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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 · 1506 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1811 · 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 1506 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
    3. Solar ×2
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:18 · 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 · 30 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Beach sea
    2. Wind
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. Wind
    5. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    6. Wind
    7. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Mex
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Wind ×2
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Wind
    14. Wind
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Energy storage
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiant
  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 (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 · 294 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. Wind
    3. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    4. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    5. Wind
    6. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    7. Wind
    8. Con turret
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Con turret
    11. Wind
    12. ValiantValiant
    13. Converter
    14. ValiantValiant
    15. Wind
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Converter
    18. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:20 · typical 6:54
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    22. Wind
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Converter
    25. Wind
    26. Converter ×2
    27. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Wind
    32. Bot LabBot Labdone 8:30
    33. Wind
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    36. Wind
    37. Wind ×4
    38. Construction BotCon bot
    39. Wind
    40. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:14
    41. Construction BotCon bot
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. Construction BotCon bot
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Construction BotCon bot
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Construction BotCon bot
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. Construction BotCon bot
    52. ValiantValiant
    53. Wind ×2
    54. Construction BotCon bot
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    57. Construction BotCon bot
    58. Wind
    59. ShurikenShuriken
    60. Wind
    61. Construction BotCon bot
    62. Wind
    63. ShurikenShuriken
    64. Construction BotCon bot
    65. ShurikenShuriken
    66. Wind ×2
    67. ShurikenShuriken
    68. Construction BotCon bot
    69. Converter
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Construction BotCon bot
    72. Wind ×2
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. Wind
    76. Construction BotCon bot
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Construction BotCon bot
    79. ValiantValiant
    80. Wind ×3
    81. Construction BotCon bot
    82. Converter
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Construction BotCon bot
    85. Wind
    86. Wind
    87. ValiantValiant
    88. Wind ×2
    89. Construction BotCon bot
    90. ValiantValiant
    91. Construction BotCon bot
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Wind
    94. Converter
    95. Wind
    96. Construction BotCon bot
    97. Wind
    98. ValiantValiant
    99. Construction BotCon bot
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind ×3
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Converter
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind ×2
    107. ValiantValiant
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Wind
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Con turret
    113. Wind ×2
    114. Converter
    115. Wind
    116. ValiantValiant
    117. Wind ×2
    118. Con turret
    119. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    120. Wind ×2
    121. ValiantValiant
    122. Converter
    123. Wind
    124. Converter
    125. Wind ×2
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Con turret
    128. Wind ×2
    129. ValiantValiant
    130. Wind ×2
    131. Wind
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Con turret
    135. Converter
    136. Wind ×2
    137. ValiantValiant
    138. Wind ×3
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. ShurikenShuriken
    141. Converter ×2
    142. Wind ×2
    143. ShurikenShuriken
    144. Wind
    145. Wind
    146. Wind ×2
    147. ShurikenShuriken
    148. Wind
    149. Converter
    150. ShurikenShuriken
    151. Wind
    152. Converter
    153. Wind ×2
    154. Converter ×2
    155. Wind
    156. Wind ×2
    157. Converter
    158. Wind
    159. Converter
    160. ShurikenShuriken
    161. Wind ×2
    162. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    163. Converter
    164. Wind
    165. Wind
    166. ShurikenShuriken
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind
    169. Converter
    170. Wind ×2
    171. ValiantValiant ×2
    172. Wind ×2
    173. Converter
    174. Wind
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Wind
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Converter
    179. Wind ×3
    180. ValiantValiant
    181. Converter
    182. Wind
    183. Wind ×2
    184. HerculesLight transportfor Beach sea
    185. Wind ×2
    186. Converter
    187. ValiantValiant
    188. Wind
    189. Wind
    190. Wind
    191. Converter
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Wind ×2
    194. ValiantValiant
    195. Wind
    196. Wind
    197. Converter ×2
    198. Wind
    199. ValiantValiant
    200. Wind ×2
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Wind ×2
    203. Wind
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Converter ×2
    206. ValiantValiant
    207. Wind ×3
    208. ValiantValiant
    209. Wind
    210. Wind
    211. Converter
    212. ValiantValiant
    213. Converter
    214. Wind ×2
    215. ValiantValiant ×2
    216. Wind ×3
    217. Converter
    218. Wind
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Wind
    221. Converter ×2
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. Wind ×2
    224. ValiantValiant
    225. Wind
    226. Converter
    227. ValiantValiant
    228. Wind ×2
    229. Converter
    230. Wind ×2
    231. ValiantValiant
    232. Wind
    233. ValiantValiant
    234. Wind ×2
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Converter
    237. Con turret
    238. ValiantValiant
    239. Wind ×3
    240. Wind
    241. Wind
    242. ValiantValiant
    243. Wind ×2
    244. ValiantValiant
    245. Converter ×3
    246. Wind
    247. ValiantValiant
    248. Wind ×2
    249. ValiantValiant
    250. Wind ×2
    251. ValiantValiant
    252. Wind
    253. ValiantValiant
    254. Wind
    255. Wind
    256. Converter
    257. ValiantValiant
    258. Wind ×2
    259. ValiantValiant
    260. Converter
    261. Wind
    262. Converter
    263. ValiantValiant
    264. Wind
    265. Wind
    266. ValiantValiant
    267. Wind ×2
    268. ValiantValiant
    269. Wind ×2
    270. ValiantValiant
    271. Converter
    272. Wind
    273. Wind
    274. Wind
    275. ValiantValiant
    276. Wind
    277. ValiantValiant
    278. Wind
    279. Converter ×2
    280. ValiantValiant
    281. Wind
    282. Wind
    283. Wind
    284. ValiantValiant
    285. Wind ×2
    286. Converter
    287. ValiantValiant
    288. Wind ×2
    289. ValiantValiant
    290. Wind
    291. ValiantValiant
    292. Wind ×2
    293. ValiantValiant
    294. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is BigRowan's (32 OS, 30/08/2026); 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 2:23 · 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

1811 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
7:005089146167
8:006902190219
9:009284230270
10:0011758292380
11:0014356369536
12:0017069512781
13:00198597811102
14:002270412641689
15:002573618132420
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

BigRowan

32.4 OS · 30/08/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
74 metal received · 61593 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=1811
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1751
Fusion Reactor10:53Middle 50%: 9:45–12:17 · n=1159

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this build
Standard air · Cortex Air build order · BAR Build Atlas