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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 · 4 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:29 · 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 · 26 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinch
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    6. Wind
    7. FinchFinchfor Beach sea
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. ShurikenShurikenfor Beach sea
    11. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    12. ValiantValiant ×3
    13. Construction AircraftCon aircraft ×2
    14. Con turret
    15. Mex
    16. Con turret ×2
    17. Wind ×5
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    21. Wind
    22. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 4:52
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    26. 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 · 174 steps
    1. Wind
    2. HerculesLight transport
    3. Wind
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Tech
    5. Wind
    6. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    7. Wind
    8. Wind
    9. Wind
    10. Wind
    11. Wind
    12. Wind
    13. Wind ×3
    14. Converter
    15. Wind ×2
    16. Wind
    17. Wind
    18. Con turret
    19. Converter
    20. Con turret
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. Wind
    24. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:14 · typical 6:54
    25. Wind
    26. Converter ×4
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. Converter ×2
    29. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. Converter
    33. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:09
    34. Wind
    35. Converter
    36. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    37. Wind
    38. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    39. Converter
    40. Wind
    41. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    42. Wind
    43. ShurikenShuriken
    44. Converter
    45. Wind
    46. ShurikenShuriken
    47. Wind
    48. ShurikenShuriken
    49. Converter
    50. Wind
    51. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    52. Wind
    53. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    54. Wind
    55. ShurikenShuriken
    56. Converter
    57. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    58. Wind
    59. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind
    62. Converter
    63. ValiantValiant ×2
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant ×2
    66. Wind
    67. ValiantValiant
    68. Converter
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant ×2
    72. Converter
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    76. Wind
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant ×2
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiant
    82. Converter
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. ValiantValiant ×2
    86. Wind
    87. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    88. ValiantValiant ×4
    89. Wind ×2
    90. Wind
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Wind
    93. ValiantValiant
    94. Wind
    95. Wind
    96. ValiantValiant
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Wind
    100. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 11:39 · typical 10:53
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind ×2
    103. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    104. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:51
    105. Con turret
    106. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    107. Wind
    108. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    109. Wind
    110. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    111. Wind
    112. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    113. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    114. Wind
    115. HerculesLight transport
    116. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    117. Wind
    118. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    119. Wind
    120. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    121. Con turret
    122. Wind
    123. ShurikenShuriken
    124. Con turret
    125. Wind
    126. Con turret
    127. ShurikenShuriken
    128. Wind
    129. Con turret
    130. Wind
    131. ShurikenShuriken
    132. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:19
    133. ShurikenShuriken
    134. Wind
    135. ShurikenShuriken
    136. Con turret
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind
    139. Con turret
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Con turret ×2
    142. Wind
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Wind
    145. ValiantValiant ×4
    146. Wind
    147. ValiantValiant ×3
    148. Wind
    149. ValiantValiant ×3
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant ×5
    152. Wind
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    155. Wind
    156. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    157. Wind
    158. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×3
    159. Wind
    160. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    161. Wind
    162. WhirlwindWhirlwind
    163. Wind
    164. WhirlwindWhirlwind ×2
    165. ValiantValiant ×2
    166. Wind
    167. ValiantValiant ×3
    168. Wind
    169. ValiantValiant ×4
    170. Wind
    171. ValiantValiant ×4
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant ×3
    174. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Schubiduuhh's (31 OS, 06/10/2026); pick another.

Team trades

IN AT LEAST 30% OF ITS GAMES

You hand over

  • Finch2 Finch to Geo sea or Beach seafirst at 1:51 · 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

Schubiduuhh

30.8 OS · 06/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
31 metal received · 137811 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