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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 · 3 steps
    1. Mex ×3
    2. Wind ×6
    3. 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 · 19 steps
    1. FinchFinch
    2. Wind
    3. FinchFinchfor Geo sea
    4. Wind ×3
    5. HerculesLight transportfor Geo sea
    6. FinchFinch
    7. ShurikenShuriken ×5
    8. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    9. ValiantValiant ×2
    10. Con turret
    11. Mex
    12. Con turret
    13. ValiantValiant ×3
    14. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    15. Wind ×2
    16. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    17. Wind
    18. Con turret
    19. 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 · 172 steps
    1. ValiantValiant
    2. ShurikenShuriken
    3. Wind
    4. Converter
    5. Wind
    6. Converter
    7. Wind
    8. Converter
    9. Wind
    10. Converter
    11. Wind
    12. HerculesLight transportfor Tech
    13. Wind ×3
    14. ThugThugfor Pond
    15. Wind ×3
    16. ValiantValiant
    17. Wind
    18. ValiantValiant
    19. Wind
    20. ValiantValiant
    21. Wind
    22. ValiantValiant
    23. Wind
    24. Wind
    25. ValiantValiant
    26. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    27. Wind
    28. ShurikenShuriken
    29. Wind
    30. ShurikenShuriken
    31. Wind
    32. ShurikenShuriken ×3
    33. Wind
    34. ShurikenShuriken ×2
    35. Wind
    36. Wind
    37. ShurikenShuriken
    38. ValiantValiant
    39. Wind
    40. Wind
    41. ValiantValiant
    42. Wind
    43. Wind
    44. ValiantValiant ×2
    45. Wind
    46. Wind
    47. ValiantValiant
    48. Wind
    49. ValiantValiant
    50. Wind
    51. Wind ×6
    52. Twin GuardTwin Guard ×2
    53. Converter
    54. Wind
    55. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    56. Wind
    57. Twin GuardTwin Guard
    58. Wind
    59. Converter
    60. Wind ×2
    61. Converter
    62. Wind ×2
    63. Converter
    64. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    65. Converter
    66. Wind
    67. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    68. Converter
    69. Wind
    70. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    71. Bot LabBot Labnot finished by 15:00
    72. Bot LabEat Bot Labreclaimed for its metal
    73. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 10:04
    74. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    75. Wind
    76. Converter
    77. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    78. ShurikenShuriken
    79. Wind
    80. ShurikenShuriken ×8
    81. Wind
    82. ShurikenShuriken
    83. Wind
    84. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mexdone 11:13 · typical 6:54
    85. Wind
    86. Con turret
    87. Wind
    88. Converter
    89. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    90. Converter
    91. Aircraft PlantEat Aircraft Plantreclaimed for its metal
    92. Con turret
    93. Converter
    94. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    95. Con turret
    96. Con turret
    97. Converter
    98. Wind ×2
    99. Advanced Metal ExtractorT2 mex
    100. Wind ×2
    101. GuardGuard
    102. Wind
    103. GuardGuard
    104. Wind ×3
    105. Converter
    106. Wind
    107. Converter
    108. Wind
    109. Converter
    110. Wind
    111. Converter
    112. Wind
    113. Converter
    114. Wind
    115. Converter
    116. Wind
    117. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    118. Aircraft PlantAircraft Plantdone 13:33
    119. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    120. Wind
    121. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    122. Wind
    123. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    124. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    125. Converter
    126. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    127. Construction AircraftCon aircraft
    128. Wind
    129. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    130. Wind
    131. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    132. Con turret
    133. Fusion ReactorFusiondone 14:42 · typical 10:53
    134. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    135. Wind
    136. Converter
    137. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    138. Wind
    139. Wind
    140. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    141. Con turret
    142. Wind
    143. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×2
    144. Wind
    145. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    146. Wind
    147. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    148. FinchFinch
    149. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    150. Wind ×3
    151. Con turret
    152. Wind
    153. FinchFinch
    154. Wind
    155. Wind
    156. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth ×3
    157. Wind
    158. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    159. Wind
    160. Con turret
    161. Dragon's TeethDragon's Teeth
    162. Wind
    163. Converter
    164. FinchFinch
    165. Wind
    166. FinchFinch
    167. Wind
    168. Wind ×2
    169. Wind
    170. FinchFinch
    171. Wind ×2
    172. Wind

Counts are medians over the build's games: half of them build more, half fewer. The example game is [BS]Nampukk's (31 OS, 04/10/2026); 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

[BS]Nampukk

30.9 OS · 04/10/2026

Open source match ↗

25 received units · includes a constructor
260 metal received · 25931 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