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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 · 1515 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1820 · 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 1515 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 ×5
    3. Energy storage
    4. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:37 · 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 · 20 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. ValiantValiant
    3. HerculesLight transport ×2for Geo sea
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    5. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. Mex
    9. Con turret ×3
    10. Wind ×3
    11. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Wind ×3
    15. Converter
    16. HerculesLight transport
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Converter
    19. Wind ×3
    20. FinchFinch
  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 · 273 steps
    1. Wind
    2. Converter
    3. Wind ×3
    4. Converter
    5. Wind ×2
    6. Converter
    7. ShurikenShuriken
    8. Wind
    9. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    13. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 6:13 · typical 6:54
    14. Converter
    15. Wind
    16. Converter
    17. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    18. Wind
    19. Converter
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. Wind
    22. Converter ×2
    23. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    24. Wind ×2
    25. Bot LabBot Labdone 7:10
    26. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    27. Converter
    28. Construction BotCon bot ×5
    29. Wind
    30. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    31. Wind ×3
    32. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 9:11 · typical 10:52
    33. Converter
    34. Wind ×2
    35. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    36. Wind
    37. Con turret
    38. Wind ×9
    39. Converter
    40. Wind ×4
    41. Converter
    42. Wind ×4
    43. Converter
    44. Wind ×3
    45. Converter
    46. Wind
    47. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 9:26
    48. Wind ×3
    49. Converter
    50. Wind ×3
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind
    53. Converter
    54. ValiantValiant
    55. Wind
    56. ValiantValiant
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind ×2
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Converter
    62. HephaestusHeavy transport
    63. Wind ×4
    64. ValiantValiant
    65. Converter
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind
    68. ValiantValiant
    69. Wind ×3
    70. ValiantValiant
    71. Converter
    72. ValiantValiant
    73. Wind
    74. ValiantValiant
    75. Wind ×3
    76. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    77. Converter
    78. Wind
    79. ValiantValiant ×2
    80. Wind ×3
    81. Con turret
    82. Converter
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind
    85. Con turret
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind ×3
    88. Converter
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Con turret
    91. Wind ×2
    92. ValiantValiant
    93. Con turret
    94. Wind ×2
    95. ValiantValiant
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Converter
    99. ValiantValiant
    100. Wind ×3
    101. ValiantValiant ×3
    102. Wind
    103. ValiantValiant
    104. Converter
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind ×3
    107. ValiantValiant ×4
    108. Wind
    109. ValiantValiant
    110. Converter
    111. ValiantValiant
    112. Wind ×3
    113. ValiantValiant ×3
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Converter
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind ×3
    119. ValiantValiant ×3
    120. Wind
    121. ValiantValiant ×2
    122. Converter
    123. Wind
    124. ValiantValiant
    125. Wind ×2
    126. ValiantValiant ×2
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiant ×2
    129. Wind
    130. ValiantValiant
    131. Converter
    132. Wind ×2
    133. ValiantValiant ×3
    134. Wind
    135. ValiantValiant ×2
    136. Wind
    137. Converter
    138. Wind ×2
    139. ValiantValiant
    140. Con turret
    141. Wind
    142. Con turret
    143. ValiantValiant
    144. Con turret
    145. Wind ×2
    146. Converter
    147. Wind
    148. Con turret
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind
    151. Con turret
    152. ValiantValiant
    153. Wind
    154. Con turret
    155. Converter
    156. Wind ×2
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Con turret
    159. Wind
    160. Con turret
    161. ValiantValiant ×2
    162. Wind
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Wind ×2
    165. Converter
    166. ValiantValiant ×3
    167. Wind
    168. ValiantValiant ×2
    169. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    170. Wind ×2
    171. ShurikenShuriken
    172. Wind
    173. ShurikenShuriken
    174. Converter
    175. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    176. Wind
    177. ShurikenShuriken ×4
    178. Wind
    179. ShurikenShuriken
    180. Wind
    181. ShurikenShuriken
    182. Wind
    183. ShurikenShuriken
    184. Converter
    185. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    186. Wind
    187. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    188. ValiantValiant ×2
    189. Wind
    190. ValiantValiant
    191. Wind ×2
    192. ValiantValiant
    193. Converter
    194. ValiantValiant ×2
    195. Wind
    196. ValiantValiant ×3
    197. Wind
    198. ValiantValiant
    199. Wind ×2
    200. ValiantValiant
    201. Converter
    202. ValiantValiant ×2
    203. Wind
    204. ValiantValiant ×4
    205. Wind ×2
    206. ShurikenShuriken
    207. Wind
    208. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    209. Converter
    210. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    211. Wind
    212. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    213. Wind
    214. ShurikenShuriken
    215. Wind ×2
    216. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    217. Converter
    218. ShurikenShuriken
    219. Wind
    220. ValiantValiant ×4
    221. Wind
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. Wind ×2
    224. ValiantValiant ×2
    225. Converter
    226. Wind
    227. ValiantValiant ×4
    228. Wind ×2
    229. ValiantValiant
    230. Wind
    231. ValiantValiant ×2
    232. Converter
    233. ValiantValiant
    234. Wind
    235. ValiantValiant ×3
    236. Wind ×2
    237. ValiantValiant ×2
    238. Wind
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Converter
    241. ValiantValiant
    242. Wind
    243. ValiantValiant ×3
    244. Wind
    245. ValiantValiant
    246. Wind
    247. ValiantValiant
    248. Wind
    249. ValiantValiant
    250. ShurikenShuriken
    251. Converter
    252. Wind
    253. ShurikenShuriken ×6
    254. Wind ×2
    255. ShurikenShuriken
    256. Wind
    257. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    258. ValiantValiant
    259. Wind
    260. Converter
    261. ValiantValiant ×4
    262. Wind ×3
    263. ValiantValiant ×4
    264. Converter
    265. Wind
    266. ValiantValiant ×3
    267. Wind ×2
    268. ValiantValiant
    269. Wind
    270. ValiantValiant ×3
    271. Converter
    272. Wind
    273. 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 DonGarillo's (33 OS, 05/10/2026); 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 71% 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

1820 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
6:003709102124
7:005089146167
8:006903190219
9:009285231271
10:0011765292380
11:0014373367535
12:0017074512780
13:00198647751095
14:002271012621682
15:002573918112415
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

DonGarillo

33.1 OS · 05/10/2026

Open source match ↗

9 received units · includes a constructor
2414 metal received · 82725 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=1820
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1760
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:45–12:16 · n=1165

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