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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 · 6 steps
    1. Mex ×2
    2. Wind
    3. Mex
    4. Wind ×3
    5. Energy storage
    6. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:28 · 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. HerculesLight transport ×2for Beach sea
    2. Wind
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    5. FinchFinch
    6. ValiantValiant
    7. Wind
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. ValiantValiant
    10. Wind
    11. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    12. Wind ×4
    13. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    14. Con turret
    15. Mex
    16. Con turret
    17. ValiantValiant ×2
    18. Wind
    19. ValiantValiant
    20. Wind
    21. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Wind
    25. HerculesLight transport
    26. ValiantValiant
    27. Wind
    28. ValiantValiant
    29. HerculesLight transport
    30. Wind
  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 · 262 steps
    1. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    2. Wind ×2
    3. Con turret
    4. Wind
    5. Con turret
    6. Wind ×6
    7. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:17 · typical 6:54
    8. Wind
    9. ThistleThistle
    10. Wind
    11. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 7:16
    12. Wind
    13. ThistleThistle
    14. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    15. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    16. HerculesLight transport ×2for Tech
    17. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    18. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    19. Wind
    20. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    21. Wind
    22. Con turret
    23. ValiantValiant
    24. Con turret
    25. Wind
    26. ValiantValiant ×2
    27. Wind
    28. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:01
    29. ValiantValiant
    30. Wind
    31. Construction BotCon bot
    32. Wind
    33. ValiantValiant
    34. Wind
    35. Construction BotCon bot
    36. ValiantValiant
    37. Wind
    38. Wind
    39. Construction BotCon bot
    40. Wind
    41. Wind ×2
    42. Construction BotCon bot
    43. Wind
    44. Wind
    45. Wind ×3
    46. Wind
    47. Wind
    48. Construction BotCon bot
    49. Wind ×2
    50. Wind ×2
    51. Wind ×4
    52. Wind
    53. Wind
    54. Wind
    55. Wind
    56. ShurikenShuriken
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiant
    59. Wind ×4
    60. ValiantValiant
    61. Wind ×2
    62. Con turret
    63. Wind ×2
    64. Con turret
    65. Wind
    66. ValiantValiant
    67. Wind ×3
    68. Con turret
    69. Wind ×2
    70. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    71. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    72. Wind ×5
    73. HerculesLight transport
    74. Wind ×4
    75. Converter
    76. Wind
    77. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    78. Wind ×7
    79. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    80. Wind ×7
    81. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    82. Wind ×4
    83. ValiantValiant
    84. Wind ×2
    85. Converter
    86. Wind
    87. Converter
    88. Wind ×2
    89. ValiantValiant
    90. Wind ×3
    91. ValiantValiant
    92. Converter
    93. Wind ×2
    94. Con turret
    95. Wind
    96. Converter
    97. ValiantValiant
    98. Wind ×4
    99. Con turret
    100. Wind
    101. ValiantValiant
    102. Wind ×3
    103. Converter
    104. Wind ×2
    105. ValiantValiant
    106. Wind ×2
    107. Advanced solar
    108. Wind ×2
    109. ShurikenShuriken
    110. Wind ×2
    111. ShurikenShuriken
    112. Converter
    113. Wind
    114. ShurikenShuriken
    115. Wind ×3
    116. ShurikenShuriken
    117. Converter
    118. ShurikenShuriken
    119. Wind ×2
    120. Converter
    121. Wind
    122. ShurikenShuriken
    123. Wind ×3
    124. Converter
    125. Wind ×2
    126. Converter
    127. Advanced solar
    128. Wind ×2
    129. ShurikenShuriken
    130. Wind ×4
    131. ShurikenShuriken
    132. Converter
    133. Wind
    134. ShurikenShuriken
    135. Wind ×4
    136. ValiantValiant
    137. Converter
    138. Wind ×3
    139. Converter
    140. ValiantValiant
    141. Wind ×5
    142. ValiantValiant
    143. Wind ×3
    144. ValiantValiant
    145. Converter
    146. Wind ×3
    147. ValiantValiant
    148. Converter
    149. Wind ×3
    150. ValiantValiant
    151. Converter
    152. Wind ×3
    153. ValiantValiant
    154. Wind ×2
    155. ValiantValiant
    156. Wind ×4
    157. ValiantValiant
    158. Wind
    159. Con turret
    160. Converter
    161. Con turret
    162. Wind ×3
    163. Converter
    164. ValiantValiant
    165. Wind ×4
    166. Converter
    167. ValiantValiant
    168. Wind ×2
    169. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    170. Wind ×3
    171. ValiantValiant
    172. Converter
    173. Wind ×5
    174. ValiantValiant
    175. Wind
    176. ValiantValiant
    177. Wind
    178. ValiantValiant
    179. Converter
    180. Wind ×2
    181. ValiantValiant
    182. Wind ×2
    183. ValiantValiant
    184. Advanced solar
    185. Wind
    186. Converter ×2
    187. FinchFinch
    188. Wind ×3
    189. FinchFinch
    190. Wind ×3
    191. FinchFinch
    192. Wind ×2
    193. Converter
    194. FinchFinch
    195. Wind
    196. FinchFinch
    197. Wind ×2
    198. Converter
    199. Wind
    200. Advanced solar
    201. ValiantValiant
    202. Wind
    203. Converter
    204. ValiantValiant
    205. Wind ×3
    206. ValiantValiant
    207. Wind
    208. Converter
    209. Wind ×2
    210. ValiantValiant
    211. Wind
    212. Converter
    213. Wind ×3
    214. ValiantValiant
    215. Wind
    216. ValiantValiant ×2
    217. Wind
    218. Advanced solar
    219. Wind
    220. Converter
    221. Wind
    222. ValiantValiant
    223. Converter
    224. Wind
    225. ValiantValiant
    226. Wind
    227. Con turret
    228. Converter
    229. ValiantValiant
    230. Wind
    231. Con turret
    232. Converter
    233. Con turret
    234. Wind ×2
    235. ValiantValiant
    236. Converter
    237. Con turret
    238. ValiantValiant
    239. Wind ×2
    240. Con turret
    241. ValiantValiant
    242. Wind
    243. ValiantValiant
    244. Converter
    245. Wind ×2
    246. ValiantValiant
    247. Wind
    248. ValiantValiant ×3
    249. Wind
    250. Converter
    251. Wind ×2
    252. ValiantValiant
    253. Wind
    254. ValiantValiant ×2
    255. Wind
    256. Converter
    257. ValiantValiant
    258. Wind
    259. ValiantValiant
    260. Con turret
    261. ValiantValiant
    262. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is bob7's (31 OS, 02/10/2026); 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 2:22 · 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

bob7

31.3 OS · 02/10/2026

Open source match ↗

10 received units · includes a constructor
1127 metal received · 16313 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