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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 · 1508 distinct matches · 252 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1813 · 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 1508 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 1:31 · 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 · 32 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. HerculesLight transport ×2for Beach sea
    3. ShurikenShuriken
    4. Wind
    5. ShurikenShuriken
    6. Wind
    7. ValiantValiant
    8. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind ×3
    11. ValiantValiant
    12. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    13. Wind
    14. Mex
    15. Con turret
    16. HerculesLight transport
    17. Con turret
    18. HerculesLight transport
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. ValiantValiant ×2
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    27. Wind
    28. Converter
    29. Wind
    30. Converter
    31. Wind ×2
    32. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
  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 · 309 steps
    1. Converter
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Converter
    4. Wind ×2
    5. Con turret
    6. Wind ×9
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex ×4done 6:39
    8. Con turret ×2
    9. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 8:23
    10. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Geo sea
    11. ValiantValiant ×5
    12. Wind
    13. ValiantValiant
    14. Wind
    15. ValiantValiant ×2
    16. Wind
    17. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:13
    18. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    19. Wind ×2
    20. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    21. Wind
    22. Construction BotCon bot
    23. Wind
    24. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    25. Wind
    26. Construction BotCon bot
    27. Wind
    28. Construction BotCon bot
    29. Wind
    30. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    31. Wind ×3
    32. Construction BotCon bot ×2
    33. Wind
    34. Construction BotCon bot
    35. Wind ×4
    36. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:11
    37. Wind ×4
    38. Con turret
    39. Wind ×4
    40. ValiantValiant
    41. Wind ×2
    42. ValiantValiant
    43. Wind
    44. Con turret
    45. Wind
    46. ValiantValiant
    47. Wind ×2
    48. Con turret
    49. Wind
    50. Con turret
    51. ValiantValiant
    52. Wind ×2
    53. Con turret
    54. Wind ×2
    55. Con turret
    56. Wind
    57. ValiantValiant
    58. Wind
    59. Con turret
    60. Wind
    61. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    62. Wind
    63. ValiantValiant
    64. Wind
    65. ValiantValiant
    66. Wind
    67. Converter
    68. Wind
    69. ValiantValiant
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiant
    72. Wind ×2
    73. ValiantValiant
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiant
    76. Wind ×2
    77. ValiantValiant
    78. Wind
    79. Converter
    80. ValiantValiant ×2
    81. Wind ×3
    82. ValiantValiant
    83. Converter
    84. ValiantValiant
    85. Wind
    86. ValiantValiant
    87. Wind
    88. ValiantValiant
    89. Wind ×2
    90. ShurikenShuriken
    91. Converter
    92. Wind
    93. ShurikenShuriken
    94. Wind ×2
    95. ShurikenShuriken
    96. Wind
    97. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    98. Wind
    99. Converter
    100. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    101. Wind ×3
    102. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    103. Wind ×2
    104. ShurikenShuriken
    105. Converter
    106. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    107. Wind
    108. ShurikenShuriken
    109. Converter
    110. Wind
    111. ShurikenShuriken
    112. Wind
    113. ShurikenShuriken
    114. Wind
    115. ValiantValiant
    116. Wind ×3
    117. ValiantValiant
    118. Converter
    119. Wind
    120. ValiantValiant
    121. Wind
    122. ValiantValiant ×2
    123. Wind
    124. Converter
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiant
    127. Wind ×3
    128. ValiantValiant ×2
    129. Wind ×2
    130. Converter
    131. ValiantValiant
    132. Wind
    133. ValiantValiant
    134. Wind ×5
    135. ValiantValiant
    136. Converter
    137. Wind
    138. ValiantValiant
    139. Wind
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind
    142. Converter
    143. Wind
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Wind ×3
    146. ValiantValiant
    147. Wind
    148. Converter
    149. ValiantValiant
    150. Wind
    151. ValiantValiant
    152. Wind ×5
    153. Converter
    154. ValiantValiant
    155. Wind
    156. ValiantValiant ×2
    157. Wind
    158. Converter
    159. ValiantValiant
    160. Wind ×2
    161. ValiantValiant
    162. Wind ×3
    163. ValiantValiant
    164. Wind
    165. Converter
    166. ValiantValiant ×2
    167. Wind ×4
    168. ValiantValiant
    169. Wind
    170. Converter
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Wind
    173. ValiantValiant
    174. Wind ×2
    175. ValiantValiant
    176. Converter
    177. ValiantValiant
    178. Wind
    179. ValiantValiant
    180. Wind ×3
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Converter
    183. Wind
    184. ValiantValiant
    185. Wind
    186. ValiantValiant
    187. Wind
    188. ValiantValiant
    189. Converter
    190. Wind ×2
    191. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    192. Wind ×2
    193. ValiantValiant
    194. Wind ×2
    195. Converter
    196. ValiantValiant
    197. Wind
    198. ValiantValiant ×2
    199. Wind ×2
    200. Converter
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Wind
    203. Con turret
    204. Wind
    205. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    206. Wind ×2
    207. Converter
    208. Wind ×3
    209. ValiantValiant ×2
    210. Converter
    211. Wind ×2
    212. ValiantValiant
    213. Wind
    214. Converter
    215. Wind
    216. ValiantValiant
    217. Wind
    218. Converter
    219. ValiantValiant
    220. Wind
    221. ValiantValiant
    222. Wind ×2
    223. ValiantValiant
    224. Wind
    225. Converter
    226. Wind
    227. Converter
    228. ValiantValiant
    229. Wind ×2
    230. ValiantValiant
    231. Wind
    232. ValiantValiant
    233. Converter
    234. Wind
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Wind
    237. Converter
    238. Wind
    239. ValiantValiant
    240. Wind ×2
    241. ValiantValiant
    242. Wind
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Converter
    245. ValiantValiant
    246. Wind
    247. Converter
    248. ValiantValiant
    249. Wind
    250. ValiantValiant
    251. Wind ×2
    252. ValiantValiant
    253. Wind ×2
    254. Converter
    255. Wind
    256. ValiantValiant
    257. Wind
    258. ValiantValiant ×2
    259. Wind
    260. Converter
    261. Wind
    262. ValiantValiant
    263. Converter
    264. Wind ×3
    265. ValiantValiant
    266. Converter
    267. Wind
    268. ValiantValiant ×2
    269. Wind
    270. Converter
    271. Wind
    272. ValiantValiant
    273. Converter
    274. Wind ×3
    275. ValiantValiant
    276. Wind
    277. Converter
    278. Wind ×2
    279. ValiantValiant ×2
    280. Wind ×2
    281. Converter
    282. ValiantValiant
    283. Wind ×2
    284. Converter
    285. ValiantValiant
    286. Wind
    287. ValiantValiant
    288. Wind ×2
    289. ValiantValiant
    290. Converter
    291. ValiantValiant
    292. Wind
    293. ValiantValiant
    294. Converter
    295. Wind ×3
    296. ValiantValiant
    297. Wind
    298. ValiantValiant
    299. Wind ×2
    300. Converter
    301. ValiantValiant
    302. Converter
    303. Wind
    304. Fusion ReactorFusionnot finished by 15:00
    305. Wind
    306. ValiantValiant
    307. Wind ×2
    308. Converter
    309. Wind ×2

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is zimt's (31 OS, 26/08/2026); 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 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 2:22 · 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

1813 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
6:003711102124
7:005089146167
8:006903190219
9:009285230270
10:0011761292379
11:0014370369533
12:0017069512781
13:00198597811101
14:002270412631689
15:002573618082409
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

zimt

31.2 OS · 26/08/2026

Open source match ↗

2 received units · includes a constructor
1138 metal received · 79795 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=1813
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1753
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:46–12:17 · n=1160

Played most by

TheGeneraI114games of this buildDad_The_Speedrunner72games of this buildHunfore62games of this buildDRM52games of this buildMilkdragon52games of this build