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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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:49 · 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 ×2
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. ValiantValiant
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    6. Mex
    7. Con turret
    8. ValiantValiant ×2
    9. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    10. Wind
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind ×2
    15. Con turret
    16. Wind
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind ×2
    19. Con turret
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. Con turret
    23. Converter
    24. ValiantValiant ×2
    25. Wind
    26. Converter
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Converter
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Wind
    31. ValiantValiant
    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 (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 · 195 steps
    1. Converter
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    3. Converter
    4. Wind
    5. Converter
    6. Wind
    7. Converter
    8. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    9. Wind ×2
    10. Con turret ×2
    11. Wind ×12
    12. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:19 · typical 6:54
    13. Con turret
    14. Wind
    15. Converter ×2
    16. Wind
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:24
    25. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    26. Wind ×2
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. ValiantValiant ×5
    30. Wind
    31. ValiantValiant ×2
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind
    35. ValiantValiant
    36. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:14
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    39. Construction BotCon bot ×3
    40. Wind
    41. Construction BotCon bot
    42. Wind
    43. Construction BotCon bot ×7
    44. Wind
    45. Construction BotCon bot
    46. Wind ×4
    47. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:04
    48. Wind ×6
    49. ValiantValiant ×2
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Con turret
    55. Wind ×2
    56. Con turret
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. Con turret
    61. Wind
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Wind
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind ×2
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind
    70. Con turret
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind ×2
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind
    76. Con turret
    77. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    78. ValiantValiant
    79. Wind ×2
    80. Con turret
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind ×3
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant
    86. Wind ×2
    87. Converter
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind ×2
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Wind
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind ×2
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind ×2
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind
    102. Converter
    103. Wind ×2
    104. Converter
    105. Wind ×2
    106. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    107. Wind
    108. Converter
    109. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    110. Wind ×2
    111. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    112. Converter
    113. Wind
    114. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    115. Wind
    116. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    117. Wind ×2
    118. Converter
    119. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    120. Wind
    121. Converter
    122. Wind
    123. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    124. Wind
    125. Converter
    126. Wind
    127. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    128. Wind ×2
    129. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    130. Converter
    131. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    132. Converter
    133. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    134. Wind ×2
    135. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    136. Converter
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind ×2
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Converter
    144. ValiantValiant ×2
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind
    148. Converter
    149. Wind ×2
    150. ValiantValiant ×2
    151. Wind ×2
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Converter ×5
    154. ShurikenShuriken
    155. Converter ×7
    156. ShurikenShuriken
    157. Wind ×2
    158. ShurikenShuriken
    159. Wind
    160. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    161. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    162. Wind ×4
    163. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    164. Converter
    165. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    166. Wind ×2
    167. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    168. Wind
    169. Converter
    170. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    171. Wind
    172. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    173. RiptideFrigatedone 13:26
    174. Wind
    175. Converter
    176. Wind
    177. Wind
    178. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    179. Converter
    180. Wind
    181. Converter
    182. Wind
    183. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    184. Wind
    185. ValiantValiant
    186. Wind
    187. ValiantValiant ×2
    188. Converter ×2
    189. ValiantValiant
    190. Wind
    191. ValiantValiant
    192. Wind
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Wind
    195. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Ihatesea's (30 OS, 20/09/2026); 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

Ihatesea

30.4 OS · 20/09/2026

Open source match ↗

75 received units · includes a constructor
1517 metal received · 75487 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