BAR / BUILD ATLAS
← All builds
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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×5
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:36 · 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 · 25 steps
    1. ShurikenShuriken
    2. FinchFinch
    3. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    4. ValiantValiantfor Beach sea
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    6. Wind
    7. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. Wind ×3
    10. Mex
    11. Wind
    12. Con turret
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. Con turret
    16. Wind
    17. Con turret
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. ValiantValiantfor Beach sea
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant ×2for Beach sea
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
  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 · 159 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    3. Wind ×2
    4. Wind
    5. Wind
    6. Wind
    7. Wind ×2
    8. Wind
    9. Wind
    10. Wind ×3
    11. Converter
    12. Wind ×3
    13. Converter
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Converter
    16. Wind
    17. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:03 · typical 6:54
    22. Wind ×2
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind ×4
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. HephaestusHeavy transport
    28. Wind ×2
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    30. Wind
    31. HerculesLight transport
    32. Wind ×4
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind ×2
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind ×2
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind ×2
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:31
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. Construction BotCon bot
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Con turret
    56. Wind
    57. Construction BotCon bot
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Con turret
    60. Construction BotCon bot
    61. Wind ×2
    62. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    63. ValiantValiant ×3
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. GuardGuard
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind ×2
    70. ValiantValiant ×2
    71. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. ThistleThistle
    75. Wind ×2
    76. ValiantValiant ×4
    77. Wind
    78. ValiantValiant ×2
    79. Wind ×2
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind
    82. ValiantValiant ×2
    83. Wind ×2
    84. ValiantValiant ×3
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Con turret
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Con turret
    90. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:08 · typical 10:53
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant ×2
    98. Wind ×2
    99. ValiantValiant ×2
    100. Wind ×2
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind ×3
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Wind
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    107. Converter
    108. Wind ×3
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. Converter
    112. ValiantValiant
    113. Wind ×2
    114. T2 converter
    115. Wind
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Converter
    118. Con turret
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant ×2
    121. Wind ×2
    122. Converter
    123. ValiantValiant
    124. Wind
    125. ValiantValiant ×3
    126. Wind
    127. Converter
    128. Wind
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. T2 converter
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant ×2
    136. Converter
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind ×2
    140. ValiantValiant ×2
    141. Wind ×2
    142. Converter
    143. ValiantValiant ×3
    144. Converter
    145. Wind ×2
    146. ValiantValiant ×2
    147. Wind
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Converter
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant ×4
    152. Converter
    153. Wind ×2
    154. ValiantValiant ×3
    155. Wind
    156. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    157. Converter
    158. Wind
    159. WhirlwindWhirlwind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Tregan's (40 OS, 14/10/2026); 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

Tregan

39.8 OS · 14/10/2026

Open source match ↗

5 received units · includes a constructor
650 metal received · 14526 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