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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 ×2
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:05 · 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 · 33 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    7. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    8. FinchFinch
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. Con turret
    11. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    12. Con turret
    13. Wind ×4
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Mex
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Converter
    22. Wind
    23. Converter ×2
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. Converter
    33. 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 (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 · 243 steps
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    2. Con turret
    3. Converter
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantnot finished by 15:00
    7. Energy storage
    8. Solar
    9. Wind
    10. Solar
    11. Wind
    12. Energy storage
    13. Wind
    14. Wind
    15. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    16. Wind ×3
    17. Wind
    18. Wind ×2
    19. Wind
    20. Wind
    21. Wind
    22. Wind ×2
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 6:54
    27. Wind
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:24 · typical 6:54
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant
    31. Wind
    32. Wind
    33. Wind ×2
    34. ValiantValiant
    35. Wind
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind
    40. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind ×4
    43. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    44. Wind ×2
    45. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    46. Con turret
    47. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    48. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:48
    49. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:54
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Construction BotCon bot
    52. ValiantValiant ×2
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Construction BotCon bot
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    58. Construction BotCon bot
    59. ValiantValiant
    60. Wind
    61. Construction BotCon bot
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Construction BotCon bot
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Construction BotCon bot
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind
    73. Wind
    74. Construction BotCon bot
    75. Wind ×2
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Construction BotCon bot
    78. Wind
    79. ShurikenShuriken
    80. Wind ×2
    81. ShurikenShuriken
    82. Construction BotCon bot
    83. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    84. Wind
    85. Wind ×4
    86. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    87. Wind
    88. Wind
    89. Wind
    90. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    91. Wind
    92. Wind ×2
    93. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    94. Wind
    95. Wind
    96. Wind ×5
    97. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    98. Wind
    99. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    100. Wind
    101. Con turret
    102. Wind ×2
    103. Con turret
    104. Wind
    105. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    106. Wind ×5
    107. Wind
    108. Wind
    109. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    110. Wind
    111. Con turret
    112. Wind ×2
    113. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    114. Wind
    115. Wind ×2
    116. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    117. T2 converter
    118. Wind
    119. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    120. Wind
    121. Wind ×3
    122. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    123. Wind ×2
    124. Wind
    125. Wind ×5
    126. Wind
    127. Wind ×3
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. T2 converter
    131. Wind ×3
    132. Con turret
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind
    135. Wind
    136. Wind ×3
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Wind
    141. Wind
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind ×3
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind
    146. Wind
    147. Wind ×2
    148. ValiantValiant
    149. Wind ×3
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind
    152. Wind ×2
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind ×2
    155. Wind
    156. Wind ×2
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind ×3
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Wind
    161. Wind
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind
    164. ValiantValiant ×2
    165. Wind
    166. Wind ×3
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind ×2
    169. ValiantValiant ×2
    170. Wind
    171. Wind ×3
    172. ValiantValiant
    173. Wind ×3
    174. ValiantValiant ×2
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind
    178. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    179. Wind
    180. Wind
    181. HerculesLight transport
    182. Wind
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Wind ×3
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Wind ×2
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Wind ×3
    190. T2 converter
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Wind
    193. Wind
    194. Wind
    195. Wind ×2
    196. Wind
    197. T2 converter
    198. Wind ×6
    199. Wind
    200. Wind ×2
    201. ValiantValiant ×2
    202. Wind
    203. Con turret
    204. Wind
    205. Con turret
    206. ValiantValiant
    207. Wind ×2
    208. Wind
    209. Wind
    210. ValiantValiant
    211. Wind ×5
    212. ValiantValiant
    213. Wind
    214. HephaestusHeavy transport
    215. Wind
    216. Wind
    217. ValiantValiant
    218. Wind
    219. ValiantValiant ×3
    220. Wind
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Wind
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Wind ×3
    225. ValiantValiant
    226. Wind ×3
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Wind
    229. ValiantValiant
    230. Wind
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. Wind
    233. ValiantValiant ×2
    234. Wind ×2
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Wind ×3
    237. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00 · typical 10:52
    238. ValiantValiant
    239. Wind ×2
    240. ValiantValiant
    241. Wind ×3
    242. ValiantValiant
    243. Wind ×10

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Herbiderpi's (33 OS, 11/10/2026); 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 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

Herbiderpi

32.9 OS · 11/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
298 metal received · 78000 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
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas