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

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is bob7's (32 OS, 03/10/2026); 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

bob7

31.6 OS · 03/10/2026

Open source match ↗

7 received units · includes a constructor
78 metal received · 46638 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