCon bot
    106. Converter
    107. Wind
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. ShurikenShuriken
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind
    114. Construction BotCon bot
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind
    117. Construction BotCon bot
    118. Wind
    119. ValiantValiant
    120. Wind
    121. Wind
    122. Construction BotCon bot
    123. ShurikenShuriken
    124. Wind
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind
    127. Wind
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant ×2
    130. Wind
    131. ShurikenShuriken
    132. Wind ×3
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind ×2
    137. Con turret
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. Wind
    141. Con turret
    142. Wind ×2
    143. ShurikenShuriken
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant
    146. Wind ×2
    147. Con turret
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind
    151. Con turret
    152. Wind ×2
    153. Wind
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. ShurikenShuriken
    156. Wind
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind ×2
    159. Wind
    160. Con turret
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind ×2
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Wind
    165. ShurikenShuriken
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind
    170. Wind
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. ShurikenShuriken
    174. ValiantValiant ×2
    175. Wind
    176. Con turret
    177. Wind ×3
    178. Con turret
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Wind
    181. Con turret
    182. Wind ×2
    183. ShurikenShuriken
    184. Wind
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. Wind
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind
    191. ShurikenShuriken
    192. Wind
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Wind
    195. ValiantValiant
    196. Wind
    197. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    198. ValiantValiant
    199. ShurikenShuriken
    200. Wind ×2
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Wind
    203. Converter
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Wind
    206. Converter
    207. ValiantValiant
    208. Wind ×2
    209. Wind
    210. ShurikenShuriken
    211. Converter
    212. ValiantValiant
    213. Wind
    214. ValiantValiant ×2
    215. Wind ×2
    216. Wind
    217. ShurikenShuriken
    218. Converter
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Wind
    221. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    222. Converter
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Wind
    225. Wind
    226. Wind
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Wind
    229. ShurikenShuriken
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Converter
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Wind
    234. Wind
    235. Converter
    236. ValiantValiant
    237. Wind ×2
    238. ShurikenShuriken
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Converter
    241. Wind
    242. Wind
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Converter
    245. ValiantValiant
    246. Wind ×2
    247. ShurikenShuriken
    248. ValiantValiant
    249. Wind
    250. Wind
    251. Converter
    252. ValiantValiant ×2
    253. Wind ×2
    254. ShurikenShuriken
    255. Converter
    256. Wind
    257. ValiantValiant
    258. Wind
    259. Converter
    260. ValiantValiant
    261. Wind ×2
    262. Con turret
    263. ValiantValiant
    264. Con turret
    265. Wind
    266. Wind
    267. Con turret
    268. Wind ×2
    269. ShurikenShuriken
    270. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 14:20
    271. ValiantValiant
    272. Wind
    273. ValiantValiant
    274. Wind
    275. ValiantValiant
    276. Converter
    277. Wind
    278. ValiantValiant
    279. ShurikenShuriken
    280. Con turret
    281. Wind
    282. Wind
    283. ValiantValiant
    284. Wind
    285. ValiantValiant
    286. Con turret
    287. ValiantValiant
    288. Wind ×2
    289. Wind
    290. Con turret
    291. ValiantValiant ×2
    292. Wind
    293. Converter
    294. Wind
    295. ShurikenShuriken
    296. Con turret
    297. Wind
    298. ShurikenShuriken
    299. Wind
    300. ShurikenShuriken
    301. Wind
    302. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    303. Wind
    304. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    305. Wind
    306. ShurikenShuriken
    307. Wind
    308. ShurikenShuriken
    309. Wind
    310. ValiantValiant
    311. ShurikenShuriken
    312. Converter
    313. ValiantValiant
    314. Wind
    315. ValiantValiant ×2
    316. Converter
    317. Wind
    318. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Kontraption's (32 OS, 26/09/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · 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

1799 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
6:003705102124
7:005088146167
8:006898190219
9:009278232270
10:0011753292384
11:0014351373538
12:0017061513781
13:00198507811102
14:002270012641689
15:002570818042405
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

Kontraption

32.0 OS · 26/09/2026

Open source match ↗

10 received units · includes a constructor
3736 metal received · 171944 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=1799
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1740
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:47–12:18 · n=1151

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildMilkdragon51games of this buildAdeus50games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas