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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 · 1529 distinct matches · 254 players · 81% of Cortex Air games · team won 46% of 1836 · 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 1529 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 · 5 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×4
    3. Energy storage
    4. Wind
    5. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 1:41 · 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 · 24 steps
    1. FinchFinch ×2for Geo sea
    2. FinchFinch
    3. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    4. HephaestusHeavy transportfor Beach sea
    5. ValiantValiant
    6. HerculesLight transportfor Pond
    7. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    8. Mex
    9. Con turret
    10. ValiantValiant
    11. Con turret ×2
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    13. Wind
    14. ValiantValiant ×2
    15. Wind ×4
    16. Converter
    17. Wind ×2
    18. Converter
    19. Wind
    20. Converter
    21. Wind ×3
    22. Converter
    23. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    24. Wind ×4
  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 (34%) · 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 · 199 steps
    1. HerculesLight transportfor Geo
    2. Wind
    3. Converter
    4. Wind ×3
    5. Converter
    6. Wind ×3
    7. Converter
    8. Wind ×4
    9. Converter
    10. Wind
    11. Con turret
    12. Wind
    13. Converter
    14. Wind ×2
    15. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    16. Converter
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    21. Converter
    22. Wind
    23. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant ×3for Geo
    26. Wind
    27. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    28. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 7:14 · typical 6:54
    29. Wind
    30. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    31. Wind
    32. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    33. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    34. Wind
    35. Converter
    36. Wind
    37. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    38. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    39. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    40. Wind
    41. HerculesLight transport
    42. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo
    43. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    44. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    45. Con turret
    46. ValiantValiant ×8for Geo
    47. Wind
    48. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    49. Bot LabBot Labdone 9:24
    50. Wind
    51. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    52. Construction BotCon bot
    53. ShurikenShuriken
    54. Wind
    55. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    56. Construction BotCon bot
    57. Wind
    58. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    59. Construction BotCon bot
    60. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    61. Wind
    62. Construction BotCon bot
    63. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    64. Construction BotCon bot
    65. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    66. Wind
    67. Construction BotCon bot
    68. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    69. Construction BotCon bot
    70. Wind
    71. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    72. Wind
    73. Construction BotCon bot
    74. Wind
    75. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    76. Wind
    77. Con turret
    78. Wind ×3
    79. Con turret
    80. Wind
    81. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    82. Con turret
    83. Wind ×3
    84. Con turret
    85. Wind ×3
    86. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    87. Wind
    88. Con turret
    89. Con turret
    90. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    91. Wind ×2
    92. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    93. Con turret
    94. Wind
    95. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    96. Wind
    97. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    98. Wind
    99. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    100. Wind
    101. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 11:02
    102. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    103. Wind ×3
    104. Con turret
    105. Wind
    106. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    107. Wind
    108. Con turret
    109. Wind ×3
    110. Con turret
    111. Wind
    112. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    113. Wind ×4
    114. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    115. Wind ×3
    116. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    117. Wind ×2
    118. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo
    119. Wind ×2
    120. Converter
    121. Converter
    122. Wind
    123. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    124. Converter
    125. Wind
    126. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    127. Wind
    128. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    129. Wind ×3
    130. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    131. Wind ×2
    132. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    133. Wind ×3
    134. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    135. Wind
    136. Con turret
    137. Wind ×2
    138. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    139. Wind ×4
    140. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    141. Wind ×3
    142. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    143. Wind ×2
    144. Converter
    145. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    146. Wind ×2
    147. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    148. Wind
    149. Converter
    150. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    151. Wind
    152. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    153. Wind
    154. Converter
    155. Wind ×2
    156. ValiantValiant ×2for Geo
    157. Wind
    158. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 13:56 · typical 10:52
    159. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    160. Wind ×3
    161. ValiantValiantfor Geo
    162. ValiantValiant
    163. Wind ×3
    164. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    165. Wind
    166. ValiantValiant
    167. Wind ×8
    168. Converter
    169. Wind ×2
    170. Converter
    171. Construction AircraftCon aircraftfor Geo sea
    172. Con turret
    173. Wind ×6
    174. Converter
    175. Wind ×11
    176. Converter
    177. Wind ×9
    178. Converter
    179. Wind ×2
    180. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    181. Wind ×2
    182. Converter
    183. Wind ×4
    184. Fusion ReactorFusion
    185. Wind ×3
    186. Converter
    187. Wind ×12
    188. Converter
    189. Wind ×3
    190. Converter
    191. Wind ×3
    192. Converter
    193. Wind ×2
    194. Con turret
    195. Wind
    196. Converter
    197. Wind ×4
    198. Converter
    199. Wind ×5

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is Tregan's (40 OS, 14/10/2026); 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 2:22 · 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

1836 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
6:003707102124
7:005089146169
8:006903190219
9:009282230271
10:0011758292379
11:0014379366535
12:0017077511778
13:00198737701089
14:002271112571687
15:002574318182435
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

Tregan

39.5 OS · 14/10/2026

Open source match ↗

10 received units · includes a constructor
476 metal received · 53475 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=1836
Advanced Metal Extractor6:54Middle 50%: 6:27–7:26 · n=1775
Fusion Reactor10:52Middle 50%: 9:45–12:16 · n=1179

Played most by

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