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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 · 1490 distinct matches · 252 players · 80% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1793 · 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 1490 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 1:22 · 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 · 24 steps
    1. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    2. Wind
    3. Solar
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Solar
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    9. Wind ×3
    10. Mex
    11. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    12. Wind
    13. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    14. ValiantValiant ×2for Pond
    15. Con turret
    16. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    17. ValiantValiant
    18. Wind
    19. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    20. Wind ×2
    21. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    22. Wind ×3
    23. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:26 · typical 6:54
  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 · 181 steps
    1. ValiantValiant ×4for Pond
    2. Converter
    3. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    4. Energy storage
    5. ValiantValiant ×9for Pond
    6. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    7. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    8. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    9. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    10. ShurikenShuriken
    11. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    13. ShurikenShuriken
    14. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    15. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    16. Con turret
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. ValiantValiant ×6for Pond
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    21. Wind ×2
    22. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    23. Wind
    24. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    31. Con turret
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Con turret
    36. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    37. Wind
    38. Bot LabBot Labdone 10:51
    39. ValiantValiant ×3for Pond
    40. Construction BotCon bot
    41. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    42. Converter
    43. ValiantValiantfor Pond
    44. ValiantValiant
    45. Converter
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Construction BotCon bot
    53. Wind
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Converter
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Con turret
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind
    60. Con turret
    61. ValiantValiant
    62. Wind ×2
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Converter
    65. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind ×2
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Converter
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Wind
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind ×2
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 12:12
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind ×2
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Converter
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Wind
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind ×3
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Wind ×2
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Con turret
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind ×2
    91. ValiantValiant ×3
    92. Converter
    93. Wind
    94. ValiantValiant
    95. Wind ×2
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind ×3
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind ×3
    100. ValiantValiant
    101. Wind ×2
    102. ValiantValiant
    103. Wind
    104. ValiantValiant
    105. Converter
    106. Wind ×2
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind ×2
    109. ShurikenShuriken
    110. Wind ×2
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind
    113. ValiantValiant
    114. Wind ×3
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. ShurikenShuriken
    117. Con turret
    118. Wind ×3
    119. ValiantValiant ×2
    120. Wind
    121. Con turret
    122. Converter
    123. Wind
    124. ShurikenShuriken
    125. Wind
    126. Con turret
    127. ValiantValiant ×2
    128. Converter
    129. Wind
    130. ShurikenShuriken
    131. Converter
    132. ValiantValiant ×2
    133. Wind
    134. Wind
    135. Converter
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Wind
    138. Wind
    139. Wind
    140. Wind ×2
    141. ShurikenShuriken
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind
    144. Wind
    145. Wind ×2
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant ×2
    148. Wind
    149. Wind ×2
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Wind ×2
    152. ShurikenShuriken
    153. Wind
    154. Converter ×2
    155. Wind
    156. ValiantValiant ×2
    157. Wind
    158. Converter
    159. Wind
    160. Converter
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. ShurikenShuriken
    163. Wind ×3
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind ×2
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind
    170. ShurikenShuriken
    171. Wind
    172. Converter
    173. Wind
    174. ValiantValiant
    175. Wind
    176. Wind
    177. Wind
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Wind
    180. Converter
    181. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [NWP]Kadafi923's (31 OS, 13/10/2026); 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 2:22 · 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

1793 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
6:003706102124
7:005088146167
8:006900190219
9:009279232270
10:0011757292384
11:0014351373540
12:0017061515781
13:00198467811109
14:002269912691689
15:002570018082409
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

[NWP]Kadafi923

30.6 OS · 13/10/2026

Open source match ↗

8 received units · includes a constructor
56 metal received · 85027 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=1793
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1734
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:47–12:18 · n=1147

Played most by

TheGeneraI113games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildMilkdragon51games of this buildAdeus50games of this build