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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 · 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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:13 · 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 · 28 steps
    1. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    2. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo sea
    3. FinchFinch
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    7. Wind ×5
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    9. Wind
    10. Mex
    11. Energy storage
    12. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    15. Wind
    16. Wind
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    19. Wind ×3
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    24. Wind
    25. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
  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 · 155 steps
    1. Con turret
    2. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    3. Wind
    4. ValiantValiant ×3for Geo
    5. Wind
    6. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    7. Wind
    8. ShurikenShuriken
    9. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo
    10. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:12 · typical 6:54
    11. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    12. Wind ×2
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    14. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    16. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. Con turret
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. ShurikenShuriken
    24. Con turret
    25. ValiantValiant ×3
    26. ShurikenShuriken ×12
    27. Con turret
    28. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    29. ValiantValiant ×2
    30. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    31. Con turret
    32. ShurikenShuriken
    33. ValiantValiant ×2
    34. Con turret
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Con turret
    39. Wind
    40. Con turret
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant ×2
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant ×2
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind ×2
    57. ValiantValiant ×2
    58. Wind
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    66. Wind
    67. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    68. Wind
    69. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    70. Wind
    71. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant ×2
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind ×2
    79. ValiantValiant ×2
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant ×2
    82. Wind ×2
    83. ValiantValiant ×2
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind ×2
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind ×2
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Bot LabBot Labdone 13:55
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind ×2
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Construction BotCon bot
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Construction BotCon bot
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Construction BotCon bot
    109. Wind
    110. ValiantValiant
    111. Wind
    112. Construction BotCon bot
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Construction BotCon bot
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind
    117. Construction BotCon bot
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind
    120. Construction BotCon bot
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Wind
    123. Construction BotCon bot
    124. Wind
    125. ValiantValiant
    126. Wind
    127. Construction BotCon bot
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind
    131. Construction BotCon bot
    132. ValiantValiant
    133. Wind
    134. Wind
    135. Wind
    136. Construction BotCon bot
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Construction BotCon bot
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind
    142. Wind ×2
    143. Wind
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind ×2
    152. Wind
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Converter
    155. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [Crd]Atlas's (33 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 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

[Crd]Atlas

32.6 OS · 07/09/2026

Open source match ↗

4 received units · includes a constructor
207 metal received · 62470 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