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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Solar ×2
    3. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:10 · 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 · 29 steps
    1. Wind
    2. FinchFinch
    3. Wind ×2
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    6. FinchFinch
    7. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    11. Mex
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. HephaestusHeavy transport
    14. Wind ×3
    15. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    16. Wind ×2
    17. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    18. Wind
    19. Wind
    20. Wind ×2
    21. Con turret
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind ×3
    28. Wind
    29. Wind ×2
  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 · 169 steps
    1. Wind ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Wind
    4. Energy storage
    5. Con turret
    6. Wind
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexnot finished by 15:00 · typical 6:54
    8. ValiantValiant
    9. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×2
    10. Wind
    11. Wind
    12. Converter
    13. Wind
    14. Wind
    15. Wind ×2
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. Converter ×2
    21. Wind
    22. Converter
    23. GuardGuard
    24. Converter
    25. BeholderBeholder
    26. Wind
    27. ValiantValiant
    28. Wind
    29. Converter
    30. ThistleThistle
    31. ValiantValiant
    32. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    33. Converter
    34. Wind
    35. Wind
    36. Converter
    37. ValiantValiant
    38. Wind
    39. Converter
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    42. GuardGuard
    43. Converter
    44. Wind
    45. ValiantValiant
    46. Wind
    47. Converter
    48. GuardGuard
    49. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    50. ValiantValiant
    51. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    52. GuardGuard
    53. Converter
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiant
    56. Converter
    57. GuardGuard
    58. Wind
    59. Wind
    60. Converter
    61. GuardGuard
    62. ValiantValiant
    63. Converter
    64. Wind
    65. Wind
    66. GuardGuard
    67. Converter
    68. Wind ×2
    69. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    70. Converter
    71. Wind
    72. Wind
    73. GuardGuard
    74. Wind
    75. Converter
    76. Wind
    77. Converter
    78. Wind
    79. Converter
    80. GuardGuard
    81. Converter
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Wind
    84. Converter
    85. Con turret
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Con turret
    88. Wind
    89. GuardGuard
    90. Converter
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 12:10 · typical 10:53
    93. Con turret
    94. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    95. Con turret
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind
    99. Converter
    100. Mex
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Con turret
    103. Converter
    104. GuardGuard
    105. Con turret
    106. Wind
    107. Wind
    108. ValiantValiant
    109. Con turret
    110. Converter
    111. ValiantValiant ×2
    112. Wind
    113. Mex
    114. Converter
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Wind
    119. Fusion ReactorFusion
    120. BeholderBeholder
    121. Converter ×2
    122. Wind
    123. Wind
    124. Converter ×3
    125. Wind
    126. Fusion ReactorFusion
    127. Wind
    128. Converter
    129. Con turret
    130. SlingshotSlingshot
    131. Con turret
    132. Wind
    133. Naval Radar / Sonar TowerNaval Radar / Sonar Tower
    134. Con turret ×2
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Wind
    137. Con turret
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. Converter
    141. Con turret
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Mex
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind
    148. ValiantValiant ×2
    149. GuardGuard
    150. Converter
    151. Wind
    152. ValiantValiant ×4
    153. T2 converter
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Converter
    156. ValiantValiant ×3
    157. Wind
    158. ValiantValiant ×2
    159. Converter
    160. ValiantValiant
    161. Wind
    162. GuardGuard
    163. ValiantValiant ×2
    164. T2 converter
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Converter
    168. Radar TowerRadar Tower
    169. ValiantValiant

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Hokusai's (31 OS, 12/09/2026); 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

Hokusai

31.1 OS · 12/09/2026

Open source match ↗

11 received units · includes a constructor
76 metal received · 149200 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