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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 · 1599 distinct matches · 261 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1908 · 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 1599 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 (39%)

    By 1:07 in all: 3 mex · 4 wind

    The example game in this phase · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×6
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:55 · 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%) · converter (45%) · energy storage (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 · 23 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    3. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. Wind ×3
    7. Converter
    8. Wind ×2
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Mex
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. Converter
    13. Con turret
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    15. Con turret
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. Con turret
    19. Converter
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Converter
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. 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 18 wind, 18 wind, 7 converterin 58% of games
    Builders
    • Construction Turret3 Con turret
    Army
    • Valiant9 Valiant

    Some games also: shuriken (47%) · fusion (39%) · 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 · 265 steps
    1. Converter
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. Converter
    4. Wind
    5. ValiantValiant ×2
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. Wind ×5
    9. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    10. Wind ×5
    11. ShurikenShuriken
    12. Wind
    13. ShurikenShuriken
    14. Con turret
    15. Wind
    16. ShurikenShuriken
    17. ValiantValiant ×3
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:08 · typical 6:54
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    21. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    22. Con turret
    23. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:14
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    25. Construction BotCon bot ×5
    26. Wind
    27. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    28. Wind
    29. Construction BotCon bot
    30. Wind
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Wind
    33. Construction BotCon bot
    34. Wind
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. Wind ×6
    37. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:20
    38. Wind ×3
    39. ValiantValiant
    40. Wind
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind ×3
    43. ValiantValiant
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Converter
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiant
    49. Wind
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Wind ×3
    52. Converter
    53. ValiantValiant
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind
    59. Converter
    60. Wind ×2
    61. Con turret
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Converter
    64. Wind ×2
    65. Con turret
    66. Wind ×3
    67. Con turret
    68. Converter
    69. Wind
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Converter
    72. Wind
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind ×2
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind ×2
    77. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    78. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:12 · typical 10:51
    79. Converter
    80. Wind
    81. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    82. Wind ×2
    83. Converter
    84. Wind
    85. Converter
    86. Wind ×5
    87. Converter
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Converter
    90. Wind ×3
    91. Converter
    92. Wind ×5
    93. Converter
    94. Converter
    95. Wind ×5
    96. Converter
    97. Wind
    98. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:27
    99. Wind ×3
    100. T2 converter
    101. Converter
    102. Wind
    103. Converter
    104. Wind ×3
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind ×2
    107. Converter
    108. Wind ×3
    109. Converter
    110. Wind ×2
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Converter
    113. Wind
    114. ValiantValiant
    115. Wind ×2
    116. ValiantValiant ×2
    117. Wind
    118. ValiantValiant
    119. Wind
    120. Converter
    121. Converter
    122. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    123. Wind ×3
    124. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    125. Wind ×2
    126. Converter
    127. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    128. Wind ×3
    129. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    130. Converter
    131. Wind
    132. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    133. Converter
    134. Wind ×2
    135. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    136. Wind ×2
    137. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    138. Wind
    139. Converter
    140. Wind
    141. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    142. Wind ×2
    143. Converter
    144. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    145. Wind
    146. Converter
    147. Wind
    148. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    149. Wind ×3
    150. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    151. Wind
    152. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    153. Wind
    154. Converter
    155. Wind
    156. Converter
    157. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    158. Wind ×2
    159. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    160. Wind ×2
    161. Converter
    162. Wind
    163. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    164. Wind ×2
    165. ValiantValiant
    166. Wind ×2
    167. Converter
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind
    170. Converter
    171. ShurikenShuriken
    172. Wind ×2
    173. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    174. Wind
    175. ShurikenShuriken
    176. Wind
    177. ShurikenShuriken
    178. Wind
    179. ShurikenShuriken
    180. Converter
    181. ShurikenShuriken
    182. Wind ×2
    183. ShurikenShuriken
    184. Converter
    185. ShurikenShuriken
    186. Wind
    187. ShurikenShuriken
    188. Wind
    189. ShurikenShuriken
    190. Wind
    191. ShurikenShuriken
    192. Converter
    193. ShurikenShuriken
    194. Wind ×2
    195. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    196. Wind
    197. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    198. Wind
    199. ShurikenShuriken
    200. Wind
    201. ShurikenShuriken
    202. Converter
    203. Converter
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Wind ×2
    206. ValiantValiant
    207. Wind
    208. ValiantValiant
    209. Wind
    210. ValiantValiant
    211. Wind
    212. ValiantValiant
    213. Converter
    214. Wind ×2
    215. ValiantValiant ×2
    216. Wind
    217. Converter
    218. ValiantValiant
    219. Wind ×2
    220. ValiantValiant
    221. Converter
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. Wind ×2
    224. ValiantValiant
    225. Wind
    226. ValiantValiant
    227. Wind
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Wind
    232. Converter
    233. Wind
    234. ValiantValiant
    235. Converter
    236. Wind
    237. ValiantValiant
    238. Wind
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Wind
    241. ValiantValiant
    242. Converter
    243. Wind ×2
    244. ValiantValiant
    245. Wind
    246. ValiantValiant ×2
    247. Wind ×2
    248. Converter
    249. ValiantValiant
    250. Wind ×2
    251. ValiantValiant
    252. Converter
    253. Wind
    254. ValiantValiant ×2
    255. Wind
    256. ValiantValiant
    257. Wind
    258. ValiantValiant
    259. Wind ×2
    260. Converter
    261. ValiantValiant
    262. Wind
    263. ValiantValiant
    264. Wind
    265. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Atra's (30 OS, 12/10/2026); 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 2:07 · 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 63% of games
  • Wind Turbine3 Wind from Beach sea or Geo sea or Pondfirst at 1:41 · 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 6:04 · 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

1908 games.

Show as table
ByMetal produced: This buildEnemy metal destroyed: This buildOwn metal lost: This build
1:0039200
2:0092300
3:00145600
4:002053051
5:0027665173
6:003725102124
7:005096146160
8:006916190204
9:009293221270
10:0011771275365
11:0014395365522
12:0017093490750
13:00199367451053
14:002278512201652
15:002584617572386
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

Atra

30.1 OS · 12/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
652 metal received · 38970 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=1908
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:26–7:26 · n=1847
Fusion Reactor10:51Middle 50%: 9:45–12:15 · n=1230

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner73games of this buildHunfore63games of this buildDRM52games of this buildHALF_DALLAH_HABIT52games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas