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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 · 1529 distinct matches · 254 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1836 · 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 1529 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 ×3
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:08 · 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. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    7. Wind ×2
    8. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    9. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    10. Energy storage
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind ×2
    14. ValiantValiant ×3
    15. Wind
    16. Mex
    17. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Con turret
    20. ValiantValiant ×4
    21. Con turret
    22. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    25. ValiantValiant ×4
  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 (34%) · 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 · 157 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. ValiantValiant
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. ShurikenShuriken
    7. Wind
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant ×2
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:15 · typical 6:54
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    25. Converter ×2
    26. Wind
    27. Converter
    28. Wind
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    30. Converter
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Converter
    33. Wind
    34. Converter
    35. Wind ×2
    36. Converter
    37. Wind
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. Wind
    40. Converter
    41. Wind
    42. Converter
    43. Con turret
    44. Wind ×3
    45. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:11
    46. Con turret ×2
    47. Construction BotCon bot
    48. Wind
    49. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    50. Con turret
    51. Construction BotCon bot
    52. Wind
    53. Construction BotCon bot
    54. Wind ×2
    55. Construction BotCon bot
    56. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:51
    57. Wind
    58. Construction BotCon bot
    59. Wind ×2
    60. Construction BotCon bot
    61. Wind
    62. Construction BotCon bot
    63. Wind
    64. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    65. Wind ×2
    66. Construction BotCon bot
    67. Wind ×6
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant ×2
    71. Wind ×2
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind ×2
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. ValiantValiant
    77. Wind ×3
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind
    80. ValiantValiant
    81. Wind ×2
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind ×2
    84. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind ×2
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind ×2
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind ×2
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind ×3
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind ×3
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:20 · typical 10:52
    101. Wind
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind ×13
    104. ShurikenShuriken
    105. Wind ×3
    106. ShurikenShuriken
    107. Wind
    108. ShurikenShuriken
    109. Wind ×3
    110. ShurikenShuriken
    111. Wind ×2
    112. ShurikenShuriken
    113. Wind ×2
    114. ShurikenShuriken
    115. Wind ×2
    116. ShurikenShuriken
    117. Wind ×3
    118. ShurikenShuriken
    119. Wind
    120. ShurikenShuriken
    121. Wind ×2
    122. ShurikenShuriken
    123. Wind ×11
    124. T2 converter
    125. Wind ×6
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind ×29
    128. ValiantValiant
    129. Wind
    130. Con turret
    131. Wind ×15
    132. Con turret
    133. Wind
    134. ValiantValiant
    135. Wind ×2
    136. T2 converter
    137. Wind ×5
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. Con turret
    141. Wind ×13
    142. Con turret
    143. Wind ×3
    144. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    145. Wind ×2
    146. T2 converter
    147. Wind ×2
    148. Con turret
    149. Wind ×5
    150. Con turret
    151. Wind ×4
    152. Con turret
    153. Wind ×7
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. T2 converter
    156. Wind ×6
    157. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Afussy's (34 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 2:22 · 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

1836 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
7:005089146169
8:006903190219
9:009282230271
10:0011758292379
11:0014379366535
12:0017077511778
13:00198737701089
14:002271112571687
15:002574318182435
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

Afussy

33.9 OS · 14/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
353 metal received · 21747 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=1836
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1775
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:45–12:16 · n=1179

Played most by

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